Caption: Members of the Peer Educators and Counselors Club during their graduation ceremony. Students receive training and professional support over the course of two semesters to prepare them to be peer counsellors.
Photo: Celeste Impundu.

By the Counselling Office

Twelve members of the Peer Educators and Counselors Club recently graduated from a training held between Fall 2019 and Spring 2020. The ceremony, which was held virtually, was attended by all program graduates, as well as the Counselling Centre staff, representatives from the Student Affairs Department, and the Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic and Student Affairs, Prof. Munyae Mulinge.

In his comments, Prof. Mulinge noted that the peer educators were now well-equipped with the skills to work together with their peers to ensure that the students had an enriched and diverse learning environment.

“As peer counsellors, you are now the link between the Counselling Centre and your fellow students. Through your training, you will be able to foster this connection by coming up with outreach programs that will increase awareness of various issues that affect students on campus today,“ he said.

This sentiment was also reiterated by the Principal Counsellor, Ms. Lucy Kung’u, who noted that the peer counselors would receive continuous education and resources as they worked to promote overall wellbeing among their fellow students.

Peer education and counseling is recognized and utilized globally as an avenue for peer-related help and support especially among young people. It is a very effective and well documented aspect of counseling as many people often open up to their peers first before seeking any form of professional counsel on various life related issues. People are able to reach out to their peers easily and support them because they understand them better. As a peer, they also have the best chance to refer them to professional counselors who they closely work with; when they perceive that their peer needs further support.

The Peer Educators and Counselors Club (PECC) at USIU-Africa is made up of students who are recruited from the student body, including freshmen. After recruitment of the club members, the club patron, club officials together with the counseling center usually plan for a comprehensive 36-hour peer education and counseling training, after which trainees are given a period of two semesters to practice the skills they acquired during the training through counseling their peers.

During this period, the students are also expected to attend ten individual therapy sessions and five group supervision sessions under the guidance of a counselor, designed to enhance their peer counselling skills. In addition to this, the students are also expected to design and execute an event, after which all trainees who meet the stipulated requirements graduate and are issued with certificate.

The Club meets virtually on Mondays and Thursdays from 12.40-1.20pm in the PECC Office. For more details and information on how to join the Club, reach us at counsel@usiu.ac.ke