Peer Supporters are RRC Polytech students who have experienced their own mental health challenges or difficult life events, either personally or through a loved one. They’ve come through those experiences with greater resilience and have completed an 18-hour Peer Support training program to help them support others with compassion, understanding, and skill.

They’re not counsellors — they’re peers who listen, encourage, and walk alongside you as you navigate your own path to well-being.

No, a Peer Supporter differs from a counsellor in a few ways.

• Lived experience: Peer Supporters have personal experience with the challenges and issues faced by those they support. This shared experience can create a unique connection and help their peers feel truly supported.
• Non-Clinical Role: Peer Supporters focus on active listening, offer emotional support, share coping strategies and encourage self-empowerment, they are not professional or licensed therapists.
• Informal: Peer Support is typically more informal as compared to therapy.

Peer Support is grounded upon the following values:

• Hope and recovery – believing things can get better
• Empathy and equality – meeting you where you’re at, without judgment
• Self-determination – empowering you to make your own choices
• Dignity, respect, and inclusion – creating a safe and welcoming space for everyone
• Integrity and trust – building genuine, honest connections
• Health and wellness – supporting your overall well-being
• Lifelong learning and growth – helping you move forward, one step at a time

These values are supported by key principles of hope, self-determination, and empowerment — because everyone deserves to feel capable and supported on their journey.

RRC Polytech students who are perhaps feeling overwhelmed with the demands of post-secondary education may seek Peer Support. Students also reach out to Peer Support for help to navigate improving/maintaining mental health, coping with feelings of isolation and loneliness and/or navigating academic and social challenges.

Peer Supporters are available at a variety of times during the school week, depending on their school and work schedules. Please review the booking page to find a peer supporter with availability.

Peer Supporters and the students can decide where the best place to meet will be. Most often, peer supporters will suggest meeting in a location on an RRC Polytech campus where everyone feels safe and comfortable but also offers the opportunity for private conversations. The choice to meet virtually can also be made if both parties agree. Virtual Peer Support is also available to students at the Regional campuses.

Talking to a Peer Supporter can:

• Reduce feelings of isolation
• Improve your mental well-being
• Enhance your academic success

When students feel supported, they’re more likely to stay engaged in their studies and reach their goals — including graduation.