Peer Supporters
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Designed for anyone who might feel they want someone their own age to talk to, or a kind of empathetic understanding they feel they can best get from other students, Peer Support is a panel made up of volunteers from the college. They will always be on hand to help in any way they can- be it a listening ear and a cup of tea or practical advice for handling the workload or exams. Read more about Peer Supporters.
Feel free to call or drop in on one of us for a chat at any time.
(Please note that while the JCR position of some of the peer supporters is noted, you should feel free to contact them regarding any issue.)
Laura Davies
Former JCR President
laura.davies <at> merton.ox.ac.uk | Facebook | Mob 2:1 | Internal: 26360
Peter Eccles
Former Academic Affairs Rep
peter.eccles <at> merton.ox.ac.uk | Facebook | St. Alban's 2:3 | Internal: 26458
Alistair Haggerty
Current JCR President
alistair.haggerty <at> merton.ox.ac.uk | Facebook | St. Alban's 4:1 | Internal: 28798
Nick Lunn
Current JCR VP and LGBT Rep
nicholas.lunn <at> merton.ox.ac.uk | Facebook | Rose Lane 2:1 | Internal: 26398
Joanna McLenaghan
Former Academic Affairs Rep
joanna.mclenaghan <at> merton.ox.ac.uk | Facebook | Holywell 12:2 | Internal: 21770
Steph Meader
Former JCR VP
stephanie.meader <at> merton.ox.ac.uk | Facebook | Holywell 61:3 | Internal: 21836
Raf Nicholson
Former Equal Opportunities Rep
raf.nicholson <at> merton.ox.ac.uk | Facebook | Rose Lane 2:4 | Internal: 26401
Harraj Panesar
Former Female Welfare Rep
harraj.panesar <at> merton.ox.ac.uk | Facebook | Rose Lane 2:10 | Internal: 26407
Sophie Payne
Former Female Welfare Rep
sophie.payne <at> merton.ox.ac.uk | Facebook | Holywell 18:4 | Internal: 21781
David Pritchard
Former Male Welfare Rep
david.pritchard <at> merton.ox.ac.uk | Facebook | Grove 1:6 | Internal: 26343
Dani Quinn
Former JCR President
danielle.quinn <at> merton.ox.ac.uk | Facebook | Mob 6:3 | Internal: 26366
Harry Williams
Former Male Welfare Rep
harry.williams <at> merton.ox.ac.uk | Facebook
(Not here in Michaelmas)
About Peer Support
The volunteers are far from simply thrown in at the deep end; Peer Support panels are given an extensive training course in listening and communication skills before they launch themselves within college. Not only does the thirty hour training course ensure that they will be effective listeners, communicators and helpers in college when they set out, it helps them with the difficulties a Peer Support role might bring; time limitations, learning where and how to make referrals, and of course the tricky question of how not to feel too personally involved.
The course, run by a trained counselor and University Peer Support co-ordinator, entailed weekly sessions of 3 hours. After the hours of both listening and speaking exercises, we feel able to both be effective listeners and crucially, how to respond to anyone who might come to us, as we know how it feels to have to share something and the difficulties of this. One of the challenges of the course was having to work in units of three and finding ourselves playing the role of a 'listener' to a 'speaker', whilst being studied by a third 'observer'. This means that we became acutely aware of the shortcomings of our listening skills and after discussion with the 'observer' were able to combat those. Hopefully, we have all left the experience far more able to listen and then respond effectively, be it in the offer of a hot chocolate or in giving details of doctors or counselors who might help.
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