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Roudebush M, Turner L. Are peers and overlooked resource? a preliminary analysis of the socio-cultural effects of convu peer coaching in a collegiate community. HPHR. 2022;70. https://doi.org/10.54111/0001/RRR4
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Our guiding question was whether members of a community could reliably help each other to cope and thrive. The context was the scarcity of counseling and support services for students at Harvard in comparison to the demand for such services, and a “presidential” mandate to shift from a culture of “achieving at all costs” to one of “inclusive excellence.” Harvard students are highly capable and successful, but are also subject to competitiveness, feeling like an outsider, loneliness, imposter phenomenon, stigma (unwillingness to disclose difficulties), as well as social fragmentation and polarization. While these experiences are most often “sub-clinical,” they are risk factors for anxiety and depression, and inhibit learning. They also erode the essential features of a healthy and inclusive learning community–trust, curiosity and the willingness to collaborate. This study set out to discover whether students might not, themselves, be an overlooked resource in addressing these issues. Our hypothesis was that with the right prompts and guidance, students of all backgrounds could tap into, and cultivate, a natural ability to listen to each other effectively, and in so doing, help each other to cope and thrive.
Harvard graduate and undergraduate students registered to participate in an extra-curricular Peer Coaching program. 200 applicants completed a “pre-survey” and specified their preferences for whom they would feel comfortable communicating with openly and honestly (17 undergraduates and 183 graduate students). We selected 60 participants semi-randomly; and waitlisted the rest. The waitlist group also completed surveys, providing a control group. 30 participants were selected at random and 30 participants were selected so as to achieve the “best match” with the first 30. Participants were instructed to follow a simple “peer coaching” protocol and meet with their assigned partner once a week over the course of the semester. Importantly, participants took turns being in the role of “Coach” and “Coachee”. After the program, a “post-survey” was completed by 28 participants and 21 waitlisters. One-hour Interviews were conducted with 9 participants. 98 “Session Reflections” were completed after peer coaching sessions.
Students from Harvard Schools of Engineering, Education, Business, Government, Medicine, Dentistry, Public Health, etc. participated. Most participants felt they improved their coaching skills (83%).
Finding 1: The more a participant practiced, the more effectively they learned to listen. Our standard for “effective listening” was that the “coachee” (i.e. beneficiary of the listening) felt more empowered at the end of a session–that they had more clarity, insight or motivation about something of importance to them. By this standard, peer coaches provided effective listening in 91% of 98 documented sessions. This finding is consistent with prior research on the effectiveness of “compassionate coaching.”
Finding 2: Effective listening helped participants to cope and thrive in a high-pressure environment. Participants (vs the control group of waitlisted students) scored higher on Sense of Belonging and Brief Inventory of Thriving scales, and lower on Loneliness and Imposter Phenomenon scales.
Recipients of effective listening described feeling more confident, resourceful, connected and hopeful. Discussion: Compared to expansion of counseling or “executive coaching” services, peer coaching is accessible, affordable and scalable. When implemented, it may be an effective tool for addressing mental and cultural health challenges in many schools, workplaces and communities. Though not a substitute for professional counseling, peer coaching can reduce demand for specialized resources and help to mitigate “pre-clinical” factors like loneliness, imposter phenomenon and stigmatization of vulnerability and mental health challenges, which impact populations disparately.
We conclude that “peers” themselves may be an overlooked resource for social skill enhancement and normalization of a culture of belonging in their communities. We found participants in a peer coaching program came from diverse backgrounds (not just budding therapists or ministers) and were able to tap and cultivate a natural ability to listen effectively, and make a difference to each other. Peer coaches reported that their new skills (including listening and openness) were transferable to classrooms, workplaces and family lives. Further research is required to determine to what degree, and under what conditions, such skills become “contagious”–meaning other community members imitate/reinforce new behaviors.
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