Scribd
Upload
148 views25 pages

Peer Helping Skills

This document outlines the objectives and principles of peer helping. It explains that peer helping involves facilitating personal growth, gaining insights, and overcoming difficulties through empathetic listening. A peer helper acts as a companion on the journey to adulthood, fulfilling roles like facilitator, role model, and support giver to assist peers without advising or solving problems for them. The document also describes counseling principles for peer helping, including controlled emotional involvement, acceptance, allowing expression of feelings, individualization, and encouraging self-determination.

Uploaded by

Armie Caba-Tabian
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
148 views25 pages

Peer Helping Skills

This document outlines the objectives and principles of peer helping. It explains that peer helping involves facilitating personal growth, gaining insights, and overcoming difficulties through empathetic listening. A peer helper acts as a companion on the journey to adulthood, fulfilling roles like facilitator, role model, and support giver to assist peers without advising or solving problems for them. The document also describes counseling principles for peer helping, including controlled emotional involvement, acceptance, allowing expression of feelings, individualization, and encouraging self-determination.

Uploaded by

Armie Caba-Tabian
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 25

PEER HELPING: A Journey

Towards Personal Growth


OBJECTIVES

By the end of this session, the participants should be able to:


 Explain what peer helping is and is not;

 Examine their own motives for helping;

 Discuss how peer helpers help;

 Compare their personal attributes vis-à-vis some


characteristics integral to helping;

 Identify areas in which they feel they can be most


effective as peer helpers.
Adolescents often seek out help from
their peers whenever they are
experiencing confusion, anxiety,
frustration or some other forms of
emotional distress.
 Peer helping is a facilitative process in which
someone listens emphatically to his/her peer
and enables the other to GROW.

G- ain new insights and information


R- eadily face difficulties and concerns
O- vercome anxieties, fears and other forms of
emotional distress.
W- elcome the responsibility for decision-making
 A peer helper is a companion/friend in your journey
towards adulthood.

 The essence of a peer helper’s roles can be best


captured in the word “FRIENDS”

Peer helpers are:


F – acilitators of growth and personal development.
They assist their peers/ helpees in increasing
their self-understanding, strengthening their self-
confidence and building their self-esteem.
Peer helpers are:

R – ole models. They assist their peers to


develop positive values, acquire appropriate
behavior and habits.

I – nformation givers.They help their peers/


helpees to gain additional knowledge and
necessary information which can help them
make healthy and productive life choices.
Peer helpers are:

E – nablers. They assist their peers/helpees to


undertake self reflection, explore and define
their options and alternatives. They encourage
them to express, explore and manage their
feelings as well as provide support.

N – urturers. They help to discover and enhance


the hidden talents, potentials and other
competencies of their peers/ helpees.
Peer helpers are:
D – evelopmental Guides. They serve as “human
bridge” for adolescents during this transition
stage. They help them to discover their purpose
as a person, their dreams and aspirations, set
goals and plan appropriate action.

S – upport Givers. They reach out to adolescents


and show empathy. They also assist their peers
in adjusting to new situations.
 Peer helping is not the same as giving advice. A
peer helper does not and should not ADVISE.
A peer helper should not:

A – ssume that he/she is an “expert”, has all the


answers for the helpee’s concern/ difficulty or
knows what is best for the helpee.

As a peer helper, your role is merely to assist


the helper gain a clearer and more realistic
understanding of his/her situation.
A peer helper should not:

D – ecide for the helpee. A peer helper who


decides for his/her helpee oversteps his/her
role. The peer helper’s role is mainly to
assist the helpee to clarify and isolate their
concerns, identify their various options and
empower them to decide and take action.
A peer helper should not:
V – isualize himself/herself as a “savior” or
“rescuer”. As a peer helper, you act as a
facilitator, guide and consultant.

Encouraging the helpee to be actively


involved in the whole process demonstrates
your confidence in their strengths and
abilities.
A peer helper should not:

I – mpose his/her values and beliefs on the


helpee. A peer helper respects the values
and beliefs of the helpee.

He/she recognizes that each individual has


the right to his/her own personal beliefs and
values.
A peer helper should not:

S – olve the helpee’s problems/difficulties. A


peer helper is not the problem solver.

He/she is only an assistant problem solver.


Unlike diseases/illness which have defined
causes/treatments, the issues, concerns,
problems confronting young people have no
fixed solution, “cure” or predetermined
treatment.
A peer helper should not:

E – ncourage dependency. If a peer helper gives


advice, decides or solves the problem of the
helpee, he/she is encouraging dependency
rather than enabling and empowering the
helpee.
Observes counseling principles in peer helping -
CAPIS

C-ONTROLLED EMOTIONAL INVOLVEMENT


 You must be sufficiently involved to make full use of your
emotional experience. However, while emphasizing , you
must maintain an objective perspective.

 Being sensitive and responsive, without being too


emotionally involved and without losing to differentiate
your own experience from that of the helpee.
 Empathy is not the same as sympathy or shedding your
own tears for someone else’s hurt or getting angry,
confused, agitated, etc., because your helpee feels the
same

A- CCEPTANCE AND NON-JUDGEMENTAL


 The key to effective peer helping is openness and non-
evaluative listening.

 The role of the peer helper is not to moralize, preach,


threaten to impose his/her values and that of the
institution or society.
 Accept the traits/qualities/habits of your
helpee no matter how undesirable they may
be.

 Your acceptance does not mean you condone


it/agree with it. It means you understand that
there maybe reasons for such traits/ qualities/
behavior, and you are there to help the helpee
work it out.
 Do not compare your helpee with another person in a
similar situation.

P-URPOSEFUL EXPRESSION OF FEELINGS

 Pressures and tensions are minimized and anxiety reduced


when the helpee is able to express and explore his/her
feelings freely.
 Do not stop the helpee from crying,
shouting, cursing or otherwise, while actively
expressing/ventilating his/her feelings.

Do so only when others can be disturbed/


physically hurt or when the expression of
feeling can harm the helpee.

 Provide reassurance to relieve feelings of


anxiety or guilt over verbalized negative
feelings.
 Avoid false reassurances like: “That’s not a problem”,
“I’m sure it/you will be okay/just fine”, or “That’s
easy”. These can make the helpee feel that you do not
feel the gravity of the situation or know just exactly
how the helpee feels.

 Likewise, avoid premature assurances that you


understand the situation or know exactly how the
helpee feels.

I –NDIVIDUALIZATION

 Recognize/respect your helpee’s unique


characteristics/qualities, specific needs and the peculiar
circumstances/conditions of his/ her situation.
S-ELF-DETERMINATION

 All individuals have the inner resource to help


themselves. Each helpee has the right and need to
make his/her own choices and decisions.

 Make your helpee an active partner throughout the


process.

 Don’t give advice. Do not decide for the helpee (even


if they ask you to or tell you they are unable to
decide/choose/are confused).
S-ELF-DETERMINATION

 All individuals have the inner resource to help


themselves. Each helpee has the right and need to
make his/her own choices and decisions.

 Make your helpee an active partner throughout the


process.

 Don’t give advice. Do not decide for the helpee (even


if they ask you to or tell you they are unable to
decide/choose/are confused).
 When the helpee is suicidal/bound to harm
himself/herself, or is totally out of control, you may
assume responsibility as a form of “first aid” prior
to referral. Otherwise, he/she may not get to your
referral in one piece.

 Show confidence, reinforce your helpee’s belief in


themselves and in their capacity/ability to decide
for themselves.

 Being a peer helper is a very challenging and


fulfilling role.
Thank you very much for listening !!!
Commission on Population and Development-Region II
Bagay Road, San Gabriel, Tuguegarao City
Telephone Nos.: (078) 844-1833; (078) 846-4416
Fax: (078) 844-2644
Website: http://rpo2.popcom.gov.ph
Facebook: Commission on Population and Development
- Region II
RPFP HELPLINE Numbers:
09367231145 (Globe)
09194964305 (Smart)

You might also like