Healthy Minds Advisors, Eating Concerns Advisors and Sexual Health Advisors consolidate into one

According to Kathy Wagner, UHS adviser to the newly-consolidated Peer Health Advisers, the committee reviewed each individual peer advisory group’s literature and programs as well as feedback from Princeton students. Wagner also said the group made both formal and informal inquiries to other Ivy League universities about their peer health advisory groups.

Graham Peigh ’13, one of the members of the committee and former vice president of Healthy Minds, said that after conducting the review, the group worked with UHS during the fall semester to produce a report of its suggestions. This report was completed in January, accepted in the spring and the groups officially merged shortly thereafter.

Abby Greene ’13, a member of the steering committee and former president of Eating Concerns, said that having a single group is in the best interest of the individual peer advisory groups and the students they advise.

“There were health issues that were falling through the cracks because they did not fall into the categories of Sexual Health, Eating Concerns or Healthy Minds,” Greene said.

To address these health issues, Wagner said in an email that the new Peer Health Advisers “will be recruited and trained as generalist peer health advisers, who are equipped to interface with students experiencing a wide range of health concerns, including mental health, stress, sleep, cold and flu, nutrition, eating concerns, physical activity, substance abuse and sexual health.”

The committee is currently selecting the Peer Health Advisers for the fall. While Greene and Wagner declined to comment on how many Peer Health Advisers will be selected, Wagner said that “we are confident we will have enough Peer Health Advisers next year to meet the needs of students,” adding that the group anticipates “a similar number of PHAs to the previous number of students in the three previous groups.”

There were 77 total advisers in the Health Promotion and Wellness peer adviser program during the 2010-11 academic year. Students who were part of Healthy Minds Advisors, Eating Concerns Advisors or Sexual Health Advisors prior to the formation of Peer Health Advisers did not have to apply again to become Peer Health Advisers, according to Greene.

When the Peer Health Advisers are selected, they will undergo training sessions held by UHS professionals. The training will address general advising and listening skills, leadership training and content-based, health-specific training.

While the Peer Health Advisers hope to collectively address more issues affecting student health, Peigh said the group will maintain the unique programming aspects of the three original groups, including the “Sexpert” column formerly written by the Sexual Health Advisors.

Greene said students will also be able to apply to the Peer Health Advisers for “mini-grants,” which can be used to create an event that will address specific issues to “maintain the individual passions of students.”

“We do not want them to lose sight of their specific interests while they become trained in a wide variety of health issues,” Greene said.

The Peer Health Advisers, in addition to addressing a wider variety of health issues, will also work on visibility. One way the Peer Health Advisers will become more accessible is through the residential colleges. Starting in the fall, the Peer Health Advisers will be localized in the residential colleges and matched with an RCA group.

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According to Wagner, pairing Peer Health Advisers with RCA groups will allow the Peer Health Adviser to “know their ’zees well enough to recognize discrepancies and changes in behavior.”

Upperclassmen who no longer live in a residential college can still become Peer Health Advisers and can provide advising services to their eating clubs or co-ops.

This fall, Wagner said she expects the Peer Health Advisers to be “fully-functioning in the residential colleges and, potentially, elsewhere on campus.” For the future, she said the group hopes the Peer Health Advisers will broaden their reach across campus by providing advising for more students through the eating clubs, co-ops and other student affiliations.

“I like being a Peer Health Adviser because it gives me a chance to work with a lot of students about issues I’m really passionate about,” Peigh said in an email. “Princeton is hard, and countless studies have shown that students like to reach out to other students for help before they reach out to professional care. Being one of those peers who gets reached out to on a regular basis is really an honor.”