Peer Counseling - Students Helping Each Other to Reduce Violence

Violence among school-age children is a pervasive problem throughout California, and has been a hot topic since the early 1990's.  Tens of thousands of children have been killed or wounded by guns in this decade alone.  An increasing number of violent incidents are occurring on school campuses.  Social scientists studying this problem agree, according to a 1995 San Francisco Examiner article written by Scott Winoker, that there is nothing that has been proven to work empirically. In addition, few of the programs and philosophies implemented in the early 1990's have withstood the test of time in successfully reducing violence in schools.

However, proposnents of "Peer Counseling," also known as "Peer Helping," claim their efforts to perpetuate interethnic harmony consistently prove effective in reducing intergroup conflict.  It can be used with kindergarten-aged children up through high school students, with varying levels of skill development depending on the students' ages (for example, a second-grade student might be chosen as a "playground buddy," whereas a seventh-grader may fill a more demanding big brother/big sister role).  At all levels, Peer Helping offers students alterantives to violence and conflict resolution strategies through three primary techniques: one-on-one student counseling, individual and group peer education, and peer conflict mediation. 

One-on-one counseling reduces the potential for distrust or "generational" differences students may feel toward adults through confidential guidance from a same-age peer, creating a more comfortable environment for discussion.  Potential peer counselors whose opinions and abilities carry weight among students are recommended by teachers, staff or other students to program staffers or volunteers at the school.  Students chosen to be counselors are then trained by either paid or volunteering professionals, ultimately collaborating on a weekly, sometimes daily basis.

Peer education includes classroom presentations made by fellow students at the middle and high school levels, covering topics such as racism, multicultural appreciation, stereotypes; even gay/lesbian issues and gangs.  Collaborating or copresenting with experts on the topic, same-age classmates or older students conduct workshops on listening skills, locating victim assistance within the school and the community, and thinking about the consequences of violence in order to prevent it.  Presentation length depends on the subject matter, varying from one class period to being integrated into a class's curriculum.

In peer conflict mediation, students are not trained to physically break up fights or put themselves in other potentially harmful situations; rather, a peer moderates discussion between two or more students in a neutral setting, working toward a harmonious goal.  Like working counseling professionals, peer mediators are referred "cases" by program coordinators and work under the guidance of such mentors.

Criticism that these programs provide too much responsibility to children, or that it prematurely catalyzes their emotional growth, is met with this explanation by Ira Sachnoff, of Peer Resource Training and Consulting: "Programs are designed to fit the needs of the individual schools and students.  A kindergarten student won't be trained to do conflict mediation; in that case, 'friendship empowerment' would be used to create a buddy program.  With older kids, especially in inner-city schools, there's a growing need for students working with students."  Some schools are introducing semester and year-long conflict mediation courses into their curriculum, responding not only to need, but students' demands for involvement and empowerment.  Funding for programs are sometimes integrated into a chool or district yearly budget; often, money is received from the city, county, state, or from private foundations.

Programs have been overwhelmingly effective: in a 1995 Stanford University report, nearly three in five students who went through a Peer Helping program had been turned off from gangs, and seven in 10 said they had the confidence and skill to counsel another student through a crisis.  Peer Helping programs have proven to be one of the most successful means to achieve and perpetuate harmony in California classrooms.  It strives to be a partnership between concerned young people and caring, well-trained adults, strengthening interpersonal bonds and developing safe, postitive environments in which our children can learn and live.

For more information on how to benefit from Peer Helping Programs, contact the California Association of Peer Programs (middle and high schools) at 818-564-0099, or Ira Sachnoff at Peer Resource Training and Consulting, 415-282-5298.