Peer Counsellors Training Program
Peer Counselling Skills Capacity Building Program (PCSCBP)
The Peer Counselling Skills Capacity Building Program (PCSCBP) is a structured training intervention offered by Treasure PsyClinic to strengthen peer-led psychosocial support mechanisms within educational institutions. The program is designed to build capacity, equip, and empower selected learners to provide responsible, ethical, and supportive peer assistance while operating within clearly defined boundaries and referral structures.
The training mirrors the structure and rigor of professional counselling capacity-building programs while remaining developmentally appropriate and aligned to the peer counsellor role.
Program Categories
- High School Peer Counsellors Training
Targets selected secondary school learners appointed as peer counsellors. The program equips participants with foundational helping skills to support peers facing academic stress, emotional distress, peer pressure, bullying, substance-related risks, and adjustment challenges, while emphasizing safeguarding, confidentiality, and close collaboration with Teacher-Counsellors. - University & College Peer Counsellors Training
Targets peer leaders within universities and colleges. The training equips participants with enhanced peer-support competencies relevant to young adults, addressing mental health stressors such as academic pressure, transition and independence challenges, relationships, substance use, and psychosocial adjustment, with strong emphasis on referral to campus and professional services.
Program Components
Foundations of Peer Counselling Practice
Introduces the purpose, scope, and role of peer counsellors within educational settings. Emphasis is placed on ethical conduct, confidentiality, boundaries, safeguarding, and understanding the limits of peer support.
Core Helping Skills and Peer Support Techniques
Builds practical competencies in rapport building, active listening, empathy, supportive communication, basic problem clarification, and structured peer support conversations.
Self-Awareness and Personal Development
Enhances participants’ understanding of personal values, beliefs, biases, emotional awareness, and reflective practice, strengthening responsible and effective peer engagement.
Peer Counselling Relationship and Support Process
Covers stages of the peer helping process, trust building, managing resistance, maintaining boundaries, and appropriate use of empathy and supportive presence.
Mental Health Awareness and Risk Identification
Equips peer counsellors with skills to recognize early warning signs of emotional distress, behavioural difficulties, substance use risks, and crisis indicators among peers.
Psychological First Aid (PFA) for Peer Settings
Provides basic skills for offering immediate emotional support during distressing situations, focusing on stabilization, reassurance, and linkage to appropriate support services.
Ethics, Referral, and Collaboration
Strengthens understanding of ethical decision-making, confidentiality limits, disclosure, referral pathways, and collaboration with Teacher-Counsellors, student affairs offices, and mental health professionals.
Peer Counsellor Self-Care and Sustainability
Builds capacity in self-care, stress management, and emotional boundaries to prevent burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma.
Program Goals
- To build structured peer counselling capacity within learning institutions
- To equip peer counsellors with practical, ethical, and developmentally appropriate helping skills
- To empower learners to provide early psychosocial support and promote help-seeking behaviour
- To strengthen referral linkages between peer counsellors and professional support systems
- To contribute to safe, supportive, and mentally healthy learning environments
Program Benefits
- Increased access to early psychosocial support for students
- Improved mental health awareness and peer responsiveness
- Reduced stigma and enhanced help-seeking behaviour among learners
- Strengthened collaboration between peer counsellors and institutional support structures
- Improved student wellbeing, engagement, and positive institutional climate
Through the Peer Counselling Skills Capacity Building Program (PCSCBP), Treasure PsyClinic delivers a structured, capacity-building intervention that equips and empowers peer counsellors to provide ethical, responsible, and effective support, while reinforcing safeguarding standards and professional referral pathways.
