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Nearly one in two people will experience a mental illness over the course of their lifetime and only 43% of individuals requiring care will access it (Kessler et al., 2005; National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2017). New interventions, such as e-therapy, mobile applications and workplace wellness programs, have been developed to address barriers to care; however, they have inconsistent support and many introduce new barriers to care (Barak et al., 2008; Lui et al., 2017; Ivandic et al., 2017). A new program, Mood Lifters, an intervention with peer-led skills-based group meetings, was developed to further address barriers to care. Study 1 tested the feasibility of the program and future study structure in a series of pilot studies. Results suggested that the program and study structure were feasible. Study 2 explored the results of the semi-randomized, to treatment or waitlist conditions, control trial to determine the efficacy of the program. Multiple imputation was used to account for unexpected attrition. Results indicated that individuals in the program, when compared to the waitlist control condition, saw statistically significant improvements in anxiety, and that individuals who completed more homework saw statistically significant improvements in anxiety and perceived stress. Study 3 examined the efficacy of peer leaders compared to professional leaders. Results showed that there were no differences between leader types for attendance, homework completion or mood improvement. Overall, the findings from these studies suggest that the Mood Lifters program is feasible, that individuals engaged with the Mood Lifters program experience reductions in anxiety symptoms and perceived stress, and that the program is effectively delivered by peer leaders. Taken together, this dissertation suggests that Mood Lifters may offer hope to millions of individuals struggling with anxiety, depression and problems in living.