The Peer mentoring scheme is a new and innovative project which has just come to the end of its first year. This service has shown to be an effective and appropriate intervention for students with a range of mental health difficulties who require assistance whilst studying at the University as it provides one to one support and study skills.
It is provided by experienced PhD students who are currently studying at the University of Ulster and are required to complete an Induction programme and specialist accredited training before taking up the Peer Mentoring role.
In addition to this the mentors are required to attend regular supervision provided by the University Counselling service and the service is actively monitored by the Mental Health Adviser.
The evaluations of this service have been very positive to-date with students rating the support they received as extremely helpful and beneficial.
This is reflected in some of the students feedback:
“this was an invaluable service. The help I received from my mentor enabled me to conduct my year with ease and the one to one helped my particular medical problem. This is a service that should be available to all those that need extra help”
“it has been truly wonderful and of great benefit to me. It has helped me focus so much and prioritise overwhelming things in my life the most important being my eating disorder. It was my saviour this year”
“an excellent service overall and my mentor was very helpful and accommodating”
“ definitely a positive impact on my mental health. Having one to one support allowed me to plan my work and have someone to proof read my work helped decrease my anxiety over not performing well. Having a peer mentor meant that I was able to deal with my overall mental health difficulties better”
For more information on how to access this service or work as a Peer Mentor please contact Pauline Quinn, Mental Health Adviser on: p.quinn1@ulster.ac.uk
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