Are you looking for peer counseling help near you? Are you looking for information about peer counseling? Do you need advice or guidance in a specific area of your life? Do you want to enjoy the benefits of being part of a peer counseling group? Peer counseling can go a long way in helping you lead a better, more fulfilling life. Here is everything you need to know about peer counseling.
Hi! My name is Sean Galla. I have been facilitating online support groups, including peer counseling groups, for more than 10 years. In my years of service, I have seen peer counseling helping many people overcome life issues and lead a better, more fulfilling life. If you are looking for a way out, a counseling group can be the stepping-stone to starting your new life.
In this article, you will get helpful information about peer counseling.
Table of Contents:
What Is Peer Counseling?
Peer counseling is a special mentorship program for peers by peers. It includes people going through the same issues in life, looking for guidance from their peers, or looking to learn from others. Facilitated by peer counselors, peer counseling occurs when people share knowledge, experience, emotional support, practical or social help to one another.
Through peer counselors, counseling is meant to offer an atmosphere where anyone can come to share, learn, and help others going through a similar situation. Unlike other types of counselors, peer counselors are not always professional counselors. They are peers to the people they counsel through supportive interactions. This means that anyone can become a peer counselor once they are part of a counseling group. The goal of counseling is to help people to discover their own solutions to life issues.
Who Needs Counseling?
Adults going through different life issues and seeking a better understanding from people who won’t judge them can go for counseling. Since it is a peer to peer group approach to counseling, you will get a better understanding, tailored advice and help from people who have been through the same issues or have had experience with the issue.
When faced with a challenge in life, most adults turn to their spouses, family members, or close friends for problem-solving advice. In some cases, one may need more help than the people close to them can offer. Instead of seeking professional help from a therapist or life coach, peer counseling is usually the next best choice. You will get an opportunity to get mutual help and support from people going through the same issues.
For instance, a peer support group for people going through depression gives you access to depression survivors who act as your peer counselor. If you are going through loss, you can get access to support counseling sessions to help you through the grieving process. There are peer support groups for people looking for general guidance to lead a better life and for people looking for career guidance. Counseling allows you to experience understanding and compassion from people who can relate to your experience.
With peer to peer counseling, you can:
- Set goals and visions for your future
- Get access to specialized health care providers if you need one
- Grow your confidence and better your decision making
- Learn stress management methods that can help to overcome mental health issues
- Share your experience and learn from other people’s experiences
- Build lasting relationships
- Develop better communications skills
- Learn of the treatment options available for different conditions
Benefits of Peer Counseling
Being part of a peer counseling group or a one-on-one peer counseling session can benefit you in numerous ways.
You get direct advice
Whether you need guidance with a specific issue you are experiencing at work or need advice on how to lead a better life, counseling offers direct advice from people who have been there. It can help in a way that talking to a trained therapist cannot. What sets peer counseling apart is the fact that the facilitators or peer support specialists are people who have had similar experiences.
You meet with people who speak your language
When you take part in counseling in a group setting, you will be around people who share your experiences. This gives you a free space to freely share what you have been through and learn from others who have overcome a similar challenge. By being amongst people who understand you, you are easier understood as everyone in the group lives through the same issues.
Round the clock available support
While not all peer counselors are available round the clock, some peer groups helplines can be contacted at any time. Also, some online peer counseling groups like mensgroup.com have forums that are available round the clock. You can post questions and read responses from your peers. No matter the time, you can be sure that there is a peer counselor willing to be of assistance to you.
Learning through other people’s experiences
When you decide to go for counseling, you will probably be placed with a peer counselor who has been where you are and have seen what you have seen and worked to recover from it. Being in the company of someone who has overcome the thing that stresses you serves as a reminder that you can find healing and recover from it.
Tools to help in job support
Dealing with life issues, health issues of substance abuse can have a toll on your job. Going for counseling can make it easier for you to stay on a job even as you work to get better. Counseling can help you with life advice and tools applicable to your current situation from people who understand exactly what you need. Ensuring you remain gainfully employed is essential to help you get better and get your life back on track.
Increasing family support
Peer counseling can be of benefit to family members to people going through different challenges. Increased support from family members can be fostered by making them understand your situation better through family peer counseling.
Sharing in a free and safe space
Regardless of what you have been through or are going through, peer counseling gives you a safe space to share amongst your peers. Your peer counselor has heard it all before or has gone through it before. This eliminates the fear of judgment or stigma. This is why peer counseling is one of the most recommended therapies for healing and recovery.
It is an opportunity to give back
If you benefit from peer counseling, you can pay it forward by becoming a peer counselor. You do not need a degree in counseling to offer help. Your experiences, communication skills, and recovery journey are enough to allow you to offer counseling to other people in need.
Top Peer Counseling Organizations
Wise and Healthy Aging
Wise and Healthy Aging is a peer counseling program that delivers counseling services to senior adults of 55 years and above. It offers support to seniors dealing with issues related to their age, like ill health, loss, and retirements, among other life changes. It aims to equip the members with coping skills to ensure they lead a healthy life even as they age. Members can access private counseling sessions or group counseling, where they interact with their peers going through the same issues. The volunteers are also aged 55 and above.
Aspire Health Alliance
Aspire Health Alliance offers peer to peer counseling and support to people dealing with behavioral health challenges. The peer counseling programs also aim to offer support to people living with mental illness as part of their suicide prevention program. They are available during the weekends and evenings when most mental health services are unavailable. It aims to provide a safe environment where peers can connect with a support system in a supportive and safe environment through their shared experiences and challenges.
Good Therapy
Good Therapy is an online resource that can put you in touch with a therapist, peer counselor, peer programs, residential treatment centers near you, mental health resources, and rehab facilities. If you or anyone you know is going through mental health issues, behavioral concerns, general life challenges, or relationship issues or needs conflict resolution specialists, searching the directory on this site can put you in touch with a peer counselor or services you need near you.
Mensgroup.com
If you are a man looking for an all-male peer support group, Men’s Group is the leading men-only support group. At mensgroup.com, you will meet a group of guys who are ready and willing to listen to you, offer advice and support regardless of the situations you are going through.
If you need counseling, you can be sure that there is a guy on the Men’s Group who will understand. What makes this site different is that once you register, you will be hand-matched with a group of guys just like you. Unlike other groups that place you randomly in support programs, mensgroup is specific about its counseling and peer mentoring method. It will place you with guys in the same life stage as you, and men who you share your life challenges and goals. This makes it easier for you to connect with them in a safe space where you can learn, grow, and enhance your self-esteem through tailored peer counseling sessions led by role model facilitators.
Final Word
If you want to lead a happier and successful life, it is essential to seek guidance, advice, and help when you need it. Peer counseling is the perfect platform to put you in contact with people who can offer the guidance, help, or support you need. At mensgroup.com, men get a safe platform to share, learn, and grow in other men’s company.
*Sources: 1. How much do peer counselors make? 2. Peer Programs Helping Schools Tackle Student Depression 3. The Effectiveness of a Comprehensive Peer Counseling Program on Academic Adjustment 4. Peer Counseling: Proceed with Caution 5. Why your school should have a Peer-To-Peer Program
