pee

r C

ounsel

ing

W

ritten

and P

ho

tog

raphed

by: J

essic

a L

ee

1

Dedication

Mountain View High School sign Lockers that line the hallways of Mountain View

High

I am dedicating this

book to the peer coun-

seling program as well

as the Mountain View

High School Counsel-

ing department. These

outstanding people have

helped so many without

asking for anything in

return.

2 3

Acknowledgements

I would like to awknowledge adn thank Freestyle Academy for mak-

ing this book possible. Without Freestyle’s advice and help, this

book would not be the success it is today. I also would like to thank

Annie Ashmore, Megan Joseph, and Mr. Kahl. These three people

were crucial in the making of this book.

4 5

Table of Contents

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Chapter 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Chapter 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Chapter 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Chapter 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Chapter 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Chapter 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Chapter 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Chapter 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Chapter 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

6 7

Fo

rew

ord

As I walk down the hallways of

Mountain View High, I heard snippets of

conversation that echo around. “What

did you get on the test?” and “What is

she wearing?!” disrupt the silence. The

pressures and school eventually get to

you sooner or later. Whether it be

by gossip or by competitiveness, high

school will eventually wear you down.

Of course, high school al-

ways has its ups and its downs. One

of the most valuable things you learn

from high school is not how you cel-

ebrate your achievements, but how you

cope with your failures. Failures can

mean anything from depression to los-

ing against a rival school. Some deal

with these dark periods of times by

smoking in the back parking lot. Oth-

ers are added on to the list of hundreds

of teens who have committed suicide.

Most teens do not seek the help they

so desperately need. Since troubled

teens don’t take the initiative, teachers

make the decisions for them. How?

Well, teachers recommend stu-

dents that they are concerned about

to a program called peer counsel-

ing. Peer counseling matches the stu-

dent with a peer counselor, who will

guide him or her to a better path.

As the author of this book,

peer counseling has changed my life

by letting me delve deeper into the

issues the surround teens and myself

as well. It has helped me understand

that talking to anyone about your is-

sues, even a stranger, is better than

keeping it bottled up inside. I hope

you will gain a new perspective on

peer counseling or gain a new insight

as I have from this amazing program.

8 9

Introduction

Along with the growing rates of obesity in America

comes the myriad of eating disorders. According to CBS

News, more than half a million of American teens have

an eating disorder. Moreover, most of these teens don’t

seek out treatments for the problem. Treatment options

would consist of visiting a trained therapist or coun-

selor. Therapists and counselors are trained in psychol-

ogy and know much about the human mind and how it

works, but do they have the experience or the empathy

to help patients? Peer counselors, on the other hand,

are not counselors trained from college, but from experi-

ence. Peer counseling is a student-to-student relation-

ship in which one student is the peer counselor and the

other is the counselee. Unlike therapists and counselors,

peer counselors do not suggest what the counselee should

do, but rather let the counselee find their own solutions

through questions.

Two Mounntain View High students

talking.

A Student is texting

The Mountain View High School

logo

Peer counseling is a relatively new trend and is pres-

ent in other schools such as University of California,

Berkeley. Just last year, it has spread to the Mountain

View High School community. So far, the program has

been highly successful in helping students of Mountain

View High in a variety of issues from depression to

anxiety. Peer counseling, I believe, should be and will

be part of our future communities because it has given

empowerment to the adults and teens of society.

10 11

Chapter 1

The peer counseling program started at

Mountain View High just last year. A couple

of seniors and Mr. Kahl, an English teacher

at Mountain View High, initiated this pro-

gram to help better the school’s community.

Although it is a relatively new program

to Mountain View, peer counseling has

been present in many organizations. Ac-

cording to Independent Living Institute,

“the concept has been in existence for

many years...” eer counseling was based

on a similar concept to various organiza-

tions such as Alcoholics Anonymous and

the Canadian Paaraplegic Association,

the Cerebral Palsy Association, and many

more. They all use peer support or peer coun-

seling as a technique to help their patients.

Even though peer counseling is an age-old

idea that has been used a number of times,

it has not been used in a school setting un-

til recently. Since this trend is so new in

Mountain View High, how is it so successful?

Chapter 2Peer counseling has many outreach strat-

egies to spread the word across campus.

They create videos for daily announce-

ments, create presentations on common

teen issues, and have been shown in the

Oracle.

The recruitment system works like this.

Once a year Mr. Kahl will send out a

mass email to all the students of MVHS

asking for students who are willing to

become peer counselors. After students

have filled out the application, Mr. Kahl

will decide who is accepted.

12 13

Cha

pter 3

I, as a student of MVHS, joined because I wanted a way to directly help the community of MVHS. Peer counseling

is a means to make an impact that will last a lifetime and possibly even longer. Annie Ashmore, a new peer counselor,

states, “I just thought peer counseling would be a really good way to give back to the school and the community. I’ve

suffered from low self-esteem, in general, in the past. I’ve just really want to help people who are going through similar

problems I went through and meet others.”

14 15

Quote

“A life isn’t significant except for its impact on other

lives.” -Jackie Robinson

16 17

Cha

pter

4

On a Saturday afternoon, I checked

my email. Not expecting anything inter-

esting, I quickly scanned through my in-

box for the usual spam. But today, there

was something new: an email from Mr.

Kahl about my acceptance to peer counsel-

ing. Excited, I almost forgot to read the

rest of the email. It said that there would

be two training sessions held and that I

would have to attend them in order to be-

come a peer counselor. What could this be?

All peer counselors must undergo

at least a two day training session. There,

students learn the underlying principles of

peer counseling, which are active listening,

open-ended questions, and, most important-

ly, not giving advice. Characteristics of ac-

tive listening includes making eye contact

and occasionally nodding or smiling. Peer

counselors are trained to really listen to

a person’s needs or wants. Peer counselors

often use open-ended questions by avoid-

ing questions that require a “Yes” or “No”

answer. They also avoid using “Why” ques-

tions. Why? Because it tends to put the

counselees on the defensive and they may

feel as if the counselor is not on their side.

Lastly, counselors never give ad-

vice. This has all to do with empower-

ment. Personal empowerment is the abil-

ity to choose one’s actions. A person with

empowerment believes he or she is capa-

ble, despite the negative experience he or

she may have had. Empowerment is not

an easy feat to achieve especially in the

type of society we live in today. Peer

counselors help students achieve per-

sonal empowerment through peer sup-

port and the techniques listed above.

Chapter 5

18 19

Chapter 6How do peer counselors learn all of these

new techniques and how to deal with a va-

riety of issues? Mr. Kahl, who teaches peer

counseling, leads an activity in which peer

counselors in training pair up with each oth-

er and practice using these skills through

role playing. Megan Joseph, a peer coun-

selor says, “[Mr. Kahl’s methods of teaching

is] more hands on than him lecturing to us,

we get to be in depth, we get to learn about

how to be peer counseled or how to peer

counsel, and he does a lot of group activi-

ties so it’s not just him teaching us every-

thing.” Mr. Kahl also uses other methods

where the students learn the subject, then

teaches it to the class. These strategies in

teaching the key principles of peer counsel-

ing are very effective in helping students

learn how to become good peer counselors.

“We can never get a re-creation of com-

munity and heal our society without

giving our citizens a sense of belonging.”-

Hunter Cambell

20 21

Learning these new skills has changed my perspective on how conversations should be.

Before peer counseling I would constantly interrupt my friends in the middle of their

stories. I was not truly listening to them and believed that my story was paramount to

theirs, so I would interrupt them. Often times, I would lead my friends off topic before

the speaker had finished talking. Although I still have this bad habit, I, now, tend to

wait patiently before speaking. For Annie Ashmore, it has “...helped [her] become a bet-

ter listener and it’s helped [her] appreciate the types of people who are at school.” Peer

counseling also teaches you not to “judge a book by its cover...” as stated in this quote

by Annie Ashmore, ”...there are so many people at school who are struggling with things

and just the knowledge that this is happening and the knowledge that you can prevent

that has definitely changed [her] as a person. When you see someone in the hallway, you

aren’t going to know like what their whole story is unless you peer counsel them.” In ad-

dition to patience and judgment, the program also teaches you empathy. Empathy is the

ability for someone to “step into someone shoes.” Basically it is the ability to understand.

It is a very important trait to have in life. Empathy is one of the main traits you will

develop once in peer counseling. Through the role playing activity Megan Joseph has ex-

perience empathy as shown in this quote: “ I got to experience like being the person being

counseled. I got to talk about my problems of my own. I can see the other person’s point

Chapter 7

of view. When I eventually talk to them, I’ll understand

where they are coming from.” Peer counseling not only

betters society by assisting others overcome obstacles, but

it also helps the peer counselors, themselves, gain a new in-

sight about the society we live in.

22 23

Chapter 8 Peer counseling is not just confined in Moun-

tain View, California, it has spread across

the nation. In Smyrna, Delaware, where An-

tonio Lambert, a drug addict, is now help-

ing others to do the same. Antonio Lambert

managed to escape his predicament by tex-

ting a friend, who help talk him through his

addiction. Promptly after, Lambert checked

himself in to the hospital. This clearly

demonstrates the power of a person, of sim-

ilar age, helping others in overcoming ad-

versity. Now, Lambert is a prominent peer

training, who gives classes in Delaware and

across the country. He has helped numerous

people deal with their setbacks. “Peers are

living, breathing proof that recovery is pos-

sible, that it is real,” said Larry Davidson,

a mental health researcher at Yale (Carey

1). Peer counselors have been through the

same situations as the counselees are facing.

selor has overcome it, the counselee can too.

24 25

Cha

pter 9

Many have questioned the effectiveness of peer counseling. Some believe peer counseling has

a negative side in that it uses untrained students to help deal with serious situations that should be

dealt with by adults. Megan Joeseph admits that some many students don’t participate in peer counsel-

ing because it can scare counselees. She states, “I know I probably would not do [peer counseling] be-

cause I’m really shy and don’t like to talk...and be like I need help and get a peer counselor so.” On the

other hand, Annie Ashmore believes that it is a confidentiality that scares students away. She states,

“...people might not wanna share that type of information with peers they see everyday. Just because

they don’t know and don’t have experience with it.” In addition to this, Megan believes there are also

internal structural issues with peer counseling. She believes that there should be more training sessions

because two might not be enough and many cannot make it to both sessions. She also believes that peer

counseling needs a better way of communicating with potential counselees and counselors. Many believe

peer counseling is effective to an extent. Perhaps an improved peer counseling will emerge as the pro-

gram gains more experience.

Indeed there are negative aspects to peer counseling, but in contrast, peer counselors encourage the

counselee’s honest expression of emotions. Peer counselors want to learn how the client feels and needs.

Because they encourage empowerment, peer counselors respect the counselee’s right to make his or her own

decisions. They promote problem-solving skills for both the peer counselor and counselee (“The Volunteer

Peer Counselor” 1). The relationship between peer counselor and the counselee is one of trust and respect, un-

like the relationship of adult peer counselors, which assume the parental role with counselees because of the

age difference. Peer counseling has been viewed as a cost-effective alternative compared to the traditional

adult counselor program. Recent research suggests that peer counseling “...can reduce costs, and in 2007, fed-

eral health officials ruled that states would bill for the services under Midicaid...” (Carey 1). This makes peer

counseling more accessible to students and adults of lower incomes and by doing so peer counseling can aid

thousands of other people. Despite the popular opinion that students aren’t ready to handy such serious situ-

ations, peer counselors are trained to refer the counselee to an expert if the situation is very dire, such as

suicide attempts. This shows just how mature and able students are.

26 27

Bibliography

Ashmore, Annie. Personal interview. 9 March 2012.

Brown, Dale Susan. “Empowerment Through Peer Counseling.” The International Center for Disability Resources on the

Internet. 2005. Web. 20 Mar. 2012.

Carey, Benedict. “After Drugs and Dark Times, Helping Others to Stand Back Up.” The New York Times. 19 Dec. 2011. Web.

18 Mar. 2012.

Joseph, Megan. Personal interview. 14 March 2012.

Sisco, Patricia. “Peer Counseling: An Overview | Independent Living Institute.” Independent Living Institute. 1992. Web.

20 Mar. 2012.

“The Volunteer Peer Counselor.” Panhandle Crisis Center, Inc. Web. 20 Mar. 2012.

Conclusion

We cannot assume what is best for the counselee, whether it be adult counseling or peer

counseling. A peer counselor’s role is to aid counselees in the present and future. The ultimate

goal is to help them feel confident in their own abilities to successfully address their own prob-

lems. Peer counseling has improved society by spreading the one trait many of us lack, empower-

ment. It gives us a solution to the negative aspects of society and helps to shape our future in

human interactions. A peer counselor is always there for you through your ups and your downs.

Peer counselors don’t judge and most importantly let you be the master of your own future.

28 29

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