Participating in the Peer Listener program, you will have the opportunity to:
- Meet a group of friends who are also interested in psychology;
- Obtain regular professional supervision;
- Learn professional mental health knowledge;
- Improve interpersonal communication and problem-solving skills;
- Improve self-awareness and build self-confidence;
- Gain experience in organizing mental health theme activities;
- Obtain UNNC Registered Certificate for the Peer Listener position;
- …There are more benefits waiting for you to experience and explore!
Requirements
Peer Listener
1) Actively participate in the organization of mental health activities in the University and promotion of mental health knowledge;
2) Be good at discovering the emotional and psychological distress of classmates around you, and provide appropriate psychological support;
3) Be good at identifying psychological crisis signals among classmates and make timely referrals.
Selection Process
Peer Listener
1) At least 18 years old;
2) If you have had a mental health diagnosis in the past, it is strongly suggested that you have been recovered for at least a year from a self-care perspective;
3) Pass the case analysis test and enter the one-year trial period to become an Intern Peer Listener;
4) Participate in 6 professional training sessions with a total of 12 hours during the trial period to complete the training experience;
5) Participate actively in the activities organized by Health and Wellbeing Centre during the probation period, and be responsible for supporting the organization of related activities;
6) After the trial period is over, If you pass the written test and the interview, you can register as a formal Peer Listener and receive the registered certificate;
7) Formal Peer Listener will provide one on one support for peers who need psychological support. They will continue to receive advanced training and monthly group supervision.
Training Courses

Supervision
MHAS provides group supervision of 10 people once a month in October, November and December of the fall semester and March and April of the spring semester.
In case of special circumstances, Intern Peer Listeners and Peer Listeners can contact MHAS via email mha@nottingham.edu.cn to make an appointment for one-on-one supervision.
Referral
A Peer Listener can MHA by e-mail first for communication, and then e-mail to mha@nottingham.edu.cn for an official referral.
Support Resources
Inter Peer Listeners and Peer Listeners must be familiar with the mental health support resources in the University as well as the mental health medical resources outside.
On Campus:
- Campus emergency 88180111;
- Clinic 88180120/15168185997;
- The 24-hour hotline of DCL 15857400157;
- If your peers’ issues are related to academics, encourage them to take the initiative to make an appointment with Personal Tutor to obtain academic support;
- If your peers are troubled by non-academic problems, encourage them to contact the Student Support Advisor to make an appointment for Free Talk for guidance and help.
- You can also encourage your peers to take the initiative to make an appointment for counselling service on campus. Please email the University Counselling Service at universitycounsellingservice@nottingham.edu.cn
- If the peers need more interventions, they would then be referred to the Mental Health Advisory Service (MHAS).
Outside Campus:
- If your peers need to seek advice from psychiatrists, they can contact Ningbo Kangning Hospital via 0574-8742-1228.
Peer Support Sessions Provided by Peer Listeners
Peer Listeners provide one-on-one sessions to support and help peers regarding mental health issues.
Despite reporting to Mental Health Advisor, Peer Listeners will keep your information confidential. There’re three exceptions when confidentiality will be broken:
- When you express the plan to cause serious harm to yourself or someone else;
- When you are involved in court issues;
- When you experience or witness someone else suffering from abuse.
Peer Listeners are not friends or counselors, so It’s not recommended to exchange contacts and develop personal relationships with Peer listeners. If you need more professional services, Peer listeners could offer advice depending on your need of service. You could book a 50 minutes session with a Peer Listener by choosing an available time slot by scanning the QR code below. For any further questions, please email healthandwellbeingcentre@nottingham.edu.cn for consultation.