For OSU students struggling to find friends, get along with roommates or cope with homework stress, the Beavers Belong peer support network offers a confidential, judgment-free way to talk face-to-face with fellow students who know just what they’re going through.
The Beavers Belong Support Network opened to OSU students last spring, after student employees spent winter term training to become peer leaders. The initiative was partially modeled on programs like the Wolverine Support Program at the University of Michigan, but was really driven by student demand dating back to 2018, said Molly Murphy, peer support coordinator for Counseling and Psychological Services.
“We had a lot of different peer-to-peer programs on campus, but there wasn’t one that focused directly on mental health or providing a space where students can connect with one another to talk about common challenges or experiences and support each other’s mental well-being,” said Murphy, who is also a staff counselor in CAPS. “There’s a lot of evidence-based research about peer-led supportive spaces on college campuses being a really impactful way for students to make connections and make meaningful changes in their lives.”
The first three groups — two tailored to support undergraduates and one tailored for graduate students — launched at the Corvallis campus in spring 2025. This fall, CAPS added three more: one tailored for students with disabilities, one for international students and one for students facing high levels of financial stress. (Though the groups have specific areas of focus, they’re all open to all students.)
The weekly groups have a loose structure so conversations can adapt to whoever shows up that day. Each group is facilitated by two peer leaders, who use different icebreakers and get-to-know-you games to help everyone settle in, then open the space for discussion.
“The groups are really a space for students to come and talk through whatever they’re experiencing: stress around school, family stress, having a hard time connecting or making friends, looking for resources or help with studying,” Murphy said.
Peer leaders will work with students to explore options if there’s a particular issue they want to address, but if students are experiencing acute problems or asking for help beyond the peer leaders’ training, the leaders work with Murphy to connect those students with more appropriate resources, whether it’s a licensed counselor, financial aid or other needed services.
Each week, Murphy holds a group meeting with peer leaders to talk about events like activity fairs or tabling in the SEC Plaza. She also holds a student leader support space where the Beavers Belong leaders can talk through their own challenges, practice dialogue facilitation and other professional development and skill-building exercises.
CAPS currently employs 11 student leaders. Some are in mental health-adjacent fields like psychology, sociology or human development, while others come from business and engineering.
Brennan Duman is a second-year computer science major in the College of Engineering who helps lead one of the undergraduate groups. He says a lot of attendees report struggling with loneliness and isolation, and he can see their relief when they hear other students share those struggles.
“The student experience is very similar for a large amount of people in many ways, but the way it is now, with how individually focused we can be, you walk around campus and everyone has their earbuds in,” he said. “People are definitely needing connection. That’s the No. 1 thing I see — people are coming to group specifically to build connections with other peers.”
When students bring up common problems like conflict with roommates or challenges studying, student leaders and fellow attendees can share what worked for them in similar situations.
So far, the groups have been small, ranging from one to five participants. The general groups tend to see different faces each week, while the groups based around specific communities have more repeat members.
Murphy knows not everyone is comfortable in one-on-one counseling, and not everyone needs therapy, but says Beavers Belong is a great place to connect with others and foster a sense of belonging. In the participant survey after spring term, student respondents reported that attending group sessions helped them get through the term, accomplish their goals and feel less lonely.
“You don’t have to be struggling to benefit from peer support,” Murphy said. “This is for anybody who’s interested in making connections.”
CAPS disclaimer: The Beavers Belong Support Network is a peer support program supported by CAPS and not group therapy. Peer support services are facilitated by trained student leaders, while therapy groups are facilitated by professional counselors. If you are interested in joining a CAPS group, please explore our offerings or contact the CAPS Groups Coordinator, John Wilkins at [email protected].
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