REACH Peer Program

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is a mental health skill that involves systematically tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups in the body to reduce physical tension and promote a state of calm. By focusing attention on the contrast between tension and relaxation, PMR helps individuals become more aware of bodily sensations and stress-related tension. It is commonly used to manage anxiety, stress, and insomnia, and can support overall emotional regulation by calming the nervous system. PMR is easy to learn and can be practiced anywhere, making it a practical tool for self-soothing and mental well-being.

Healthy thinking is a key component of cognitive-behavioral approaches to mental health that involves recognizing and challenging unhelpful or distorted thought patterns, and replacing them with more balanced, realistic, and constructive thoughts. It helps individuals manage stress, regulate emotions, and make better decisions. By promoting a more positive and flexible mindset, healthy thinking supports emotional well-being, resilience, and improved coping in the face of life’s challenges. Learn your culprit distortions and how to challenge them, 5 healthy thoughts, voices of anxiety and self-talk to counter, challenge unhealthy core beliefs, managing worry, soothing social anxiety-provoking thoughts, and how to keep a thought record to develop healthier thinking habits!

Self-care refers to the intentional actions individuals take to maintain their physical, emotional, and mental health. This includes practices such as getting adequate sleep, maintaining healthy relationships, exercising, eating well, and setting boundaries to manage stress. Self-compassion involves treating oneself with kindness, understanding, and acceptance during times of struggle or failure, rather than self-criticism. It includes three key components: self-kindness, a sense of shared humanity, and mindfulness. Together these skills foster a healthier relationship with oneself, reduce the impact of stress, and enhance the ability to cope with life’s challenges. Developing self-care and self-compassion contributes to improved mood, reduced anxiety and depression, and greater overall psychological resilience.

Emotional regulation skills are the tools and strategies people use to manage and respond to their emotions in healthy, constructive ways. Skills taught help individuals to recognize, label, and make space for their feelings without judgment, overcome barrier to healthy emotions, understand the reasons and functions behind challenging emotions, reduce vulnerability to intense emotion, do the opposite of emotional urges, increase positive emotion, and choose how to express or cope with feelings appropriately. Effective emotional regulation can lead to better relationships, reduced stress, and improved overall well-being.

Mindfulness and meditation are mental health skills that involve focusing attention and awareness on the present moment in a non-judgmental and accepting way. These practices help individuals become more aware of their thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations, reducing the impact of stress and negative thinking patterns. Mindfulness promotes emotional regulation, reduces anxiety and depression, and enhances overall well-being by encouraging a calm, observant attitude toward inner experiences. Meditation, often used as a method to cultivate mindfulness, can include practices such as focused breathing, body scans, and guided imagery. Regular practice builds mental resilience, improves concentration, and fosters a greater sense of inner peace. Together, mindfulness and meditation are widely used in therapeutic settings and are supported by research as effective tools for improving mental and emotional health.

Getting Unstuck teaches therapeutic mental health skills from Behavioral Activation (BA) to help individuals improve their mood by encouraging engagement in meaningful and enjoyable activities. Based on the principle that behavior influences emotion, learn to reduce patterns of avoidance and inactivity that often accompany depression and anxiety. Instead of waiting to feel better before doing things, individuals are guided to take action first—using planned, goal-directed behaviors to boost mood, motivation, and overall well-being. It's simple, structured, and evidence-based, making it a practical skill for managing low mood and building healthier habits.

Healthy sleep skills, also known as sleep hygiene practices, are habits and strategies that support better sleep quality and duration, which are essential for mental well-being. Key skills include: maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, creating a calming bedtime routine, limiting screen time and exposure to blue light before bed, keeping the sleep environment quiet, cool, and dark, avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and heavy meals close to bedtime, engaging in regular physical activity earlier in the day, and managing stress and anxiety through relaxation techniques. Practicing these skills can enhance sleep quality, which in turn supports better emotional regulation, cognitive function, and resilience to stress.

Test and performance anxiety refers to intense nervousness or fear experienced before or during situations where an individual is being evaluated, such as exams, public speaking, sports, or artistic performances. As a mental health skill, managing this anxiety involves recognizing the physiological and psychological symptoms (e.g., rapid heartbeat, sweating, negative thoughts, fear of failure) and applying strategies to reduce their impact. Key components of the skill include: self-awareness, cognitive restructuring, relaxation techniques, preparation strategies, and exposure and resilience building. Effectively managing test and performance anxiety can enhance focus, build confidence, and improve overall performance in evaluative or high-pressure settings.

Assertiveness skills involve the ability to express your thoughts, feelings, and needs openly, honestly, and respectfully, while also considering the rights of others. These skills are essential for improved mental health because they help individuals set healthy boundaries, reduce stress from suppressed emotions, and build stronger interpersonal relationships. By communicating assertively, people often experience increased self-esteem, reduced anxiety, and greater emotional resilience.

Body acceptance skills are strategies that help individuals develop a healthier and more compassionate relationship with their bodies, which in turn can significantly improve mental health. These skills include: mindful awareness, self-compassion, challenging societal standards, gratitude for body function, positive self-talk, and reducing body comparison. Practicing these skills promotes self-esteem, reduces anxiety and depression, and supports overall emotional resilience.

You Can Help A Friend: This module for peer suicide prevention involves equipping individuals with the skills to recognize warning signs of suicide, offer support, and connect those in crisis with appropriate help. These skills include: active listening, recognizing warning signs, empathy and support, asking direct questions, connecting to resources, and following up. These skills empower peers to act as first responders in mental health crises, fostering a culture of care and reducing the stigma around seeking help.

Listening Ear: This module is for students who just want a skilled and caring listener who can offer peer level emotional support. Your Peer will use active listening, where they strive to fully concentrate, understand, respond, and remember what is being said. Active listening is a key communication skill that supports mental health by fostering deeper connections, reducing misunderstandings, and making individuals feel heard and validated. Core components include: giving full attention, using verbal and non-verbal cues, reflecting and paraphrasing, withholding judgment, not interrupting, and asking open-ended, curious-listener questions. The practice of active listening helps build trust, reduce stress, and create a safe space for emotional expression—beneficial for both the listener and the speaker’s mental well-being.