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.