College Peer Support Programs (Mental Health)

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1	Know of a college peer support model / program that is not listed on this sheet? Click here to submit information about it.
2	SCHOOL / ORGANIZATION	NAME OF PROGRAM	BRIEF PROGRAM DESCRIPTION	ADDL COMMENTS

3	Clemson	You're Not Alone	The purpose of You’re Not Alone is to provide a safe group environment for students at Clemson University who personally struggle, or have loved ones who struggle with mental illnesses. It is primarily a discussion group that often talks about depression and anxiety. The group also provides a safe place for students with suicidal thoughts who wish to seek support.	Student organization not sponsored by but has relationship with CAPS. Has explicit statements that it is not group therapy / professional mental health, but a support space.
4	Cornell	EARS	"A vibrant peer-led counseling program and training program founded in 1972, EARS (Empathy, Assistance and Referral Service) continues with the assistance of skilled dedicated volunteers (Cornell Undergraduates, Graduate students and Professional Staff) who have undergone extensive training to provide non-judgmental, short term counseling. All services are free and confidential"	Student organization advised by Dean of Students faculty and run by 3 paid student workers. Has a physical office in student union / DoS suite. Requires 3 semesters of training (Beginning, Advanced, Intensive) which meets appx. once per week for 2+ hours. Approximately 100 folks in Beginning and 50 folks in Advanced; 12 small groups and 24 trainers total (2 trainers per group). Trainings are based in Rogerian / Person-Centered theory. Budget is heavily funded ($20,000+) by Student Activities Board. Requires 2 hour shift per week and 1 weekend shift per semester. No program evaluation / data available at time of review
5	Duke	Peer Coaches	This project team will develop and pilot an innovative way to improve the mental health of students using texting anonymous peer coaches. Previous work on this project included implementing a new course, PSY319 Peer Coaching, which is the first full-time course to train students as mental health coaches. Peer coaches trained in this course also participated in a pilot peer coaching program in a single Duke dormitory. Previous team members also made headway on assessment of the program and the creation of a searchable database of resources for students in need.	New program lead in collaboration with School of Medicine, Student Affairs, and Psychology / Neuroscience Department. Still in pilot phase, so imited evidence / outcomes thus far.
6	Georgia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD)	Youth Certified Peer Support Specialist (CPS-Y)	An individual (age 18-26) with lived experience living with a mental health or substance use condition who is willing to self-identify as such. CPS-Ys are prepared to help other young adults through emotional support, sharing knowledge, and helping individuals identify meaningful connections and tools that contribute to wellness/resiliency/recovery.	Requirements include age and residency, at least 1 year since diagnosis and continuous abstinence from substance use (for SUD) as well as wilingness to manage own appropriate care. Requires HS diploma / GED and 2 referecnce letters. Facilitated through community services and is medicaid billable. Similar programs in KY, MA, MS, OK, OR, and PA
7	University of Kansas	Managing Mental Health Peer Support Group	"A safe & inclusive space for students to discuss their diverse experiences surrounding their mental well-being and self-care, as they learn more about healthy ways to manage mental health in college. Includes: self-care and positive coping strategies, mental health resources (campus & community), treatment processes (medication & therapy), mental health stigma / misconceptions, & stress-relieving activities.	Support Group & Peer Listening sessions facilitated by HOPE@CAPS - mental health peer educators are trained to help students better manage daily stressors and connect to campus resources. Together, they provide drop-in listening hours around campus as well as develop and implement outreach events such as tabling and presentations. No information about program evaluation / data or training curriculum available at time of review.
8	Lean on Me, Inc.	Lean on Me	Provides peer-to-peer text lines for confidential non-crisis support. Text the hotline, match with a supporter and receive a reply, and converse with a supporter as long as you like. Supporters are trained student volunteers from each campus.	Student volunteers go through "Supporter Training" (no further information on training content / outcomes). Explicitly state that they aren't a crisis / suicide hotline and will connect those in crisis with the appropriate professionals. Current campuses include MIT, UChicago, UPenn, Northeastern, UC Denver, Boston College, Vanderbilt, & UC Santa Barbara
9	LETS	Peer Mental Health Advocates	Regular meetings allow PMHAs to create a space where their peer can more freely discuss issues of mental health. These meetings may also allow PMHAs to facilitate relevant conversations that acknowledge mood fluctuation and changes in symptom presentation, identify social and academic stressors, and address students’ short-term goals and accomplishments. PMHAs are not therapists (they do not assess or diagnose)-- they’re educated students with lived experience, and every PMHA knows to address this distinction by establishing clear boundaries with their mentee.	Not sponsored or related to a university department. 2 Chapter Categories: Activist / Community Support (peer support) and Peer Mental Health Advocate Model (peer counseling). Several campus chapters including Brown, Yale, Cornell, Dartmouth, & more. Some training and outcome materials provided.
10	NRV Community Services	RAFT	The Raft Crisis Hotline is a program of NRVCS (New River Valley Community Services) that offers free paraprofessional phone counseling services to the community. Our volunteers provide suicide and crisis intervention, empathy and support, mental health and substance abuse information and referrals to the counties of Montgomery, Floyd, Giles, Pulaski and the City of Radford (including Virginia Tech and Radford University).	Volunteers go through a semeser long training course. Would they be interested in creating a VT branch or inperson peers or do they want to continue to be not VT affiliated?
11	Ohio State	Buckeye PAL	he PAL is a non-emergency call line that provides a space for students to engage in brief phone conversations in order to gain support and learn about campus resources. Student volunteers are available to provide peer-to-peer assistance that promotes and enhances student development and wellbeing.	Associated with university's Wellness Center. Volunteers must commit to 3-4 hours a week M-F 8pm-12am. Site reports 4 days of training with ongoing supervision and training. No information about program evaluation / data or training curriculum available at time of review.
12	Spokane Community College (Washington)	Mental Health Awareness Club: Therapy Thursdays	The organization supports students 17-50 and provides weekly 'Therapy Thursday' events where members could come to be vulnerable and connect with others. MHAC invites counseling center staff to attend and participate in -- but not facilitate -- meetings / on campus events.	Student organization worked with Suicide Prevention Advisory Board to provide Mental Health First Aid & Suicide Prevention trainings. Always required to have a mental health professional at events. No information about program evaluation / data or training curriculum available at time of review.
13	Stanford	Stanford Bridge Peer Counseling Center	The Bridge Peer Counseling Center is Stanford’s student run peer-counseling center. We offer anonymous and confidential 24/7 counseling to members of the greater Stanford community. Staffed by trained undergraduate and graduate Stanford students, we are here to listen and support.	10-week training courses are offered quarterly and include a "Core Peer Counseling Skills" class (Education 193A - 2 units), a "Peer Counseling at the Bridge" class (Education 193B - 1 unit), and an evaluation. Entirely student run and staffed, with some live-in staff in the residential center. "Staff members serve as volunteer counselors for a few hours each week. Coordinators directly administer publicity, finances, workshops, and dorm outreach programs in addition to other activities. The live-ins are the resident counselors at The Bridge, serving as the administrative and counseling leadership, and the backbone of our 24-hour counseling service." No information about program evaluation / data or training curriculum available at time of review.
14	The Support Network	The Support Network	TSN empowers students to create an inclusive community and support each other’s identity, mental well-being, and day-to-day lives through weekly peer-facilitated groups and monthly social events. Weekly Group meetings are led by trained student facilitators and serve as a "confidential and inclusive space". SSN provides initial training and then campus chapters are encouraged to coordinate with mental health professionals on campus for ongoing weekly trainings	TSN requires 5 student directors and 1 mental health professional to launch the program on a campus. It provides software, templates/resources, a guidebook manual, etc. No training outcomes listed. Each school's chapter appears to be a student organization with a faculty advisor. University of Cincinnati (United Support Network) appears to be the only directly housed in / overseen by the Counseling Center. Current Campuses: Michigan State, UMichigan, UW-Madison, Missouri University of Science & Technology, UI-Chicago, U Cincinnati
15	UCLA	Resilience Peer Network	RPN's fully trained Certified Resilience Peers can lead drop-in support groups for students through a research collaboration with the UCLA Depression Grand Challenge. The treatment study offers a proven internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for eligible UCLA students. Students come together in 8-week RPN support groups while completing individual internet-delivered cognitive behavioral treatment (iCBT) for depression, anxiety and stress. The Resilience Peers reinforce iCBT learning under close professional supervision and receive ongoing training for their supportive role through this collaborative study.	Online program supported by significant funding / resources. Heavily researched as part of an ongoing treatment study.
16	UCLA	GRIT Coaches	Group of 12-15 coaches per term. In a coaching session, the peer coach actively listens to the student and any issue, concern, or life update they may have to share. Through this process, the coach guides the student to identify one or two primary areas of focus for the session based off what they shared. They collaboratively discuss and identify next steps, solutions, skill building or resource opportunities. Coaches subsequently keep in touch with the student between sessions, to empower them to meet their identified goals.	GRIT peer coaches receive over 50-hours of training (QPR, Mental Health First Aid, Ally trainings, Sexual Assault Training, etc.) over the course of 9-weeks to prepare them for their coaching role. In addition, they receive continuing education and supervision for 10-hours per month while they are coaching students. Includes data on satisfaction surveys & peer training outcomes.
17	UCLA	SEA CLEAR	The South East Asian Campus Learning and Retention project helps to increase graduation and retention rates by developing students holistically through four components: peer counseling, mentorship, an internship program, and a wellness component (workshops).	Started by UCLA's Vietnamese Student Union and housed in Office of Community Programs (cross-cultural programming). No information provided about training and or outcomes.
18	Unmasked, LLC	Unmasked App	Unmasked is an anonymous, mental health social media app for college students. Users can post on the main messageboard, comment on posts, and direct message each other.	Started at Dartmouth, but is currently working on opening different campus 'chapters' (including Virginia Tech, Emory). The app claims to be "completely anonymous with one exception. ONLY in the event of serious perceived threats to self or others will we provide local law enforcement with access to personally identifiable information. No one directly associated with the app will have access to user data. All user data is encrypted." Also uses "moderators, who have gone through Mental Health First Aid training, that will regularly review content on the app." Data / evidence of effectiveness could not be found on website / resources availalbe.
19	USC	Trojan Support	"TrojanSupport is a peer-support organization that seeks to provide an alternative to professional counseling services. This is an opportunity for students to connect with fellow Trojans and relieve stress through casual yet thoughtful conversation. Our volunteers (10-15), who are selected from among your peers, are highly trained and are willing to hear any and every story. This is a resource exclusively for Trojans to seek support, and our team would love to accommodate you, no matter the situation."	Student organization, not directly sponsored by the Counseling Center. Previously the org was advised by a Health Promotion Specialist within the USC Student Health center and unofficially acknowledged by their AVP of Student Health. Peers are trained in Mental Health First Aid and Certified Peer Education (NASPA)
20	UVA	Hoos Connected	"In Hoos Connected, you'll meet with a small group of peers (6-10 students) each week to engage in activities and discussions that get at these important questions. Each group is led by two trained, upper-class student facilitators, who guide you through conversations that go beneath the surface level. The best part? You receive 1-credit (CR/NC) just for participating.	Has over 60 facilitators plus directors and research assistants. Open to 1st years, 2nd years, & Transfers; if on campus, participants can select into groups with people from their res hall. Offered twice per week for 1.25 hours; primarily held in res halls, but also some classrooms. Enroll in PSYC 1020 Course for 1 course credit just for attending. Facilitators apply, interview, and are selected to take a 1 semester training course in PSYC; must make a 2 semester commitment; Now offering a 3 week intensive summer training instead.
21	Virginia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Services	Certified Peer Recovery Specialist	Certified Peer Recovery Specialists (CPRS) provide non-clinical, person-centered, strengths based, wellness focused, and trauma-informed support while helping to ensure the person’s wellness-recovery plan reveals the needs and preferences of the person being served to complete their measurable and personalized goals. Certification is not mandatory for employment in Virginia. Certification is mandatory to register with the Department of Health Professions Board of Counseling which is required for billing Medicaid.
22	Washington University	Uncle Joe's Peer Counseling & Resource Center	"Uncle Joe’s counselors are undergraduate students trained to speak with other Washington University undergraduates confidentially about any issues they may be dealing with. We can refer you to a variety of on- and off-campus resources and also have many pamphlets and informational materials on a wide range of topics."	Report being available "24/7" and undergoing "over 100 hours of extensive training and evaluations" (nine Saturdays 10am-6pm and eleven Tuesdays 7pm-10pm); recruits in the Fall and trains in the Spring and requires a 2-semester post-training commitment. Have a "one time per issue" policy to prevent use as a on-going counseling service. Report being "funded by the university" and have a physical office located within a campus hall with swipe access for students.
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