<aside> 💡 We are currently accepting new members for our therapy groups for the Fall 2024 Semester! Sign up for an introductory meeting here!
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<aside> 📨 If you are interested in applying to become a peer therapist with us, please fill out our form here!
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Depression, anxiety, and stress are the most common mental health concerns on campus. We use a **clinically-validated** modality of therapy called interpersonal psychotherapy to provide a course of peer therapy treatment. HUGPT is a space where students get support in building healthy and fulfilling relationships that can meaningfully improve mental wellbeing. Our program has no cost (no insurance required) and we are supervised by CAMHS.
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) is built on the principle that we are constituted by our relationships. With supportive, caring relationships who we can rely on, a crisis can become more manageable. Without relationships like this in our lives, life can be immensely difficult, and even smaller problems can be devastating. IPT gives us the tools to better manage and interact in our relationships, and therefore get the care and support we need to live more fulfilling, balanced lives.
We specifically follow the IPT for group modality of therapy.
Nobody communicates their emotions perfectly, but the hope of IPT-G is that by talking about our relationships with a group of peers, each person can contribute their own wisdom as well as learn from the wisdom of other students. Even though none of us may individually be able to communicate perfectly, by working together, we can get a lot closer.
These groups can provide a safe space for you to open up about what you’re going through as well as understand that you’re not alone, alongside others who may be going through similar things.
Research has identified that group IPT is just as effective as 1:1 psychotherapy.
Many models of psychotherapy rely on complicated models of the human mind. It’s the role of the therapist to help the client gain a sense of the inner workings of their mind, following one of these models. IPT is different. Instead of diving deep into the psyche, the goal is to focus on the here and now: how do you feel and are your relationships supporting you?
By focusing on this comparatively simple question, we can make strides in improving our well-being, without a ton of traditional psychological expertise. Each and every person has spent many years navigating intricate and complex relationships, and our goal as facilitators is to create a comfortable space to open about some of the honest difficulties with that and bring out what each of us has learned from those experiences.
On top of that, every facilitator has been trained in the IPT/IPT-G framework and is supervised by a clinician at CAMHS with experience in IPT and overseeing peer counseling groups.
We’re looking for students who are willing to be vulnerable — students who are willing to share their experiences with their peers and willing to listen and learn from others.