Peer Educator Program

Topics:

Who Are We?
Mission
Interested in Becoming a Peer Educator?
Questions, Comments, or Request a Workshop
Workshops
Friends Helping Friends
Location
Application

Who are we:

Peer educators are a carefully selected group of UCI students who share a strong commitment to assist fellow students in achieving maximum benefit from their UCI experience. Consisting of upper-level undergraduates, the peer staff is culturally diverse and represents a variety of academic majors.

Current Peer Educators 2007-2008:

Dr. Ken Caillet (Coordinator and Advisor)

Peer Educators:

Associate Coordinators:

Mission:

As a component of the Counseling Center's consultation and outreach effort, the Peer Program trains students to provide, as Peer Educators, psychoeducational (primary prevention) services to the UCI student body.

We aim:

• To promote awareness of the Counseling Center's many services and resources.
• To foster the understanding and application of a psychological wellness model.
• To assess students' needs within the scope of the Counseling Center's services and objectives.
• To assist in the personal development of UCI students by extending the learning environment beyond the formal classroom setting.

Workshops:

Peer educators are trained to provide a wide range of services including facilitation of focus groups, consultation, and presentations addressing a variety of psychoeducational issues. Workshops may cover such topics as:

• Assertion Training
• Stress Management
• Time Management
• Test Anxiety
• Communication Skills
• Relationships

Peer Educators use a variety of teaching formats to accomplish educational objectives. The goal is to establish a stimulating learning environment in which audience members can acquire practical, helpful skills.

Friends Helping Friends:

Friends Helping Friends 2008 brochure and presentation dates

Friends Helping Friends seminars, presented by the UC Irvine Counseling Center Peer Educators, provide psycho-educational advice and training for students who are interested in increasing the social, self-management and helping skills.  The seminars, covering a wide range of topics, will assist you in developing skills that will enable you to identify and support a friend in distress.  There is no cost for this program and it is open to all UC Irvine students.

Seminars will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday evening starting week four (4) and continuing through week nine (9).  The following provides an example of the seminar topics present in previous years. The dates that specific topics will be presented have not yet been determined.

• Communication Skills
• Eating Disorders
• Test Anxiety and Study Skills
• Intimate Relationships
• Abusive Relationships
• Depression/Suicide
• Stress Management
• Overcoming Grief
• Living Together
• Life Transitions
• Assertiveness
• Mediation Skills

Those students attending a minimum of five (5) psycho-educational seminars will receive a Friends Helping Friends certificate and will be honored at an awards ceremony.

If you have any questions, please stop by the UC Irvine Counseling Center or call (949) 824-6457.

Questions, comments, or request a workshop:

Please call the Counseling Center at (949) 824-6457 to discuss your needs or to request a specific service. To request a workshop, please fill out the online Workshop Request Form.

Interested in becoming a Peer Educator?

The Counseling Center trains a small, select group of students to assist the professional staff in providing psycho educational (primary prevention) services to UCI students. It is expected that applicants will have an interest in making public presentations and in facilitating small group discussions. Students most likely to experience a sense of achievement in the program are those who manifest strong leadership and social skills, assertiveness, good judgment, creativity and initiative. Counseling Center Peer Educators are, for example, trained in college student development, counseling and communication skills, public speaking, group facilitation skills, workshop planning/delivery and, outreach and consultation skills.

Job Description:*

• Participate in weekly training/business sessions.
• Provide consultation services to various student groups.
• Assist in assessing student need as relates to primary and secondary prevention services.
• Provide/assist with workshops and other psycho educational outreach activities.
• Assist with the development of primary prevention materials.
• Assist in running the Center's Self Help Center.
  

Training:

• Understanding the goals and functions of the Counseling Center.
• Outreach and psychological consultation skills.
• Group facilitation skills.
• Workshop design and presentation skills.
• College student development - theory and practice.
• Understanding the wellness model.
• Diversity - awareness, knowledge, skills.
• Counseling/communication skills.
• Primary prevention in mental health.

* Listings are not all-inclusive

Location:

Across from the Starbucks, above the Career Center, Student Services I Room 201.

Application process/deadline:

Applications for 2008-2009 will be available starting February 12, 2008.

Time commitment: 8 hours per week for the academic year
Academic credit: Cognitive Sciences: 3 units each quarter, pass/not pass, Qualifies as S.E. 195 field Study (Winter and Spring)
Class Time: Wednesday, 3pm-5pm
Academic requirements: Minimum GPA of 2.5

**April 11 , 2008 deadline for applications and recommendation forms.
**April 12 – Group and Individual interviews

> DOWNLOAD the Counseling Center Peer Educator Application (.PDF format)