Health and Wellness at Fordham Prep

Mindful Awareness Practice Program (MAPP)

Established in 2021 to support the mental health and well-being of the entire Fordham Prep community, the Mindful Awareness Practice Program (MAPP) brings research-based stress management skills training, and mindful awareness practices to each segment of our community, including students, parents/caregivers, and faculty and staff.

The MAPP continues to be creatively developed in collaboration with academic departments, athletics, campus ministry, student organizations and the Mother’s and Father’s clubs.    

Benefits

• The benefits of mindful practices are well-documented and include improved health and well-being, increased resilience, enhanced compassion for self and others, reduced anxiety and depression and improved sleep, focus, concentration, problem-solving, and creativity.

Sessions

• The sessions are held in classrooms, the counseling center, chapel, college room, conference rooms and gym, and offer a variety of practices and activities, including:
  • Breath Work
  • Yoga
  • Mindful Meditation
  • Guided Nature Visualizations
  • Body Scanning
  • Centering Prayer
  • Loving Kindness Meditation
  • Therapeutic Art
  • Noting Practice
  • Grounding with the Senses 

How our community can participate:

A variety of drop-in MAPP sessions are offered to students, faculty and staff before, during, and after the school day.  Students attend on a voluntary, drop-in basis during a free period, study hall, lunch, mentoring period and/or consultation. 

The schedule can be accessed through a QR code on posted flyers, in the third floor Counseling Center or via the MAPP Schoology page. 

Additionally, the MAPP Schoology page has an organized library of related resources, materials and activities including apps, scripts and links for use on one’s own. 

Suicide Prevention

Fordham Prep’s School Counseling Team guides students through an evidence-based suicide prevention program called Lifelines. Students learn about the warning signs and risk factors for suicidality and the intervention steps needed to help someone in need.

Lifelines Curriculum

Adolescent Depression Education

In sophomore year, our School Counselors use the program More Than Sad: Teen Depression in group counseling class. This is an evidenced-based, multi-lesson program developed by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

More Than Sad Curriculum

Substance Abuse Education

Fordham Prep takes part in the Archdiocese of New York Drug Abuse Prevention Program (ADAPP). A clinician spends one day at Fordham Prep each week working in support of the ADAPP program and our students.  The clinician specializes in substance abuse prevention programming, support services, crisis intervention, individual counseling and more.

New York Archdiocese ADAPP Program

Mental Health Screenings

The School Counseling and clinical teams work together to give a suicide screening to every student, every year.

In addition, screenings for depression, anxiety and substance use are given when indicated. Parents/caregivers are given full and on-going support should a referral to and treatment with an outside professional be necessary.

Physical Health 

Fordham Prep’s four-year Physical Education program promotes lifelong fitness and helps students understand the connection between physical activity and their overall physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being. Through individual and team sports, students build motor skills while developing an understanding of the rules, strategies, and fundamentals of each activity.

Physical Education and Health programming also supports students’ personal growth during adolescence, addressing their physical, emotional, and social needs. Students benefit from outstanding facilities, including two gyms, an athletic field, and access to Fordham University’s tennis courts, indoor pool, and turf fields.

Learn More about Athletics

Spiritual Wellness

Ignatian spirituality is at the core of all that we do. For faculty and staff,this means making space to explore one’s relationship with God. Our Campus Ministers create these sacred spaces in our Chapel, in our classrooms, and beyond.

• Mass - Mass is offered on a regular basis in the Chapel of St. Ignatius 
• Centering Prayer - Centering Prayer is a modernized prayer method based on the intuitive prayer rooted in Lectio Divina. It is a method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience the Divine's immanent presence with us (via The Ignatian Journey)
• First Friday Adoration - “Adoration is an opportunity to be present in prayer with God in a special way as Catholics believe that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. Many students over the years have commented on how this has been a special moment of prayer for them. During Adoration the Eucharist is placed in a special container called a monstrance. The monstrance is placed on the altar and we are invited to spend some time in prayer with God. We believe that both individually and as a community, such prayer can be a moment of grace, that is, God's gift of God's self to us.” - Mike Kravatz P’23, Campus Minister

Learn more about Campus Ministry