Peer Support
Peer Counselor Training Program aims at equipping a group of dedicated and respectful students to reach out to their peers who are in need of support, encouragement, companionship and resource information on campus.
Why are counseling services private and confidential?
When a client decides to meet with a counselor, he/she needs sufficient emotional support to manage his/her life adversities and mental health concerns. A client may be going through stressful experiences, traumatic life events, fear of judgement and emotional roller coaster ride of mental symptoms. He/She may feel embarrassed, shame, vulnerable and reluctant to share their private feelings and secrets if he/she does not feel safe and comfortable to open up. It is of utmost importance for a counselor to gain trust from a client and build rapport with him/her to ensure the effectiveness of counseling/psychotherapy. Sometimes, the discussion may involve substance use, sexual activity, and concerns about other behaviors that might violate student conduct code. In a nutshell, counseling/psychotherapy is considered confidential to protect clients’ personal experiences and the therapeutic relationship. Nevertheless, there are exceptions that the confidentiality would not be uphold, particularly when the counselor is significantly concerned about the safety of client or someone else that the client is talking about.