Peer counselling is the kind of therapy where the counsellor has suffered from a similar condition. Such a counsellor may have a stronger chance in handling a patient’s than one who only has an academic knowledge of the situation. Benefits of peer counselling include empathy, openness and increased patience and tolerance. The risks include over reliance on the peer’s personal experience and ignoring the other professional approaches that could help (Mason et al., 2015). Additional risks include higher risks of relapsing for the former addict and thus having a negative effect on both the patient and counsellor.
Peer counselling can however help a patient to structure his or her patient’s treatment. This can be done by setting realistic goals that are measurable and achievable. Additionally, a peer counsellor can help someone to see what they can personally do to change their situation. They help a patient to take on a sense of personal responsibility for their situation. Peers also provide advice and answers that are realistic as they do not come from a theoretical knowledge but experience. The most successful part of peer counselling programs is that they do not judge. They relate to the messy process of rehabilitation, so they do not sanitize the program like the theoretical counsellor would.
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Risks involved in peer training include relapse and unprofessionalism. These can be mitigated by involving a professional counsellor in the preparation and execution of the program (Mason et al., 2015). This will keep the peer counsellor focused and ensure that the program is well balanced. Additionally, the professional counselor will be able to distinguish between behavioral challenges and actual mental illnesses that may trigger addiction. Finally, untrained peer counsellors should not be given too much responsibility as they are not equipped to handle it. Peer counselling is a powerful and effective tool that can yield positive results if utilized well.
References
Mason, M., Light, J., Campbell, L., Keyser-Marcus, L., Crewe, S., Way, T., & McHenry, C. (2015). Peer network counseling with urban adolescents: a randomized controlled trial with moderate substance users. Journal of substance abuse treatment, 58, 16-24.
Peer Support in the Drug & Alcohol Recovery Process. (2018) Retrieved from https://youtu.be/z2aD5pFmTLM.
