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What Is Peer Counselling

Peer counselling involves students helping other students through one-on-one or group interactions. It aims to explore thoughts, feelings, and concerns in order to gain a clear understanding and make informed decisions. Peer counselling can help students deal with various stressors like academic pressure, relationships issues, and substance abuse. As peers, counselors can effectively relate to students' issues and provide listening support and alternatives to advice. Peer counselors receive training in communication, listening, ethics and basic counseling skills to help students with issues like conflict resolution, confidence building, and adjustment difficulties. Both the students receiving help and the peer counselors gain from the experience.

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Uden Tshering
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564 views2 pages

What Is Peer Counselling

Peer counselling involves students helping other students through one-on-one or group interactions. It aims to explore thoughts, feelings, and concerns in order to gain a clear understanding and make informed decisions. Peer counselling can help students deal with various stressors like academic pressure, relationships issues, and substance abuse. As peers, counselors can effectively relate to students' issues and provide listening support and alternatives to advice. Peer counselors receive training in communication, listening, ethics and basic counseling skills to help students with issues like conflict resolution, confidence building, and adjustment difficulties. Both the students receiving help and the peer counselors gain from the experience.

Uploaded by

Uden Tshering
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is peer counselling?

 Peer counselling is a helping process


 Involves one-on-one interaction or interaction between members of a
group, who have several things in common
 In an academic setting, it refers to students helping their fellow students
 A way of relating, responding and helping people
 Aims at exploring thoughts, feelings, issues and concerns,
 With the hope of reaching a clear understanding and make informed
decisions

How does peer counselling help students? 

o As a student : several stressors in their lives.


1. academic stress
2. pressure to choose your careers
3. peer pressure
4. relationship problems
5. body image issues
6. substance abuse and addiction etc.
o It may not be possible for everyone to approach a professional counsellor
with ease, due to various reasons including unavailability, and the stigma
associated with asking for help.
o In such cases, a peer counsellor can help you or your friends with several
issues such as:

 Conflict resolution
 Building confidence and self-esteem,
 Academic difficulties, exam stress
 Adjustment issues with teachers, other students
 Issues adjusting to hostel life
 Ragging, bullying and many more.

Approaching a peer counselor in several cases is effective, because the other


person is able to understand and relate to your issues. And if they are trained,
peer counselors provide listening, support and alternatives to the students, while
avoiding dishing out advice.
Peer counsellors are trained
Peer counselors are trained in communication, listening skills, assertiveness,
ethics of peer counseling, issues of confidentiality and breach of it, boundaries
regarding helping others, and basic counseling skills. In some cases, they also
refer them to a professional counselor in their area.
A student should have certain qualities to become a peer counsellor.
 Active listening skills, without being intrusive
 Empathy and sensitivity
 They must keep the student's information confidential, not gossip about it
 Good communication skills and the ability to dig deep into a student's
psyche
 Amiable in nature
More importantly, they should be innately interested in helping the other
student with their issues.
o Peer counsellors also conduct awareness campaigns in their respective
schools/colleges on mental health issues, address stigma and
discrimination, myths about mental illnesses and so on.   
Peer counsellors gain too (What does the peer counsellors gain?)
It is not just the fellow students, but peer counsellors themselves make positive
gains during their training and practice.
 Some foreign universities ask for NGO/volunteer experience. Students
can list peer counselling experience in your resume when applying
to such institutions.
 Increases their self-esteem and problem-solving skills.
 Teaches leadership skills.
 Helps you learn empathy, respect and other life skills.

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