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The Graduate Student Peer Support program (GSPS) is a support network for graduate students as they navigate challenges and opportunities during their educational journey at the U of A.

Any graduate student who is seeking advice, guidance and support during their time at the U of A is encouraged to access the program. Managed by the university’s Health Safety + Environment team and in partnership with the , the Office of Student Success and Experience and the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the program is designed to champion students’ academic, mental and physical well-being, build community, as well as foster a sense of belonging in a supportive, inclusive and empathetic environment.

How can peer supporters help?

Peer supporters are trained to provide guidance and support to any graduate student on a variety of issues and topics, speaking from a position of shared experience who similarly recognize the unique challenges graduate students face within the context of the university, including:

• The stress of balancing demanding workloads within their university work, teaching or research
• The challenge of operating in a way that supports physical, psychological and cultural safety
• Working successfully within the power differential that inherently exists between Principal Investigators/Supervisors and graduate students 

• Identifying university resources or subject matter experts
• Building a sense of community if you are new to the University or to Canada

Peer supporters are not trained to provide clinical or mental health advice. If you know you are in need of clinical or mental health advice, please contact Counselling & Clinical Services directly. 

How does it work?

12 of your peer graduate students volunteered and have been trained as peer supporters, one of whom has been appointed as the GSPS program coordinator. The peer supporters come from a wide variety of backgrounds, with diverse programs of study, languages, nationalities and other unique experiences.

To reach out to a peer supporter, please complete and submit this . The program coordinator will review the form then assign a peer supporter who will reach out to you via email to arrange an initial meeting with you. If you just have a general question about the program, email gsps@ualberta.ca and someone will get back to you shortly.

Confidentiality

We recognize that sometimes it is difficult to raise certain issues. Confidentiality is essential in building trust between yourself and the peer supporter. Please be assured that any conversation with a peer supporter is kept strictly confidential. During your first meeting, the peer supporter will explain how the confidentiality of your conversation will be maintained.