Yalom's Therapeutic Factors in Peer Support Communities: A Secondary Analysis of Qualitative Data

Abstract

College counseling centers are experiencing utilization rates at an all-time high as students seek to prioritize their mental health while they complete their degrees. In order to help meet the needs of students many counseling centers have had to innovate to help students access the care they are looking for. One such innovation at Texas Christian University (TCU) has been the expansion of Peer Support Communities (PSCs) in the spirit of collegiate recovery. For years, students recovering from or just beginning to explore their relationship with substance use have been able to look to collegiate recovery communities or collegiate recovery programs for support. TCU has created similar communities to lend support for a wide variety of concerns voiced by students. This study employs a secondary analysis of qualitative data to explore the therapeutic factors that naturally emerge in these communities and look to how community members envision and plan for the future. The study examined 13, hour-long interviews with staff and student community members and found evidence of almost all of Yalom’s therapeutic factors as well as clear hopes for a future of growth. Students and staff alike seem to benefit from participation in in PSCs.