Peers are an essential source of support for young people experiencing mental health and substance use problems. Understanding, validating and appreciating the role of peers in supporting youth mental health is so important.
“When we think about mental health, it’s not just about crisis intervention,” said Lisa Padilla, senior behavioral and social scientist at the RAND Corporation, who has studied mental health clubs. “The peer-based organizations are creating an environment in the school that says, ‘We value your well-being, and we know that’s part of who you are as a whole person.’ That message goes a long way to make students feel safe and empowered to speak up about their own needs.”
Yet...there is still a dearth of rigorous research to provide guidance on how best to integrate peer support into the school or college ecosystem and what risks we may need to guard against. We need more research!
What questions remain for you?
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