Class of 2022 social sciences fresh graduate Aanya Jain tells us how joining the Peer Helper student group helped her be a better friend and bolstered her passion to help in the mental health space, even beyond graduation.
During my undergraduate years at SMU, I majored in psychology and marketing at the School of Social Sciences. I am also extremely passionate about making a difference in the mental health space, so my majors really enhanced my knowledge in this field of work. The opportunity to make mental wellbeing resources more accessible within SMU motivated me to join SMU Peer Helpers in my very first semester at SMU.
SMU Peer Helpers (SMU PH) are full-time undergraduates who are trained to support the work of professional counsellors from the Mrs Wong Kwok Leong Student Wellness Centre. While we are not professional counsellors, we extend the reach of the Centre by providing a listening ear and emotional support to our peers in times of need.
I remember several occasions when my close friends would confide in me about the struggles they face, like with academic stress, relationship conflict or depression. Often, these were situations that I could not relate to as I was personally not experiencing them and thus was at a loss of what to say to comfort them. I tried giving advice about how they could feel better, but it didn’t always work well. I’m sure that this is a relatable situation for many of us. It was also what motivated me to become a better friend, as SMU PH trains us to be.
SMU PH provided me with the opportunity to develop my skills to better support my friends facing challenging situations. Through weekly training sessions held by counsellors and other mental health professionals, I learnt crucial skills such as empathy, suicide intervention and mental health first aid. We practise a lot through various role play situations, where one person takes the role of a peer in distress, another as peer helper and a third person as a neutral observer who gives feedback.
Beyond role plays, I frequently apply these skills in real-life too. One example was during an occasion in 2020 when, due to Covid-19 safe management measures, a group of students were suddenly displaced from their residences. SMU PH volunteered to form a crisis-response team and met with the affected students to listen to their concerns and provide them with encouragement and emotional support. Afterwards, one of the affected students that I talked to said that she was grateful for the safe space that we provided to share her personal thoughts and feelings. This situation was a real test of my skills and while it was intimidating, it was extremely fulfilling to help someone out during an overwhelming situation and be see the impact of my contribution.
I also had the opportunity of assisting our counsellors with cases of students looking for additional peer support. A fellow peer helper and I have been supporting one such student for the past few months through her personal and professional struggles. Something I really cherish about this is that we now have a strong friendship beyond just a formal peer helping relationship.
In my experience, having a friend support and encourage you through difficult times really helps with coping with challenges and building resilience. Even through serving as a peer helper, I have found myself to become more resilient over time as I am better able to bounce back from my own setbacks.
SMU PH has provided me with a community of like-minded people who have been there for me countless times - like when I was feeling overwhelmed with studies and other aspects of school life. It was also comforting to have friends who could relate to some of the challenges of peer helpers. As a supporter, it is also important to take time out for self-care, and look after ourselves. My go-to forms of self-care are listening to music or watching a sitcom, which helps me recharge.
I am really grateful for all that I have learnt as a member of SMU PH, and being able to contribute to the wellbeing of fellow SMU undergraduates. I hope to continue this journey even as an SMU alumna and give back to the future generations of peer helpers. I am certain that the skills that I have learnt will stay with me throughout my life and allow me to support the wellbeing of people around me in all stages of life.