Student Minds
  • Find Support
    • Support for me >
      • Our Peer Support Programmes >
        • Our confidentiality commitment
        • Support for specific difficulties
      • Support at your university and further
      • University staff-run workshops
    • Support for a friend >
      • Starting a conversation
      • Looking after yourself
    • Support for parents
    • Help through Coronavirus >
      • Coronavirus - Looking After Your Mental Health
      • Coronavirus - Student resources >
        • Assessments and exams from home ​
        • Managing digital communication
      • Student Space FAQs
    • Resources >
      • Men’s Mental Health
      • The Wellbeing Thesis
      • Transitions >
        • Transition into University
        • Know Before You Go
        • Transitions for staff
      • Starting University
      • Exam stress
      • LGBTQ+
      • Looking after your mental wellbeing
      • Year Abroad
      • Student finance
      • Support through a family health crisis
  • About
    • What we do >
      • Our impact
    • Our team >
      • Trustees
      • Clinical Advisors
      • Student Advisors
    • Our supporters
  • Get Involved
    • Student volunteering >
      • Write for us
      • Peer support groups >
        • Apply to be a peer support facilitator
        • Set up a peer support group
    • University staff >
      • Mental Health in Sport >
        • Mental Health in Sport Online
      • Look After Your Mate >
        • Look After Your Mate Online
      • Setting up a peer support group >
        • Students Minds peer support set up
        • Peer support Train the Trainer
    • Students’ Unions >
      • Introduction to Student Mental Health Online
      • Look After Your Members Online
    • Accommodation Providers
    • Research
  • Information Hub
    • Latest news
    • Research and publications >
      • Co-production Guide
      • The Role of an Academic
      • LGBTQ+ Research​
      • Student Voices
      • Graduate Wellbeing
      • Student Living
      • Grand Challenges
      • University Peer Support
      • University Challenge
      • Looking After a Mate
      • Summary of HEFCE’s Report
    • Materials and resources
    • National campaigns >
      • Previous campaigns
  • Charter
    • Charter - Sustainable Future
    • Creating the Charter
    • Charter - Student Panel
    • Charter - FAQs
  • Support Us
    • Donate >
      • Online shopping
      • Payroll giving
    • Fundraise >
      • Summer Fundraising
      • Plan Your Own Event
      • RAGs and Student Societies
      • Celebrate with Student Minds
      • Challenge Events
      • Paying in money
      • Fundraising Resources
    • Corporate Partners
Picture

Students Minds peer support set up

​Time frames

When setting up a group we work within the academic year to recruit and train volunteers to make sure that we can advertise to as many students as possible. 

Volunteers cannot run Student Minds peer support groups until they have been trained.
First Window
Second Window
Activity
​Late October
March
Applications open and publicity starts
November to December
April to May
​Student Minds score applications and interviews are shortlisted candidates.
​
Successful applicants are chosen.
January to March
September
Volunteers are trained

Training volunteers

We have developed a two-day training programme to give volunteers the skills they need to facilitate safe and effective peer support groups. Our training covers:
  • Listening skills and motivational interviewing,
  • Confidentiality, ground rules and the importance of boundaries,
  • Structuring a group session with a beginning, middle and end,
  • How to manage difficult situations, including talking about suicide and enforcing ground rules,
  • Running a student-led project.
  • Understanding student mental health: exploring traits of depression and the Positive Minds course book, and looking at eating disorders and encouraging user-led conversation

We run group peer-support training as a residential course in Oxford. These weekends run throughout the year and we will usually train between 14 and 18 students each time. If you would prefer us to deliver training at your university, this can be arranged for a fixed price.

"Your support system is very lucid and helpful, and you are always in touch to check how we're doing. Brill!"
​- Peer support facilitator

Supervision

Our supervision allows  volunteers to reflect on the experience of running group sessions and to discuss ways to continue developing their skills through the role. If you would like your group to be part of the Student Minds supervision system, we will match the group up with a supervisor who will run short weekly supervision sessions for the volunteers. All of our supervisors are university graduates who have previously run Student Minds peer support programmes. Supervisors report back to the staff team regularly, letting the Student Minds staff team know if there are any problems. Where appropriate, the Student Minds staff team can follow up with further support and get in touch with the group’s local university contact.

Project Management

We need to continuously recruit, train and supervise volunteers to make peer support programmes sustainable and successful. Each year we run a national recruitment process for our existing groups, which includes coordination and promotion of an online application process. We’ll also support the recruitment process itself.

As part of our project management support package, we:
  • provide access to a range of online e-learning modules and ‘how to’ guides
  • provide templates to support running a support group  including group session hand-outs; template posters and publicity materials.
  • give volunteers the opportunity to have their activities promoted across the network
  • send volunteer updates, which include key reminders around the logistics of running a support group and publicity of a range of complimentary events and awareness days throughout the university calendar.
  • arrange up to two campus visits by a Student Minds staff member each year as part of our ongoing support for the group

Costs

Costs will vary depending on the number of groups and the number of volunteers trained within each group. We’ve provided an example of our costs below:
Costs per year
Volunteer training
Supervision
Project management
Total
A single peer support group, training 6 facilitators in Oxford (recommended number)
£960
(£160 per volunteer)
£400
£700
£2060
Two peer support groups (e.g. Positive Minds and Motivate Me) training 12 volunteers in Oxford 
£1,920
£800
£700*
£3420
One peer support group, workshop at your institution
£1500
£400
£700
£2600
*We charge a flat rate for project management, no matter how many groups you establish at your university.

**Please note that Student Minds can only take responsibility for groups that receive supervision from Student Minds; if we are not providing supervision for the group then this responsibility needs to be taken on by the university, Student Union or counselling service as appropriate. All other costs associated with the group are compulsory.

About
Get in contact
Jobs & Opportunities
Privacy statement
Feedback and Complaints

Student Minds is registered with Companies House, 07493445
Student Minds is a Charity registered in England and Wales, 1142783
Sign up to our newsletter

  • Find Support
    • Support for me >
      • Our Peer Support Programmes >
        • Our confidentiality commitment
        • Support for specific difficulties
      • Support at your university and further
      • University staff-run workshops
    • Support for a friend >
      • Starting a conversation
      • Looking after yourself
    • Support for parents
    • Help through Coronavirus >
      • Coronavirus - Looking After Your Mental Health
      • Coronavirus - Student resources >
        • Assessments and exams from home ​
        • Managing digital communication
      • Student Space FAQs
    • Resources >
      • Men’s Mental Health
      • The Wellbeing Thesis
      • Transitions >
        • Transition into University
        • Know Before You Go
        • Transitions for staff
      • Starting University
      • Exam stress
      • LGBTQ+
      • Looking after your mental wellbeing
      • Year Abroad
      • Student finance
      • Support through a family health crisis
  • About
    • What we do >
      • Our impact
    • Our team >
      • Trustees
      • Clinical Advisors
      • Student Advisors
    • Our supporters
  • Get Involved
    • Student volunteering >
      • Write for us
      • Peer support groups >
        • Apply to be a peer support facilitator
        • Set up a peer support group
    • University staff >
      • Mental Health in Sport >
        • Mental Health in Sport Online
      • Look After Your Mate >
        • Look After Your Mate Online
      • Setting up a peer support group >
        • Students Minds peer support set up
        • Peer support Train the Trainer
    • Students’ Unions >
      • Introduction to Student Mental Health Online
      • Look After Your Members Online
    • Accommodation Providers
    • Research
  • Information Hub
    • Latest news
    • Research and publications >
      • Co-production Guide
      • The Role of an Academic
      • LGBTQ+ Research​
      • Student Voices
      • Graduate Wellbeing
      • Student Living
      • Grand Challenges
      • University Peer Support
      • University Challenge
      • Looking After a Mate
      • Summary of HEFCE’s Report
    • Materials and resources
    • National campaigns >
      • Previous campaigns
  • Charter
    • Charter - Sustainable Future
    • Creating the Charter
    • Charter - Student Panel
    • Charter - FAQs
  • Support Us
    • Donate >
      • Online shopping
      • Payroll giving
    • Fundraise >
      • Summer Fundraising
      • Plan Your Own Event
      • RAGs and Student Societies
      • Celebrate with Student Minds
      • Challenge Events
      • Paying in money
      • Fundraising Resources
    • Corporate Partners