(PS5-C57) Not Just Fun and Games: Experiences of Summer Camp Counselors Supporting Camper Mental Health

Introduction: Camp counselors play an important role in the lives of many youth (Johnson et al., 2011; Taniguchi et al., 2007). As the prevalence of mental health challenges among youth increases (AAP et al., 2021), so too does the expectation that camp counselors be trained to manage such challenges (Ambrose et al., 2019; Owens & Browne, 2021). This qualitative study was guided by the following research questions: 1) What types of camper mental health challenges are camp counselors encountering? 2) How are camp counselors addressing these challenges to support their campers? 3) How does this work affect camp counselors’ well-being?

Methods: Young adults who worked at U.S. summer camps in Summer 2022 (n = 10; age range 18-21; 5 women, 3 men, 2 genderfluid individuals) participated in semi-structured interviews in Fall 2022. Analysis utilized a dualistic technique of inductive thematic analysis and deductive consensual qualitative research, in which data were coded by three researchers with extensive experience within the field of U.S. summer camp.


Results: Regarding research question #1, participants identified several camper challenges ranging in intensity from minor struggles with homesickness and peer conflict to more concerning issues with depression, anxiety, disordered eating, and self-injury. Participants were exposed to mental health crises such as camper disclosures of trauma and suicide attempts. Regarding research question #2, participants recalled several strategies they used to support their campers including active listening, providing validation, offering coping skills, distracting from problems, and modeling preferred behaviors. Multiple participants commented on the strength of camper-counselor rapport and its importance in delivering mental health support. Regarding research question #3, counselor well-being was affected by several factors. Participants faced burnout from the long hours and emotional intensity of their job. Some experienced vicarious trauma from their campers’ mental health challenges and experienced negative emotions when they felt ineffective in addressing camper issues.


Discussion: With increased mental health needs among youth in the U.S., there is more need for camp counselors to be able to support their campers’ mental health at summer camp. Research from the related field of youth mentoring finds that paraprofessionals, when provided with adequate training and supervision, can act as meaningful sources of mental health support (Rhodes, 2020). Equipping camp counselors with cognitive and behavioral strategies to support their campers would increase campers’ access to evidence-based support and improve camp counselors’ sense of self-efficacy.