Peer helping programs (sometimes called peer counseling), which began in the late 1960s, involve training young people to serve in helping roles with their peers. The peer helping approach grew out of a desire to teach youth the skills of reaching out to their peers, especially those who lack social skills in making friends, are ignored, isolated, forgotten, or not known.
During adolescence, youth turn first to their peers for help with all kinds of problems, and young people want to learn how to help when someone turns to them. Young people who act as peer helpers serve as extensions of teachers and guidance counselors, and, in cases of cross-age peer helping, they become role models for younger children. As peer helping programs developed, many students have been trained to become effective peer helpers.
A structured group reflection process, sometimes called practicum groups, is a key element in peer helping programs. Groups of peer helpers meet regularly with trained adult leaders to reflect on their experiences working with other students, to encourage and support each other, and to receive guidance with difficult situations.
In addition to peer helping programs, there are many other types of peer-to-peer programs, including peer tutoring, peer mentoring, welcoming new students, peer ministry, and peer mediation.
Find out more about peer helping and asset building on our peer helping page
