FAQ's
What is Peer Counseling?
Peer counseling was designed to provide students with a non-threatening, confidential, peer support system. This system will function to provide academic, social and emotional support and give students the opportunity to talk with someone their own age, someone that they may better relate to.
Who are your Peer Counselors?
We are La Costa Canyon students with varied interests and personalities who have one thing in common: we genuinely care about you! We were carefully selected for this role through the application and interview process. We have been trained by our very own counselors to better prepare us to help you. We are fellow students and we understand that feeling connected to our school and each other is crucial to our well-being.
What can I expect when I meet with a peer counselor?
You can expect to meet someone who will accept you and listen to you non-judgmentally, and who will keep what you share with us private. You can expect to be provided with resources both on and off campus when relevant, but you will not hear us tell you what to do about your situation. You can expect us to care, to ask questions, to respect boundaries and, for the most part, to let you guide our interaction. We believe that you are the only expert on your wants, needs, and feelings, and so we listen in a way that allows you to work through things for yourself.
What should I talk about?
Anything!!! During our training, we learn about anxiety, stress, first year adjustment, relationships, and other experiences LCC students could be dealing with at any given time. If you are worried about someone else, if you are just stressed and need to vent, if you are struggling with school, friendships, academics, if you are sick of your friends trying to tell you what to do when all you want is to be able to talk through something-all of these are great reasons to talk with a peer counselor!
How can I identify a peer counselor?
A list of PALS is located under the "Meet the Peer Counselors" section on our webpage, along with our contact information.
How do I know no-one is going to find out what I say in my meeting?
The first thing you should know is that we are absolutely and strictly prohibited from talking with other students about the conversations we have in confidence as peer counselors. Even when we debrief with each other for educational purposes during our weekly class meetings, we do not share any identifying information about the peer who spoke with us. It is very, very, VERY important to us that we maintain the integrity of our privacy policy.
So you don't talk to other students about what I tell you, but what about staff? Do you keep everything private?
A PAL is required to break confidentiality for 4 reasons:
- A student is harming him or herself
- A student is harming others
- A student is being harmed by someone else
- A felony may have been committed or illegal substance abuse is occurring.
We may talk have to speak with a counselor about what you have shared with us if we feel that there exists a threat to your own or someone's safety. Depending on the type and urgency of the situation, we will reach out to a counselor who we believe, based on our training, can best help. This has been a very uncommon circumstance, but if it does arise, we will both inform you beforehand and will provide you options as to when, how, and with whom we move forward.
How can I talk to a peer counselor?
- Ask your counselor
- Request to talk with a peer counselor via our website (online call slip)
- Use the peer counselors call-slip box (located in the counseling office and learning commons)
- See Mrs. Hoffmann
- Ask any peer counselor for more information
How can I become a peer counselor?
The next application period begins in April 2020. Students fill out an application and get a letter of recommendation from a teacher or counselor. Applications will be pre-screened and then interviews will be held shortly after. The students selected at that time will be notified of their acceptance and will need to confirm with their counselor that they are accepting their position. Students who become can not only benefit from acquiring listening skills and techniques; they also get the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations, which contributes to their own personal growth and development. If you have any additional questions you can contact the Peer Counseling Teacher advisor, Caitlin Hoffmann, by emailing [email protected].
Peer counseling was designed to provide students with a non-threatening, confidential, peer support system. This system will function to provide academic, social and emotional support and give students the opportunity to talk with someone their own age, someone that they may better relate to.
Who are your Peer Counselors?
We are La Costa Canyon students with varied interests and personalities who have one thing in common: we genuinely care about you! We were carefully selected for this role through the application and interview process. We have been trained by our very own counselors to better prepare us to help you. We are fellow students and we understand that feeling connected to our school and each other is crucial to our well-being.
What can I expect when I meet with a peer counselor?
You can expect to meet someone who will accept you and listen to you non-judgmentally, and who will keep what you share with us private. You can expect to be provided with resources both on and off campus when relevant, but you will not hear us tell you what to do about your situation. You can expect us to care, to ask questions, to respect boundaries and, for the most part, to let you guide our interaction. We believe that you are the only expert on your wants, needs, and feelings, and so we listen in a way that allows you to work through things for yourself.
What should I talk about?
Anything!!! During our training, we learn about anxiety, stress, first year adjustment, relationships, and other experiences LCC students could be dealing with at any given time. If you are worried about someone else, if you are just stressed and need to vent, if you are struggling with school, friendships, academics, if you are sick of your friends trying to tell you what to do when all you want is to be able to talk through something-all of these are great reasons to talk with a peer counselor!
How can I identify a peer counselor?
A list of PALS is located under the "Meet the Peer Counselors" section on our webpage, along with our contact information.
How do I know no-one is going to find out what I say in my meeting?
The first thing you should know is that we are absolutely and strictly prohibited from talking with other students about the conversations we have in confidence as peer counselors. Even when we debrief with each other for educational purposes during our weekly class meetings, we do not share any identifying information about the peer who spoke with us. It is very, very, VERY important to us that we maintain the integrity of our privacy policy.
So you don't talk to other students about what I tell you, but what about staff? Do you keep everything private?
A PAL is required to break confidentiality for 4 reasons:
- A student is harming him or herself
- A student is harming others
- A student is being harmed by someone else
- A felony may have been committed or illegal substance abuse is occurring.
We may talk have to speak with a counselor about what you have shared with us if we feel that there exists a threat to your own or someone's safety. Depending on the type and urgency of the situation, we will reach out to a counselor who we believe, based on our training, can best help. This has been a very uncommon circumstance, but if it does arise, we will both inform you beforehand and will provide you options as to when, how, and with whom we move forward.
How can I talk to a peer counselor?
- Ask your counselor
- Request to talk with a peer counselor via our website (online call slip)
- Use the peer counselors call-slip box (located in the counseling office and learning commons)
- See Mrs. Hoffmann
- Ask any peer counselor for more information
How can I become a peer counselor?
The next application period begins in April 2020. Students fill out an application and get a letter of recommendation from a teacher or counselor. Applications will be pre-screened and then interviews will be held shortly after. The students selected at that time will be notified of their acceptance and will need to confirm with their counselor that they are accepting their position. Students who become can not only benefit from acquiring listening skills and techniques; they also get the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations, which contributes to their own personal growth and development. If you have any additional questions you can contact the Peer Counseling Teacher advisor, Caitlin Hoffmann, by emailing [email protected].