“ The skills we go over are active listening , validation and normalizing that it ’ s hard . And then , having the mental health literacy to say : ‘ That sounds really tough . Can I walk you to the counsellor ?’”
STUDENT Connection
The 2023 – 2024 school year saw the peer support program in the Senior School come to life with 10 Grade 11 and 12 students offering one-on-one peer support and listening sessions to other Senior School students during school hours .
The program was initiated in the 2022 – 2023 school year , sparked by Jill , Grade 12 , Senior School Health and Wellness Prefect . Jill ’ s passion for mental health and wellness led her to work closely with Ly Hoang , Personal Counsellor Senior School , and the Personal Counselling team to establish this program .
The idea is to offer students the opportunity to connect with other students , especially those who might be hesitant to seek out personal counsellors . The peer supporters are able to listen but also are trained to encourage others to seek counselling .
“ To start , we held focus groups with students about how this would work best , what areas they would want to be trained in , and the common things that they felt stopped students from coming to counselling in the first place . By the end of the 2023 school year , we had a program developed and approved and had recruited 10 students ,” said Ms Hoang .
This year , the Personal Counselling team worked closely with the peer support students to develop the skills needed . “ The skills we go over are active listening , validation and normalizing that it ’ s hard . And then , having the mental health literacy to say : ‘ That sounds really tough . Can I walk you to the counsellor ?’” It is that piece around encouraging students to see the counsellors and the appropriate level of confidentiality – knowing when it ’ s necessary to relay to the counsellors that a student might need more – that is an area of emphasis .
This program is an important initiative in our Foundational Well-Being strategy from our strategic plan , and supports student agency . When students know that they can be relied on to help others , and have the skills to do so , they develop a sense of competence and belonging , leading to greater overall well-being . The program has the potential to benefit both peer listeners and the students using the service .
Ms Hoang is participating in the CHS Research Chair of Teaching and Learning program , researching the impacts of peer-led mental health supports on student well-being through the peer support program . She will measure components of student leadership and agency that encourage and promote pro-social behaviours such as seeking help from peers and adults , increasing empathy and compassion among peers , and increasing one ’ s ability to self-regulate when faced with everyday stressors .
“ The skills we go over are active listening , validation and normalizing that it ’ s hard . And then , having the mental health literacy to say : ‘ That sounds really tough . Can I walk you to the counsellor ?’”
WHAT ’ S NEXT ?
When looking at what ’ s next for this program , Ms Hoang reflects that the goal is “ slow and steady progress , so that it really becomes a part of the school culture and is sustainable ”. With 12 more students recruited to be peer supporters for next year and ongoing discussions about Senior to Junior School cross-campus opportunities , it seems that making a place for this program in our school culture is well underway .
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