In the last six months, our daily life and interactions with others have significantly changed. The routine of going into university, with all the pros and cons of being in a buzzing environment of students, staff and occasional disasters with forgotten ID cards, has for the moment been paused. From talking to students, it seems there are a number of advantages to online studying, more time in pyjamas being, of course, top of the list. But as well as the eagerly awaited ascent of last year’s Christmas pyjamas, there are losses too.

Seeing other students can help us normalise the feelings of stress, worry or low motivation, that inevitably come up for us throughout the student journey. Knowing that we’re not the only one’s navigating the highs and lows, can help us feel a bit more comfortable with these difficult feelings. In fact, these feelings might even make sense, given our circumstances and the stresses we are under.

Peer support is defined as “mutual support provided by people with similar life experiences as they move through a difficult time” (Repper and Carter, 2010) and can be a powerful source of care in challenging moments. Even though we might not be physically seeing as many people, we might still be mutually supporting each other, for example, by phoning a friend, or checking how someone is in a message. Equally, with changes to routine and possibly increased stress for us and those around us, those sharing moments might be harder to find.

Intentionally creating a space for peer support can be a great way to increase wellbeing and feelings of belonging, especially during the pandemic, when we might feel more isolated from others. They are also relatively easy to join or to form -here are some ideas:

Ask people you know: We won’t all have people in our social network who we want to form a group with, but if you ask around, you might be surprised who will be interested! You can ask friends, family, neighbours, acquaintances and maybe even that fellow student whose number you have from that group presentation. Then all you need to do is to agree a regular time to meet online (Doodle Polls are great for this) and send out a link for your first virtual meeting.

Find an online support group: You might feel that there is no one in your social network that you’d like to ask. Possibly, you think that you would get more out of a group with people who are not in your life. There are lots of online groups that you can access, some of which are mentioned below. Always make sure you read up on online safety before you do this, of course, and never give out your address or personal details to anyone.

Group agreements: In your first meeting it’s a good idea to form some group agreements. This is so that everyone feels comfortable in the space. Agreements might depend on the group, but some common ones are:

  • We don’t repeat anything said inside the group to anyone outside of the group. If there is somebody who can hear what the group is saying while we meet, we will say before we start.
  • We’ll be non-judgemental and respectful of each other. It’s okay to have different experiences and opinions.
  • Only one of us speaks at any time. We wait until the person speaking has finished before we speak (you might want to suggest using the raised hand function to indicate when someone wants to speak).
  • When sharing our experiences, we will be mindful of taking care of ourselves and others. We each take responsibility for only sharing what we feel comfortable sharing.
  • No one has to speak or share at any time during a meeting. It is our choice to be here and our choice to speak or not.
  • If something isn’t working, we can say so. This gives the group a chance to address any difficulties.

There are different ways that a group can be run, and this is for the group to decide. Below are two suggestions. One is an example of an open sharing space, and the second is a more structured meeting format based on Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Time to share: The following example is fairly early to follow and allows everyone space to share:

  • Everyone has an uninterrupted period of time to talk (2-4 people might share in one meeting).
  • After someone has shared their experience (be it events, feelings, challenges, joys), the rest of the group can offer a reflection back to that person. Some tips:
    • It is usually best to avoid giving direct advice such as “you should do this”, however you might share an experience you have had that relates and say what you did in that situation.
    • You could offer an empathic reflection, such as “I’m really feeling for you, that sounds hard”. Sometimes these simple expressions of care can be the most powerful.
    • Silence is okay too, and sometimes just what’s needed.

www.helpers.tools : Over the summer, I worked with a group of psychologists and service designers to create ‘helpers’, a course of 6 weekly sessions for groups to work through, addressing different aspects of wellbeing during the pandemic. The sessions are based on CBT and ACT, and contain lots of exercises and discussion points, to help people support each other during this unusual time. For example, there are exercises on dealing with uncertainty and developing routines, when working or studying from home. Engaging in these evidence-based approaches in a group may help motivate us with the material and provide support when difficulties arise. At the University of Westminster, we’re conducting research on this intervention, to find out more about how people find engaging with online peer support.

If you’d like to try out ‘helpers’, you are welcome to sign up using the link below. You’ll receive guidance on forming or joining a group, weekly emails of sessions, and also daily check-in emails (which you can opt-out of) to help you tune into yourself for 5 minutes a day.

Helpers: https://www.helpers.tools

Also below are a number of organisations, which provide peer support, so you can explore which one might work best for you!

References

Repper, J. & Carter, T. (2011). A review of the literature on peer support in mental health services. Journal of Mental Health, 20, 392-411. 10.3109/09638237.2011.583947.

 

Image Credit – Anna Cherish @acheshire1