Peer Mentoring and Consultation Program

The peer mentoring program is an excellent addition to traditional one-on-one mentoring. It is highly beneficial with regard to increasing the mentoring available to faculty and increasing faculty members’ satisfaction with the mentorship process.

Peer mentoring groups consist of two or more faculty members with similar interests (e.g., integrated care; serious mental illness; addictions; trauma; etc.). Faculty within a group may differ with regard to rank or level of involvement in scholarship, service and teaching. Peer mentoring groups provide opportunities for faculty to support one another and advance career aspirations through networking, partnership and information sharing. Peer mentoring facilitates community formation, and it is not a lot of extra work. 

Peer mentoring groups “meet” monthly on the phone/via other virtual means so we can include faculty from all sites and disciplines/specialties. In addition to mentoring, guiding and supporting one another, more senior faculty members often are invited to consult/join calls on an as needed basis.

• Integrated Care/Health Psychology/CL Psychiatry Peer Mentoring Group: Co-Facilitated by Rachel Ammirati, PhD and Anjan Bhattacharyya, MD
• Substance Use Disorders Peer Mentoring Group: Co-Facilitated by Mary Elizabeth “Beth” Hammons, PhD and Laura Watkins, PhD
• Technology in Behavioral Science and Practice Peer Mentoring Group: Co-Facilitated by Andrew Sherrill, PhD and Courtland Hyatt, PhD

Faculty interested in starting a new group, or joining an existing group, should contact Rachel Ammirati, PhD, ABPP.

Recommendations for Co-Facilitators

• Serve as a Co-Facilitator for a term of 2 years.
• Arrange to have monthly calls/virtual meetings and send out recurring calendar invites to group members.
• Send out reminders and brief agendas prior to monthly call/virtual meetings.
• Survey group members to identify specific topics or guest speakers of interest.
• Take notes during meetings and email these notes to group members.
• Guide the flow and structure of each call/virtual meeting and be prepared to facilitate conversations with guest speakers.
• Elicit ongoing feedback from group members and keep in mind that unlike traditional mentoring, peer mentoring is more egalitarian.
• Develop a system for touching base in between calls/virtual meetings to discuss plans for future meetings, etc.
• Consider scheduling periodic, in-person meetings.
• Email Dr. Rachel Ammirati whenever someone new expresses interest in joining your group.
• Contact the Vice Chair for Faculty Development (Dr. Nadine Kaslow) or Dr. Rachel Ammirati if any issues/concerns arise.

Recommendations for Group Members

• Participate actively in monthly calls/virtual meetings.
• Give feedback to Co-Facilitators.
• Voice your interests, and your goals for involvement.
• Consider serving as a Co-Facilitator of your peer mentoring group
• Contact the Vice Chair for Faculty Development (Dr. Nadine Kaslow) or the Assistant Vice Chair for Faculty Development – New Initiatives (Dr. Rachel Ammirati) if any issues/concerns arise.