Long before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic erupted this year, there were signs of a mental health crisis brewing on college campuses nationwide. Percentages of undergraduate and graduate students reporting symptoms of depression, stress and anxiety have long been on the rise, and this year’s academic, social and financial upheaval on college campuses as a result of the pandemic has only added to the struggle. 

A spring 2020 survey by the Healthy Minds Network on the impact of COVID-19 on college student wellbeing nationwide noted a higher proportion of students reporting their mental health was negatively impacting their academic performance. In June, a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one in four people between 18 and 24 years old had seriously considered suicide in the last 30 days. Compounding the issue, 60% of the more than 18,000 respondents to the Healthy Minds survey said the pandemic has made it more difficult for them to access mental health care.

A peer-based mental health program developed in collaboration with the University of Delaware, the state of Delaware and local mental health advocates hopes to increase access to services and reduce the stigma around mental illness.

Peer 24 is a behavioral health initiative that began in the fall with more than two dozen UD students who have been trained to help other people their age with mental health or substance abuse issues. These peer support specialists have a special interest in helping others succeed — they also have successfully navigated their own mental health or substance abuse experiences.

“The University provides several options to students who need mental health support and services. Peer 24 does not replace those necessary, clinical supports, but rather offers a complementary service to students who may just need someone with lived experience to talk to and confide in,” said Rita Landgraf, director of the Partnership for Health Communities, who serves as the strategic lead for the initiative and who developed a similar peer model for those with behavioral health issues while cabinet secretary for the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. “We still see a stigma associated with mental health needs, so the goal is to provide a safe, welcoming place for students to go and talk to a peer to help work through challenges, while also breaking down that stigma.”

Over the summer, the first cohort of Peer 24 volunteers underwent training through the Mental Health Association of Delaware, which also created the state of Delaware’s peer specialist certification program, said Mari Fischer, manager of operations and external relations for the School of Nursing, who has coordinated the project with Cathy Heilferty, associate professor of nursing. There also are plans for the peer training to be developed into an elective class.

“I think the best part of peer-to-peer support is that it is rooted in lived experience and that we can use our stories of mental health struggles and recovery to inspire others,” said Liz Steenkamer, a junior nursing major and Peer 24 specialist. “I think college students need to know that it is OK to not be OK and that there will always help if you reach out for it.”

Building a network of support 

The peer-to-peer support will complement other critical resources also being developed in Newark with a focus on meeting more of the behavioral health needs of people ages 14 to 24 and helping them access the resources they need. In October, the SL24: Unlocke the Light Foundation opened Sean’s House, a support center dedicated to providing round the clock help for young people with mental health issues. Already, more than 300 young people have visited.

Peer 24 support specialists are working out of Sean’s House, named for the late UD alumnus Sean Locke, a member of the Blue Hens basketball team who took his own life in 2018 just weeks before his 24th birthday. Sean’s House, at 136 W. Main St., is the home where Locke lived for three years while a student at UD.