In this article, find out what peer counseling is and the different ways teens respond to peer counseling in ways adults don’t. Meeting the emotional needs of teenagers can be difficult for parents. Teens worry that their parents don’t recognize the difficulties they’re facing. Or, if they are guilty of wrongdoing, they can be afraid that a talk will end in punishment. This is why parents want peer support programs.
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A peer support program is a type of counseling in which an older student meets with a younger student to provide support and advice on how to handle difficult situations.
A study found that students who participated in peer support programs were better able to listen to their peers and recognize the early indicators of suicide and other mental health problems. Students take on leadership and mentoring roles with help from faculty, counselors, and mental health experts.
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Views of Parents on Peer Counseling
Mott surveyed families to gauge their thoughts on these types of teen-run organizations. According to the survey, the majority of parents (72%) think the program might be beneficial since it would teach their children to talk to their peers instead of adults. Seventy-six percent of respondents believed that other students would have a better grasp of their teenagers’ struggles than teachers and administrators.
Although many parents would like for their child to take part in peer support programs, many are unsure that their child will. Only 38% of parents believed their child was very likely to initiate conversation with a peer, while 41% said it was possible, and 21% said it was extremely unlikely.
Some parents are apprehensive because they don’t think it’s possible to train a teenager to listen (47%), others are worried about confidentiality (62%), and 57% are concerned that a peer wouldn’t know when to involve an adult in a crisis.
Parents’ encouragement of their children’s leadership roles among their peers was also investigated. The vast majority of parents polled said they would be okay with it. However, some expressed apprehension about whether their child would be ready for the responsibility, receive sufficient training, or hold themselves accountable if anything went wrong.
Teens Should Communicate
One in five adolescents experience symptoms of a diagnosable mental health disorder, making suicide the second largest cause of death among this age group. The suicide incidence among 14–19-year-olds has climbed from 6 to 9.7 per 100,000 in recent years, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in their 2019 report. It’s worth noting that 95,000 kids in 2018 were treated in hospitals because of intentional self-injury.
Rates that compare and contrast the results of Mott’s survey. According to the results of their survey, 40% of parents who participated were unable to determine if their children were depressed or simply going through normal mood swings, and 30% reported that their children were skilled at concealing their emotions. And one has to ask if the number would be larger if there were more opportunities for peer support communication.
The ability of some parents to recognize signs of depression in their children may be exaggerated. The findings suggest that parents who place too much stock on their own abilities can miss warning indications that their children are struggling.
Professionals in the field of mental health generally support peer support groups.
At this point in their education, middle school pupils are increasingly looking to their classmates for validation and acceptance. For that reason, these initiatives are crucial. Older students who have been at the school for at least a year can be a great resource for younger students in many ways, including providing emotional, academic, and vocational guidance. Programs like these help students develop transferable abilities that will help them succeed in any field.
The way teenagers dress and do their hair, as well as the poor choices they make, are influenced by their peers. Positive peer pressure is demonstrated by peer support groups. Students, especially the younger ones, may benefit from learning the art of asking for help from a role model.
There are many cases where professors do not look like the majority of students, especially in metropolitan areas, and where peer counselors are a better reflection of the kids than staff. A general atmosphere of mistrust may result, although the more experienced classmates can assist smoothly.
A Helping Hand for Each Other
The older pupils benefit as well by gaining insight into the importance of responsibility, empathy, and leadership. The improvement in their ability to communicate is an additional benefit.
The leaders develop skills in multi-party discourse. The peer is speaking to the program’s adults on their behalf and, in certain cases, on behalf of their younger peers. They are speaking to their peers on an equal footing, and even speaking for the adults at times. Since this is a trait valued in leadership roles and learning to advocate for oneself, this is of essential importance.
While increasing the overall mental health of a school’s student body is certainly an important short-term goal of peer support programs, there are also important long-term benefits that should encourage their wider implementation.
The only potential problems with peer support programs are mismatches between students and a failure to notice warning indications of emotional or behavioral problems. However, if adults supervise and talk with the student counselors, this shouldn’t be a problem.
Many educational institutions have adopted such programs to identify and prevent student mental health suffering and subsequent suicidal ideation. They understand the influence that leaders among their peers can have.
In the absence of a formal peer support program, it is critical that you communicate with your child and educate yourself on the indicators of mental illness in children.
Meaningful articles you might like: How To Help Your Children Deal With School-Related Stress, When Children and Teenagers Become Ill Due To Stress, The Rise of the Stay-at-Home High School Parent