Peer counseling struggles to take off at Evergreen Valley High School

Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic Vision, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.

Jay Sandoval was a freshman at Evergreen Valley High School when she suddenly felt she couldn’t breathe.

“I used to get panic attacks and wouldn’t know the cause,” Sandoval said.

Eventually, she found help right on campus at a peer counseling program, part of Evergreen Valley High School’s student Cougar Support Den located in the Wellness Center.

The peer counselor identified possible triggers and offered support by listening carefully.

“I was able to avoid them,” said Sandoval, now a junior. “I just wish that they had more advertising because it’s hard for many students to find this program.”

She was one of the few Evergreen Valley students using the school’s then-new peer counseling program in 2021. In the three years since its launch, Sandoval is one of just seven students, on a campus of 2,900 students, who has used the free mental health resource.

Evergreen school officials cite two reasons students don’t take advantage of peer counseling: They don’t know the program exists and, if they do, they’re hesitant to trust peers with their confidential issues.

“What is peer counseling?” asked Michelle Tran, a junior at Evergreen, when asked by a reporter if she used the service.

Another junior, Hannah Vo, questioned if her peers have the skills to navigate mental health issues. “I don’t think it would help me because the peer counselors are in the same situation as me, so what would they know?”

In Evergreen’s academically rigorous environment, peer counseling is one of the school’s primary mental health resources, besides the school’s two social workers.

“A common problem students go to peer counselors for is academic pressure and family pressures,” said peer counselor Lubna Beary, a senior.

Evergreen is searching for ways to make the program used by more students. Trisha Graves, the school’s social worker and co-founder of the peer counseling program, has tried various strategies to convince students to turn to peers for help. “We do everything there is to say, but it ends up the way it is,” said the frustrated social worker.

Tips for successful peer counseling

While Evergreen’s program struggles, peer counseling is thriving at many other California high schools. During the pandemic, the state invested heavily in student mental health initiatives. Peer counseling is one of the least expensive ones, and studies have proven it effective.

“We get many students who are comfortable with talking to peer counselors simply because they know they can trust them,” said Josh Godinez, board member for the California Association of School Counselors, who oversaw two programs at high schools in Fontana, San Bernardino County. Godinez estimates about 100 students used them annually, which he says is similar to other well-used programs.

He and other experts describe three core components that underpin success.

Peer counselors receive rigorous training in an elective course using an approved curriculum where they learn key skills: confidentiality, active listening and when to flag a student in distress and refer them to a school counselor or teacher.

In contrast, Evergreen doesn’t offer an elective training course. Instead, Graves uses a curriculum guide that’s followed by other schools.

School counselors select peer counselor candidates after a thorough screening. At Evergreen, social worker Graves trusts peer counselors to pick candidates, and she approves them.

Successful programs receive strong support from their school administration and districts. Graves has unsuccessfully requested more support such as approval of an elective peer counseling course.

How programs build trust

Well-used programs build student trust in peer counselors through a variety of strategies. Godinez looked for peer counseling candidates among student leaders such as basketball team captains, drama club heads and prom queens.

“I wanted peers that other students would be able to see and point to, saying they’re comfortable with them,” he said.

In the Pomona Unified School District in Southern California, peer counseling started in the 1980s. Teacher Sheila Balk, who’s advised Pomona High’s program for 26 years starts building trust at the start of the school year by partnering freshmen with a peer counselor.

“We receive excellent feedback from students,” she said. Like Godinez, she estimates that about 100 students use the program annually.  “Peer counseling continues because it is statistically proven that trained youth helping other youth is more effective than working only with adults,” Balk said.

Academics compete with electives

At Evergreen, Graves said she is open to trying tips from successful programs to boost student participation — such as handpicking student leaders to become peer counselors. “That sounds like a great idea,” she said.

But she questions if it’s possible to turn around Evergreen’s program without stronger support. The academically competitive school has little room for more elective courses like peer counseling, she said. “We have more AP classes than other schools in the district,” Graves said.

Evergreen Principal Kyle Kleckner said he supports efforts to better promote peer counseling. But he’s not ready to commit more resources to the program.

“Peer counseling is not a replacement for a licensed mental health professional who can actually do counseling,” Kleckner said. That means Evergreen’s two social workers are responsible for supporting almost 2,900 students.

Although few students turn to peer counselors for help, the volunteers are not discouraged.

“As someone who’s experienced academic struggles, it’s made me passionate to help others,” peer counselor Phillip Chu said.

His fellow counselor Lubna Beary said she plans to continue peer counseling in college. “I hope I can continue making a difference in the movement of destigmatizing mental health issues.”

Despite the challenges, Graves remains optimistic that students will try the program and put their trust in her peer counselors.

“We don’t want to close down,” Graves said. “Our kids want to keep trying.”

Lianne Catbagan is a junior at Evergreen Valley High School in San Jose.