Peer Support Service New Model

In 2023-2024 the Health & Wellness Peer Support Service (PPS) offered a listening ear and a caring conversation to more students than ever before.

Peer supporters delivered 118 drop-in sessions to fellow students, which means more students were supported by the trained peers in 2023-2024 than in any other year. Nearly every student felt better about their mental health thanks to talking to a peer supporter. For most of them, peer support was their first experience with mental health services at U of T. They talked to peers about anxiety, stress, relationships and friendships, and about other resources.

Peer support achieved this success by being available at three locations and online. In 2022-2023 it piloted a new, in-person location at Student Commons for one month. Off the success of that pilot, it offered service there every week in 2023-2024.

@uoftstudentlife

Health & Wellness Peer Support is here for you! Come with us to the in-person locations around campus. Drop in from 11am-4pm, Tuesday to Friday, as follows: *Robarts Library, Room 1152: Tuesday – Friday, 11am-4pm *Student Commons, Room 246: Thursdays, 11am-4pm *Engineering and Computer Science Library, (Sandford Fleming Building), Room 2402: Wednesday, 11am-4pm Head to the link in our bio for more information and online options @ uoft.me/peer-support #uoft #lifeatuoft #uoftstudentlife #universityoftoronto #healthyuoft #peersupport #mentalhealth #uoftcampus

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PSS also increased its presence across campus. The peer supporters held 28 tabling events to let students know about the peer support service, and seven pop-ups where students could try a brief peer support mini-session. Peer supporters had more than 2,000 direct student interactions at these events.

The service plans to be more available to students by offering sessions on more days of the week in the coming year.