Peer Counselor Fellowships
PEER COUNSELOR FELLOWS
Peer Counselor Fellows are graduate students or working professionals in the field of mental health who are recommended by their programs, employers, or other sponsors who can testify to their skills. Interviews are required.
Peer Counselor Fellows actively participate and serve as members of the Resident Leadership team under the clinical supervision of the Director of Global Health & Wellness Services. Peer Counselors also interface with key staff in other offices, such as Public Safety, Programs and Resident Life, Admissions, and Facilities Management. The Peer Counselors (PC) are ambassadors of I-House, which means they will play an integral part in promoting the organization’s values of Respect, Empathy, and Moral Courage, as well as its 10-year Strategic Plan for Relevance, Visibility and Institutional Stability.
Fellowship activities may include, but are not limited to:
On-Call Services
- Crisis intervention
- Individual supportive counseling
- Group counseling and support
- Psychotherapy referrals
- Legal and medical referrals
- Conflict resolution & mediation
Mental Health & Other Emergencies
- Train in and master the response protocol for mental health emergencies
- Provide on-call emergency coverage on all weekends, vacation, and holiday breaks, alternating with other members of the Peer Counselor team
- Triage emergencies and confer with the Director regarding a therapeutic plan of action
- When a distressed Resident is being transported to a preferred hospital designated by I-House as a center of excellence, accompany the Resident and remain with them until they are admitted to hospital or discharged home to I-House
- When managing a crisis, assist in activating a Resident’s support system (e.g., family, friends, or sponsoring organization)
- As requested by the Director, assist with mental health case management
- Assist Residents who are not from New York to navigate the City’s health and social service systems. Examples are what questions to ask doctors, how to identify a specialist, and explaining the rules of confidentiality by which providers must abide.
Counseling & Other Support Services
- Identify Resident concerns (examples are interpersonal or adjustment problems, cultural difficulties, and health and wellness issues). Assist the Director in addressing such concerns
- Actively participate in reducing the stigma around help-seeking across cultures
- Ensure that all Residents feel comfortable in accessing support services provided by the Office of Global Health & Wellness Services and by mental health experts elsewhere
- As assigned by the Director, carry a caseload of 1-3 individuals for supportive counseling
- Attend regularly scheduled individual and group supervision meetings with the Director
- Assist the Director in communicating that no individual may be penalized, in any manner, for seeking medical or mental health care.
Support of I-House Mission, Goals, and Community Life
- Attend Leadership Training Weekend in August (dates to be announced)
- Attend orientation floor events and provide an overview of PC services
- Attend Orientation Night and host a Peer Counseling table at I-House Programs Fairs
- Become familiar with the I-House Code of Conduct and Interpersonal Integrity guidelines, and assist Resident Fellows in understanding and communicating them to the community-at-large
- Develop and implement strategies to encourage Residents to partake in life at the House by attending events aligned with their interests
- Support Residents with wellness programming during the academic year
- Encourage Residents to make their talents known to the Programs and Resident Life Office staff for potential event participation
- Ensure that Residents respect I-House property and treat it as they would their home
- Attend all clinical bi-monthly supervision meetings hosted by the Director of Global Health and Wellness Services.
