How do you support the mental health and well-being of over 41,000 students? UVU has incorporated a variety of means to provide access to mental health care, ranging from therapists, therapy groups, post-doctoral fellows, and doctoral psychology interns. Now, UVU has one more resource available to students: a free peer coaching program called TrulaCampus.

“TrulaCampus is a local organization serving all Utah campuses that uses a strength-based resilience approach to help students make positive and lasting change,” said Alexis Palmer, dean of students and associate vice president of Student Life at UVU. “It also utilizes peer coaches that are college students not just from UVU but also from other Utah colleges and universities. This creates a deep network where students can create social connectedness opportunities across the state.”

TrulaCampus connects college students with a qualified peer coach. While UVU Mental Health Services will continue to work with UVU students with mental health concerns, TrulaCampus will serve as an alternative for situations where a student doesn’t need to meet with a therapist or psychiatrist.

TrulaCampus coaches are trained to provide support and guidance and have experience helping fellow students with common college struggles like gaining confidence, reducing stress, and managing time better.

UVU students interested in this new support option can participate in three steps:

1. Sign up to be matched with a peer coach on the TrulaCampus website.
2. Be assigned a coach based on needs, availability, and even language preferences.
3. Attend flexible and virtual sessions, allowing students to meet with their peer coach via text, phone, or video conference when their schedule allows.

All sessions are confidential, but if a coach ever feels that a student would benefit from meeting with a therapist, they will refer the student to UVU Mental Health Services to schedule an appointment.

“We want to move from being reactive to students’ mental health to being proactive, and peer mentoring or coaching focused on well-being is a way to move toward proactiveness,” Palmer said. “While this peer mentoring program will not replace counseling, psychotherapy, or psychiatry, it will provide our students with preventative resources and coping skills so they can succeed.”