Peer Support

The process of having someone really listening to me was not only incredibly liberating, it was empowering. It inspired me to overcome the worries I had and to want to help others through theirs. The gift of listening is indescribably valuable.

Peer Supporters are trained student volunteers who help their peers by offering a non-judgmental, confidential listening space to any LSE student. No issue is too big or small to bring to a peer supporter. They will listen, and if you wish, can help you explore options for how to move forward.

Any student can speak to any Peer Supporter - this is a fully inclusive scheme available to all students. We believe that asking for help is a sign of strength not of weakness, and reaching out is a chance to build connections and speak to students you might not otherwise meet.

You can find profiles of all the current Peer Supporters here. You can request to meet with a Peer Supporter by completing this form.

Watch a video about our Peer Supporters on YouTube

If you have any other queries, please email sws.peer.support@lse.ac.uk

You can find profiles of all the current Peer Supporters here. You can request to meet with a Peer Supporter by completing this form.

All Peer Supporters can be contacted by any student regardless of their year of study, whether they are living in a hall of residence or in private accommodation. Anyone can contact a peer supporter to talk about anything they wish, in confidence.

You can choose who to contact and email a peer supporter directly. Or, if you would like a peer supporter to contact you, please email sws.peer.support@lse.ac.uk.

Peer Supporters are available and happy to listen to anything you are finding difficult.

These are some of the issues that Peer Supporters have supported their fellow students with:

Family	Alcohol, drugs or eating problems
Cultural differences	Homesickness or loneliness
Peer pressure	Stress or trouble with sleeping
Exam anxiety	Worries about the future or employment
Financial concerns	Supporting a friend who is experiencing difficulty
Your course/the workload	Sex, sexual health, contraception or pregnancy
Friends and relationships	Self harm or suicidal thoughts

Peer Supporters can also signpost you to other services in the School where you can get more specialist help and support.

Peer Supporters are not counsellors, nor can they provide you with solutions to your problems. However they have been specifically selected and trained in listening, questioning and responding skills so they can help other students to reach their own solutions. It can make a huge difference to talk to someone who is non-judgemental, impartial and outside of your situation.

Applications to become a Peer Supporter for 2025/26 are now closed.

We will be interviewing interested applicants early in the summer term.

The scheme is open to undergraduates, MRes/PhD students and 2 year Masters students; specifically you need to be currently studying here when you apply and available for the next academic year.

Watch a video about how to become a Peer Supporter on YouTube.

If you have any questions about the application process, please email sws.peer.support@lse.ac.uk.

What does confidentiality mean?

Everything you talk about to a Peer Supporter is kept confidential between you and them. Peer Supporters regularly attend supervision and may discuss issues that have arisen, but they will keep your identity confidential.

In certain situations, for the safety of the person seeking help, the wider community and the Peer Supporter, they may need to disclose certain information and will inform you of this whenever necessary. A Peer Supporter will only tell the relevant person/s with regard to maintaining safety e.g.. a Warden or LSE Student Wellbeing Service staff.

Peer Supporters will never share anything you have told them with their friends.

Will talking to a Peer Supporter really help me

Talking to a Peer Supporter is not guaranteed to help, however 'a problem shared is a problem halved'.

Peer support schemes have been successful here and at other universities as they allow an informal, confidential and student-led method of support. Hopefully, Peer Supporters enable a student to feel more at ease than in a formal setting. They can possibly relate to a fellow student in a more successful manner than a professional who is no longer a student.

What if the Peer Supporter doesn’t understand and can’t help me?

If you find that talking to the Peer Supporter has not provided the level of support and help you desired, there are other services designed to help you at LSE and in the wider community. The Peer Supporter is trained and will be happy to signpost you to a suitable method of support.

Contact the Student Wellbeing Service to explore how else we can support you.

Can I use Peer Support to get help for my friend?

We are trained to support the person in front of us. We can listen to your worries regarding someone else and if you feel they are in danger or are a danger to others its important to encourage that friend to contact the or their GP.

Who supports the Peer Supporters?

The Peer Supporters attend regular reflective meetings with an LSE Student Counsellor. In this way, the Peer Supporters can learn more and talk about what difficulties, pressures or issues they themselves might have.