Mental Health Support Squad

The Mental Health Support Squad (MHSS) is a group of undergraduate and graduate students who provide free mental health services, outreach, and advocacy. Mentors are not licensed professionals, but rather a guide for you on your college journey of mental health wellness.

One-on-One Peer Mentorship

Peer mentorship is an opportunity for you to connect regularly with one of our trained peer mentors in a more personalized way.

Mentorship for the fall 2023 semester is now closed. If you are interested in being matched with a peer mentor for the spring 2024 term, complete the request form below and make sure to include your NAU email address. You will then receive an email invitation to schedule a pre-mentorship consult appointment after the spring 2024 semester begins.

Community Events

Mental health is closely related to other aspects of wellness including academic, emotional, creative, and other needs. The MHSS offers weekly community events as a way for students to get involved in comprehensive wellness. Review the program website for event details and registration information.

The Mental Health Support Squad (MHSS) program at Northern Arizona University (NAU) Counseling Services (CS) offers peer-based and peer-focused mental health education, outreach, and advocacy to the currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate student population of NAU at the Flagstaff campus, statewide sites, and those studying via NAU online.

MHSS peer mentors are students trained to provide guidance, support, and resources, as well as a safe space to share mental health concerns as an opportunity to foster connections that may lead to an improvement in overall mental health. MHSS peer mentors are not licensed or clinically trained therapists or caregivers and do not provide diagnosis or treatment for specific mental health needs.

The information shared by mentees during meetings with a peer mentor is confidential and will not be disclosed to anyone without the permission of the mentee. However, there are limitations to confidentiality in the mentorship relationship that are outlined for both mentors and mentees upon assignment. In the case of specific disclosures that rise to an elevated level of concern, an immediate referral to CS from the peer mentor is required.

While the MHSS exists as an inclusive program wherein all students are invited to participate and receive services, there are limitations to the breadth of support peer mentors are eligible to offer. Students who report diagnoses or challenges including, but not limited to the following, will not be eligible for participation in the MHSS program:

• Active suicidal ideation and/or risk that requires professional mental health services
  and/or resources
• Certain diagnoses with unmanaged symptoms that are interfering with an individual’s
  functioning for which they are not currently in treatment
• Intensive eating disorder concerns