Ready, willing and able; the untapped resources of student led support,Rosie Tressler, Student Minds...
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Transcript of Ready, willing and able; the untapped resources of student led support,Rosie Tressler, Student Minds...
READY, WILLING AND ABLE; THE UNTAPPED RESOURCES OF
STUDENT-LED SUPPORT
Colum McGuire, Vice-President (Welfare), National Union of Students (NUS)
Rosie TresslerNetworks & Projects ManagerStudent Minds@rosietressler
Brendan Mahon, Chair of Trustees, Nightline Association
TODAY WE WILL COVER...
What is ‘peer-led support’ & what is the ‘need’ and benefits?
Case studies: Student Minds and Nightline
Best practice: Conditions for safety and success in the HE setting
Discussion on student engagement: Barriers and Solutions
Q & A
Intentional peer support began with Alcoholics Anonymous, 1935.
‘The help and support that people with lived experience of a mental illness are able to give one another. It may be social, emotional or practical support, but importantly this support is mutually offered and reciprocal, allowing peers to benefit from the support whether they are giving or receiving it.’ The Mental Health Foundation, Need2Know, Peer support in mental health and learning disability, 2012
Three key types of peer support:
Informal and naturally occurring peer support,
Peer-run programmes (one-to-one peer support, group peer support, structured vs. unstructured peer support and remote peer support.),
The employment of service users as providers of support within traditional services. [See Peer Support Report]
What is peer support?
THE ‘NEED’…
49% of young people (17-30) enter HE & the age of onset of many difficulties overlaps student years
It is estimated that 29% of students experience clinical levels of psychological distress (Benwick) / In a recent NUS survey, 20% of student respondents said that they had experienced mental health difficulties
1 in 125 students disclose a mental health difficulty to their university, but in a recent ECU survey, 75% of student respondents who had experienced mental health difficulties had disclosed to a fellow student
THE ‘NEED’… WHAT ARE THE ‘GRAND
CHALLENGES’
StigmaStudent
Lifestyle
Provision of
Support
Course
Design and
Academic
Pressure
Man
agem
ent
an
d C
oord
inati
on
of
support
• Fear of being judged
• Finding confidence to tell…
• Weakness• Confidence to
ask for help• Poor general
understanding
• Stress• Loneliness• Busy – balancing
work / social life, • A need to build
skills and personal resilience to cope
• Limited understanding to look after own mental health
• Lack of sleep
• Slow and difficult referral to specialist services
• Inadequate NHS mental health provision
• Students transitioning
Mental health problems decrease concentration
THE BENEFITS OF PEER SUPPORTTo those receiving support: Empowerment, Social support, Empathy and acceptance, Reducing Stigma, Hope and motivation
To peer-supporters: Empowerment and self-esteem, Turning difficult experiences into a positive, Personal development and employability
To the university community:
Opportunity of the setting
A large number of students experiencing clinical levels of distress are not accessing support – peer support is ‘on your terms’ and can act as a ‘stepping stone’.
Integrating peer support as part of a triaging system with existing service provision has the potential to increase the capacity of services in an efficient way, releasing professionals to dedicate more attention to students with complex needs while simultaneously reaching more students and providing support over a longer period of time.
Low- cost intervention
Eating Disorder Support Groups
Informal support groups offering students with eating disorders support and encouragement to keep motivated through recovery.
“The support group was absolutely amazing and I
think it's the single biggest contributor to my recovery
this year”
A six-week course for students with mild depression.
- Interactive and Informative
- Implementation Intentions and Signposting
- Is this course right for you?
60% increase in confidence in
supporting a friend with an eating
disorder
Piloted at 4universities,
supporting 35individuals
“I would definitely recommend to anyone supporting someone with
an eating disorder”
“The organisers were thoughtful,
well-informed and encouraging”
‘Skills-based
learning for caring
for a loved one with
an eating disorder:
the New Maudsley
Method’ (Treasure,
Smith and Crane,
2007)
Supporting Supporters Workshops
Local Action: Over 25 uni’s
Guide for Friends: 4000+ downloads
Current Survey
Workshop pilot:
Listening skills and motivational interviewing, (Helping to shift the focus, as friends, from fixing to motivating.)
227 students across 11 workshops -average of 20 attendees in each.
Average 30% increase in how students rated their knowledge of how to support a friend at university.
Look After Your Mate Campaign
• Tackling stigma: Social contact events, Information stalls e.g. love your body/ Wellbeing fairs, ‘Meet the Professionals’, University Mental Health Day.
• University / local provision: Time to Change organisational pledge campaign, Wellbeing committee attendance
• Exam stress: Workshops e.g. Laughter/ Yoga/ Sleep!
• Social isolation: Film Nights
Measuring the impact: tracking changing perspectives before and after or random sampling of attendees (knowledge, confidence and skills)
Example Campaigns Groups Tactics
NIGHTLINE
Nightline Association has 37 member helplines across the UK and Ireland covering over 100 institutions and over 1.5 million students
Founded in 1970 at the University of Essex by Prof.Geoffey Hosking OBE and Malcolm France
Through-the-night student listening services, when other University and Union services are closed
NIGHTLINE – OUR CORE MISSION
every student is able to talk about their feelings in a safe, non-judgmental environment;
fewer students have their education compromised by emotional difficulties;
fewer students die by suicide.
ENSURING QUALITY – GOOD PRACITCE
GUIDELINES
Nightline’s accreditation service Developed with input from mental health professionals,
counsellors, the Samaritans, legal experts, the Helplines Partnership and others
Cover all aspects of a Nightline’s operation to ensure they’re operating to a fantastic standard
All Nightlines to have begun accreditation by March 2015 – and accreditation is a condition of membership
IMPROVING ACCESS – OPENING NEW
NIGHTLINES
Our aim is to support all students in the UK and Ireland – if your University doesn’t currently have a Nightline and would like to have one, please speak to Mags, our Charity Manager, for more information: [email protected]
MANAGING PEER SUPPORT SAFELY
Broadly; having a positive / recovery-focussed session, having systems in place to effectively signpost people in need of further help and support and ensuring that adequate training and supervision is in place for peer-supporters.
Comprehensive training
On-going support and supervision
Boundaries for peer-supporters
Ground rules for conversations / managing difficult situations
Confidentiality
Effective signposting
CONDITIONS FOR SUCCESS IN A HIGHER EDUCATION
SETTING
Integration with existing services/ full stakeholder engagement : counselling service, the student services, the well-being centre, the welfare officer of the students’ union, the SU advice centre, the local GP and any other relevant professional services within the university or in the local area.
E.g.
CONDITIONS FOR SUCCESS IN A HE SETTING
Comprehensive volunteer support: for sustainability: robust recruitment process (interviews, disclosure process), resources (newsletters/ checklists HowTo guides) facebook group, catch up calls…
Student facing Promotion: social media (virality between friends), screens, lecture shoutouts, department lists. Events (Meet & greet sessions, Meet the professionals), via personal tutors / faculties.
A little… patience!
USEFUL RESOURCES
Peer Support Report: studentminds.org.uk/university-peer-
support
studentsagainstdepression.org
Nightline
nightline.ac.uk
nightline.ac.uk/category/research/
Contact: [email protected]
Student Minds
University staff: studentminds.org.uk/for-university-staff
ED’s section: /understanding-eating-disorders
#UniMentalHealthDay: /uni-mental-health-day
Contact: [email protected], @StudentMindsOrg