Peer Support in Higher Education Survey

Peer support programs are growing on college campuses across the U.S. Mental Health America, Doors to Wellbeing, and the Temple University Collaborative want to better understand the availability of peer support in higher education as well as the experiences and needs of students accessing peer support programs.

Peer Support programs are support services based on relationships of mutuality whereby two or more individuals with a connection of shared experiences or identity support each other in meeting goals and/or enhancing well-being.

We hope to use this research to support the expansion of peer support in higher education, including developing a national database of peer support programs in higher education and documenting pressing issues in campus programs.

The below questions will be used in a short report on the state of peer support in higher education. Your answers to the following questions will not be shared or connected to your campus program.

You may also indicate if you are interested in having your school’s peer support program listed in a national database of peer support programs in higher education.

1.I want my program listed in a national list of campus peer support programs:(Required.)

Yes

2.Your Name:

3.Email:

4.School Name:

5.Program Name:

6.Program Description:

7.Website:

8.Social Media:

9.Status (Student, Alumni, Staff)(Required.)

10.In our community, “peer” means:

Another college student

A person with lived experience of a mental health condition

A person in recovery from a substance use disorder

A person with a disability

A first generation student

Other (please specify)

11.The peer support program was created by:(Required.)

12.We would like to know where your program is housed or operated within your community.
(Required.)

Student club (the program is recognized as a student club on campus and is eligible for funding as a student organization)

Counseling center program

Student affairs program

Disability services program

Wellness center program

Independent initiative with no formal connection to a campus structure or entity

Unsure

Other (please specify)

13.Who makes the primary decisions about the initiatives including how it is run?(Required.)

Students

Staff

Students with the support of staff

Staff with the support of students

Other (please specify)

14.Students who provide peer support are:

Volunteers

Paid staff

Receiving academic credit

Unsure

15.The program addresses the following topics: (Check all that apply)
(Required.)

Other (please specify)

16.If the program is focused on a specific campus community (i.e., LGBTQ+ students, BIPOC students, addiction recovery, or student-athletes), please share which community.

17.The peer support program offers the following activities (Check all that apply)
(Required.)

1 on 1 peer support (2 people get together with each to offer support)

Group peer support (3 or more people get together to provide support)

Group social activities, like movie nights or hikes

Workshops, like self-care or wellness promotion activities

Advocacy for policy and campus change, like increasing access to mental health services or addressing challenges for students taking mental health leaves of absence

Advocacy for individual students, like supporting them in talking to their professors or accessing disability accommodations

Support navigating mental health resources, like finding a therapist

18.Briefly describe in a paragraph or two how this program came into existence. For example, was it in response to an on-campus incident (for example police interaction, harm to another student, hate crime, or student death)? Did it start with federal or state grant funding or some sort of donation? Was a student group behind it? Etc.

19.This program fully or partly started in response to a student death or on-campus incident (for example police interaction, harm to another student, or hate crime).
.(Required.)

Yes

Unsure