Peer Support on
Campus
The Benefits and
Challenges
Transforming how we
assist students with
Peer-to-Peer Support.
Ryerson University Health Promotion and Self Health
Resource Centre Collaboration
Mark Freeman and Juannittah Kamera
•
+32000 UG, +2000GR, +60000CE
•
Staffing and Funding
•
~170 Student Groups, Course unions, Graduate course unions and Affiliate
groups
● Liability: Peer support is not therapy. It’s about what’s
strong, not what’s wrong.
● The future: Don’t put peer support behind barriers
you’re struggling to overcome yourself.
● Work with student leaders where they’re already
providing mental health support.
● Students know what they need but they may not know
they know.
Peer Support on
Campus
The Benefits and
Challenges
Formed in 2012
 Who? Students age 16+ with mental health concerns who live/
study/work/play in Hamilton
 Currently ~180 members
 Goals


Cultivate a welcoming community of Mad students who support each
other as peers, share tools for self-advocacy, and encourage connection
to the broader consumer/survivor movement

Represent the voices of members by engaging in systemic advocacy to
challenge discrimination and promote Mad Positivity and alternatives
to the medical model on our campuses
www.hamiltonmadstudents.ca
Definition of • All people involved (“members”) are students (or folks planning
“peer”
a return to school) age 16+ with lived experience of madness,
psychiatric systems, mental health concerns
Forms of
peer
support
available
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Online email discussion listserv
One-on-one (practical support, emotional support)
Informal group meetings on a topic
Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) structured groups
Madgic School educational workshops
Social events
Informal connection with members online/in-person/phone
How to
access
• Anyone who meets membership criteria can email to access
• Based on self-identification
Why we operate like this:
• We want to ensure consumer/survivor peer support is available and accessible
– this means offering various, flexible, easy ways to engage…
• In order to foster mutual friendships/a community of equals, all members need
to identify as people with lived experience (including the Coordinator)
Social/Emotional Needs
Learning Needs
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Friends
Community
Place to contribute and belong
Things to do
Positive identity
Advocacy Needs
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Accessible classrooms
Anti-discriminatory environments
Mad Positive campus
Get involved in making change
Practical Support Needs
• Academic accommodations
• Housing
• Income
Legal rights
Navigating life/school while nuts
Mad Movement
Mad activism and peer support
Mental Health Support
Needs
• Arising from inadequate access
to/unhelpful mental health services
• Alternatives to formal services
Occupational Support
Needs
• School
• Career planning
• Employment
Training / Roles
Members
• Members voluntarily support each other as peers/friends/neighbours
within the community and do not need training to do this
• We are developing/offering educational peer support workshops
available to all members -- these are informed by the Peer Support
Guidelines released by the Mental Health Commission of Canada
and Peer Support Accreditation and Certification Canada (PSACC)
Meeting
facilitators /
Listserv
moderators
• Required skills/knowledge for these responsibilities are under
development
• At present, all official meetings are attended by the Coordinator and
variously co-facilitated by active members; the Coordinator
moderates the listserv
Coordinator • The Coordinator completed peer support training through the Centre
for Building a Culture of Recovery
• The Coordinator accesses supervision/support/mentorship from other
consumer/survivor leaders in Hamilton and provincially
Financial
support
• No permanent funding
• Have applied for and received grants and in-kind support from
numerous campus departments for expenses related to
training, zine publication, photocopying, snacks, art supplies
Connection to
the university
• No formal ties
• We are a community group – many members are McMaster
students, but students in Hamilton from other schools are
welcome
• Supportive relationships with McMaster’s School of Social
Work, President’s Advisory Committee on Building an Inclusive
Community, School of Grad Studies
• Most meetings occur on the McMaster campus since we can
access space there
Peer Support on
Campus
The Benefits and
Challenges
Developing a Peer Mentoring Program for
Students with Mental Health
Problems/Disabilities
Dr. Mike Condra
Principal Investigator
Director, Health, Counselling,
and Disabilities Services
Mira Dineen
Coordinator
M2 Peer Mentoring Program
M2 Peer Mentoring Program
• 3 year project funded by the Mental Health Innovation
Fund (MTCU)
• Research study aimed at developing a peer mentoring
program designed specifically for students with mental
health problems/disabilities
• Pilot running from September 2014 to March 2015
• Sharing program resource manual with all colleges and
universities in 2015
M2 Peer Mentoring Program
• One-on-one, in-person peer mentoring program
• Upper year student (Mentor) matched with a student
who has a mental health problem/disability (Mentee).
• Personal support through weekly meetings
– Self-care, wellness strategies, learning strategies,
listening and empathy
• Supervised by Coordinator and Director (Psychologist),
based in Health, Counselling and Disability Services
Recruitment and Selection
• “Peer Support” conceived as shared experience as an
undergraduate student
• Peer Mentors selected on basis of emotional intelligence,
communication skills, maturity, empathy, previous
experience in “helping role”
• Students who have a mental health issue (mood, anxiety,
eating disorders) are referred to M2 by Queen’s
counsellors, physicians, disability advisors
Peer Mentor Training
Peer Mentors completed 8 hours of individual
assignments and 24 hours of in-person training on the
following topics:
• Communication skills
• Emotional intelligence
• Mental health education
• Crisis response and suicide alertness
• Coaching healthy lifestyle choices
• Boundaries and confidentiality
• Learning strategies, goal-setting
Peer Support on
Campus
The Benefits and
Challenges
Peer Counselling
Program
SASS
Service d’appui au succès scolaire
Student Academic Success Service
Our Program
• Service run by uOttawa SASS Counselling & Coaching Services
• Program began in January 2012
• Peer Counsellor positions are paid with salaries fully funded
through uOttawa Work/Study program
• Emphasis on student mental health and well-being, Peer
Counsellors provide informal emotional support
• Based on shared experience between student and Peer
Counsellor (of university life, interpersonal struggles, counselling
process etc.)
• Peer Counsellors offer additional support to students
undergoing a counselling process and are occasionally the main
support for students
Peer Counsellors
• Team of five Peer Counsellors made up of upper level
undergraduate and graduate uOttawa students
• Peer Counsellors have a variety of educational backgrounds
and lived experiences
• Peer Counsellors receive weekly training and supervision
meetings with Professional Counsellors at SASS Counselling &
Coaching Service
• Peer Counsellors operate under same confidentiality agreement
as Professional Counsellors at SASS Counselling & Coaching
Service
• Participate in campus initiatives such as Wellness Week, Open
Houses, and Pet Therapy
How it works
• Students attend intake appointment at Counselling & Coaching
Services
• Professional Counsellors determine if student may benefit from
meetings with Peer Counsellor (based on content of presenting
issue, wait time to see a Professional Counsellor, etc.)
• With student’s consent, Peer Counsellor is provided with
student’s contact information and connects with student to set
up initial meeting
• Meetings take place on campus (coffee shops, student lounges,
semi-private spaces) for max of 1 hour
• Peer Counsellors take notes on sessions and submit to their
supervisors at Counselling & Coaching Services
Benefits & Challenges
Benefits
• Peer Counsellors are often able to meet with students sooner
and more frequently than Professional Counsellors
• Students have reported feeling more comfortable talking to a
peer than a “person of authority”
• Advantage of shared experience as a way to validate and
empathize with students’ struggles
• Ability to use sessions with Peer Counsellor as space to practice
any skills/strategies discussed in regular counselling sessions
Challenges
• On campus meetings can create unique confidentiality
challenges
• Boundaries & ethics (i.e. maintaining professionalism, dual
relationships etc.)
Questions?