October 22, 2009: Peer Counseling and Peer Support
Training Report - Leadership Development Course
On the day of October 22, the participants learned a new method of counseling. It was “Peer Counseling for people with disability.”
Peer counseling is to empower each other (peer) by listening to each other, releasing emotions, sharing the same amount of time without giving advice or denial. And it is important that you don't reveal any story you heard during counseling.
Peer counseling assumes that we all have the following philosophy: all human beings have creativity, wisdom, love, joy, and solidarity in abundance. This philosophy, an intrinsic part of all human beings, is easy to upset; therefore, in order to protect ourselves, we prepare defensive mechanism like fear and insecurity. As long as we are unable to discuss these hurt feelings and be comforted, we make decisions and take action based on our hurt feelings and sorrow rather than on clear, logical thought.
As long as these hurt feelings are not resolved by talking with someone else, the person's actions are filled with anguish and clear, rational thinking does not take place.
The participants seemed to be perplexed in the beginning because it was entirely the new method for all of them. But as the program was preceded, they became to be curious to know about it.
