Assist: Peer Counseling and Mentoring in Career Guidance

Name of the original practice to be transferred

Assist: Peer Counseling and Mentoring in Career Guidance

Specific context where the practice has already been implemented/ applied

The programmes were developed within EU project “ ASSIST/Mobilization of Community Towards Secure School”.

Peer counseling and mentoring are very important and extremely powerful processes people can experience in personal and professional development. They are fundamental to supporting our guidance programmes throughout learning and development culture and make challenging transition in mentees values and skills.

The aim of the programme is to assist people in identifying and supporting their potential and in adapting to unexpected change respecting and valuing cultural and social diversity.

It is a useful tool in the work of guidance professionals, youth workers, educators and everyone who wants to develop effective counseling and mentoring skills.

Counseling and mentoring is a learning relationship between two people and it requires a wide range of human qualities, such as trust, commitment and emotional engagement and involves a lot of personal skills. Starting from a few months relationship sometimes it grows to life long relationship. Counseling aims at fostering skills, such as active listening, action planning, conflict management, non-judgmental communication while mentoring is primarily fulfilling potential. Starting point for counselling is personal or psychological difficulties whereas mentoring helps people understand and work through change and improve their performance.

Conditions of the original practice

This programme is in particular important working with NEET to encourage and support their interest in personal and professional growth and stimulate their development. The programme is aimed at counselors, mentors, mentees and process coordinators (consultants) and gives a clear idea of how to design and manage schemes, prepare and conduct counseling/mentoring sessions, maintain relationship and evaluate the process.

Structures of the original practice

Course guide gives an overview of the structure and content of the in-service training course. This course guide will be used by teachers and community agency personnel.
A Guide on play therapy gives an overview of the techniques used in play therapy and its uses for teachers and community agency personnel.
Module handbook contains learning materials and include information, methodology and exercises covered in training. The handbook is compiled of several parts linked to specific problematic issues piloted in partner schools and presentation of innovative methodological approaches. This module handbook will be used by teachers.
A set for students – a set of additional materials/worksheets/interactive ICT games for students on a range of related topics, which will support teachers’ practical work. These handouts will be used by peer counsellors.
Peer counselling manual – a portfolio of peer counselling philosophy, ethical issues and skills. This manual provides specific, practical, and easily grasped materials for training peer counsellors in a variety of applications, including crisis counselling, academic and residential advising, career planning, and general psychological support. This manual will be used by peer counsellors and teachers teaching peer counselling.

Suggestions on how these will transfer to the new context

We suggest the following programme that includes tips and techniques of the main topics:

Understanding counseling and mentoring schemes
Knowledge development and knowledge sharing
Effective learning environment
Value added performance
People in changing situations
Problem solving skills and stress management initiatives
Capability, talent and leadership development
Behaviour and attitude change
Social integration and change
Creativity and innovation
Strategic decision making

The programme is mainly based on interactive and participatory learning, including such methods as scheme designing, stage modelling, exploration, action planning, role modeling, play/art therapy, case studies, supervision and many others.