P01.04. Learning From Within: Peer-based Group Coaching Among Undergraduate Students

Focus Area: Supporting Behavioral Change The practice of health coaching has been well documented as beneficial in corporate environments and in the healthcare sphere, and some research combines these two practices of executive coaching and health coaching. The practice of peer group coaching has been demonstrated to provide additional benefits to those who partake. While coaching is making its way into higher education, it remains an underused practice that could contribute to student development and mental health. In this study, 28 undergraduate sophomores participated in peer health coaching groups for 8 weeks, and a control group of 28 sophomore students did not. This study examines the experiences of the students who participated in the peer health coaching groups through focus group data and compares the results of quantitative measures of insight and self-reflection between the treatment and control groups.