PEER COUNSELING CENTER
The Peer Counseling Center is funded by UNFPA and Title X Family Planning Program. The purpose of the Center is to promote a positive collective experience while at COM-FSM through an atmosphere which fosters understanding, sensitivity, trust, respect, and fairness.
The Center is staff by student counselors. Because
students and are, therefore, more effective in responding to issues
that concern them, peer counselors are recruited and trained to
reach students with information that focuses on health education and
prevention. This is done in an atmosphere, which fosters
understanding, sensitivity, trust, respect, and fairness.
The aim is to help students understand and analyze issues that can
affect them, so they can make healthy choices.
Peer counselors are free to be creative in reaching as many fellow
students with their message. They can conduct their program in
the classrooms, resident halls, and other student areas.
Counselors
Activities- organizing large-scale programs for Alcohol Awareness Week - organizing rallies against violence and sexual assault - presenting workshops and counseling sessions no areas of interest to students - writing articles for the school paper - designing a newsletter - producing innovative skits and role-plays - designing a newsletter - creating games and health related materials |
What is Peer Health Counseling?
College students are at a stage when they are confronted with many choices that can affect their mental and physical well being and, because of their limited knowledge about health an wellness, are at greater risk of making wrong choice. But information along is not enough. Peer health counseling, based on social learning and health behavior theories, is a proven, more effective way to reach young people and provide them with information and skills that will motivate them to make healthy decisions for themselves.
Because young
people tend to do what they believe their friends and peers are
doing, peer health counseling can help create positive peer pressure
and normalize healthy behavior. Further, since many teenagers
report that they receive most of their information about sex from
their peer, peer educators can also be a good source to help correct
misinformation and dispel myths.
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There are many
reasons for becoming a peer counselor. As a counselor you can:
|
- become a students leader who is respected by your peers
- reach many people in a short amount of time - spread important educational information - have the opportunity to work closely with other students while gaining experience in a valuable activities - gain helpful experience if interested in working in a health, social work, psychology, or education-related field -learn about themselves and other students -gain more knowledge about issues of concern on a college campus |
Years of research
hove shown that the provision of information is not enough to reduce
rates of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases among our young
people. Peer education, based on social learning and health behavior
theories, is an effective way to reach young people with
information, skills, and motivation teens can use to make healthy
decisions for themselves. While it is impossible to generalize about
all youths, developmentally, they have a great deal in common.
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Research has shown that young people tent to do what they believe their friends and peers are doing. Peer educators help to create positive peer pressure and normalize healthy behavior. Since many teenagers report that they receive most of their information from their peer, peer educators is a good source of help correct misinformation and dispel myths.
| Contact Information | |
|---|---|
|
Ermine Walliby Peer Counseling Coordinator |
(691) 320-2480 ext. 131 peertopeer@comfsm.fm |
|
Julie Waathan Peer Counselor -Yap Campus |
(691) 350-5244 jwaathan@comfsm.fm |
|
Mike Ioanis Peer Trainer, National Campus |
(691) 330-2480
ext. 130 mioanis@comfsm.fm |
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