It is officially that time of year: the newness of the college experience has started to wear off, and the pressures of being a student have taken its place. At just over halfway through first semester, many collegiettes™ begin to experience low points in their emotions. During the last half of the semester, school load often increases. Naturally, stress and tension also skyrocket, along with expectations from teachers. This can lead to many problems for girls on college campuses—including here at SAU. Homesickness, drama in friendships, fights with a significant other, and many other personal problems run rampant in the lives of most collegiettes™– specifically at this time.
So what is St. Ambrose doing to try to alleviate the issues listed above?
This fall, the Student Activities department and the Counseling Center teamed up to develop a very unique program. It is called Peer Mentoring.
“We want to help students overcome obstacles they experience during their college years, as smoothly as possible,” explains Stephen Tendall, MSW, L.I.S.W., director of Ambrose’s Counseling Center.
The program is based on the idea that a large majority of students on campus deal with issues, such as interpersonal relationship problems, roommate conflicts, difficulty managing classes, extracurricular involvement, and homesickness. When a student experiences any number of these issues, just talking to a peer is often much more simple and more helpful than going to the counseling center or trying to talk it out with an adult.
“Students often find it difficult to seek out help from adults,” Tendall said. “That’s why we use students to help their peers through difficult times.”
The Peer Mentor program is staffed by current students who were recommended, interviewed, and selected based on their unique experiences and desire to help others who are having difficulty overcoming the obstacles of college life. All of the mentors go through training sessions to improve their communication and listening skills. Additionally, they are trained in decision making and conflict resolution. Mentors have been prepared to help mentees deal with tough problems that may come up at various points throughout the school year. The program is built on the idea that “students are the experts when it comes to the difficulties experienced in college,” Tendall says.
Yet it is important to recognize that mentors are still just normal students. They attend classes, are involved in extracurricular activities, maintain social lives, and experience daily problems just like all other collegiettes™. They are not necessarily specialists in counseling, but they are well-prepared to be a source of support. This is a special program because it gives struggling students a chance to communicate with someone who has been in a comparable position.
Mentors and mentees are matched up based on similarities indicated on biography forms. From there, the direction of the relationship is flexible. The pair might communicate over email, text, phone calls, or in person. Meetings are set up so that both individuals will be comfortable. This might mean grabbing a pizza in the Rogalski Center, chatting over a cup of coffee in the bookstore, relaxing in Gottlieb Lounge, or attending an event put on by CAB. The main goal is to be able to talk about real issues going on in the mentee’s life while providing a supportive relationship.
At a time like this, most collegiettes™ probably agree that just having someone who is removed from the situation but is also willing to listen would be quite beneficial. That is exactly what the Peer Mentor program provides for students at St. Ambrose. The mentor/mentee relationship is flexible and can be short or long-term, structured and formal, or unstructured and informal. The direction of the relationship is up to the pair. The most important aspect, though, is that it is a peer providing the support. Students don’t need to worry about whether or not the mentor can relate because he or she will be a current student experiencing many of the same issues. Peer support ensures that the pair can relate to each other’s unique struggles and experiences. This alone provides support, and that is the benefit of taking advantage of this program.
Rest assured that many other collegiettes™ are experiencing many of the same issues—especially at this point in the semester. Although each individual situation is different, many girls would love to have another student to support them through whatever life might throw their way. Unlike many other schools, Ambrose is doing something about the common challenges college students face by starting the Peer Mentor program. The mentors want to help, so don’t be afraid to ask.
For more information or a referral to start the process of being paired with a mentor, contact any of the following:
Steve Tendall (Counseling Center): TendallStephen@sau.edu
Amy Scott (Counseling Center): ScottAmyM@sau.edu
Jason Richter (Student Activities): RichterJasonF@sau.edu