Counseling and Psychological Services

Preparing Mental Health Informed Leaders

Mental Health Peers Gain Valuable Training and Experience

Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) leads in service delivery with a focus on the department's mission - to support the student body in achieving academically, socially, and personally through culturally responsive mental health services. In a time with such turmoil and heightened levels of anxiety across all communities, CAPS continues to provide a safe space for many of our students to process, to gain skills, and to be the best version of themselves as they navigate their journey at UCSB and beyond. One specific example of this department's effort is through the Mental Health Peer Program. In addition to providing services to the campus at-large, CAPS also continues to develop student staff. Many of the students who work at CAPS have an interest in continuing their studies in fields related to wellbeing, physical and mental health, and community engagement. Through their experience in this job, they are able to access first-hand experience in these settings, providing support for fellow students who are struggling, learning and teaching how to navigate large systems (such as medical insurance and behavioral health), and gaining perspective in how to address mental health in culturally sensitive and identity-specific ways - informed by stakeholders in these communities. CAPS has had a peer program in some fashion since the 1970s. While the program has evolved, both in name and in function, the role that these students have played has been integral to the service delivery model at CAPS. In 2012, the program shifted and was renamed the Mental Health Peer Program - to more fully encompass the depth and breadth of the content and services they were provided (previously known as the Stress Management Peers). 

Since 2012, 165 students have served as Mental Health Peers. Many of those students have gone off into the world, receiving advanced degrees in psychology, mental health, education, and medicine. Many others have gone into other fields/jobs with the ability to engage in interpersonal relationships that support their colleagues and friends with compassion and understanding, and they know that they can always come back to CAPS for professional and personal support through former supervisors.