Mentors help peers with stress management, school-life balance and more
In addition to comprehensive individual, crisis and group counseling for students, Chaminade has also trained a cadre of peer mentors as part of an innovative program aimed at offering another layer of support to Silverswords who may feel uneasy seeking help or don’t need intensive services.
Earlier this year, five Silversword juniors—now all seniors—went through 16 hours of rigorous QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention training, learning the signs and warnings of what to look for in their classmates as part of their preparation for Chaminade’s Peer Mentorship Program.
Director of Counseling Services Leilani Harness says a Marianist grant helped start the mentorship program in Fall 2023, and she was able to add five paid peer-mentor positions this semester.
Harness adds she has always valued peer-to-peer mentorship and jumped at the chance to start the initiative.
As NASPA-certified peer educators in the Counseling Center, Annie Kramer ’25, Micah Sanders ’25, Megan Nakamura ’25, Mya Dawkins ’25 and Claire Heffernan ’25 have helped their fellow Silverswords struggling academically, emotionally or mentally. Some of those they’ve helped are worried about grades, while others are concerned about personal relationships.
(Historically, NASPA stood for National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. However, the organization updated the name of the association to NASPA, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.)
According to Kramer and Sanders, students many times want more information about school-work-life balance, followed by stress management and coping skills.
“We saw between 10-12 clients last semester,” said Kramer, who is now the administrative assistant at the center and peer mentor co-lead with Sanders and Nakamura.
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Kramer said the peer mentoring program is effective because some students feel more comfortable sharing thoughts with people “who are their same age and who look like them.”
The peer mentors lend an empathetic ear to any student who needs support. They seek to build trust, create a safe environment, and show compassion. Sometimes, they just hang out.
“It feels more organic,” said Sanders, who spent hours under the supervision of Harness.
“Having a program like this peer mentorship is extremely important, especially on campus where students might feel anxious and homesick.”
Sanders said his biggest piece of advice to students is: Go out, meet new people and get out of your comfort zone. “The Counseling Center is a lifeline to the different departments,” he adds.
As the school year progresses, Harness emphasized that the Counseling Center is available for individual sessions, couples therapy and small friend groups Mondays through Fridays, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
“I am always available after hours, so feel free to contact me at any time,” Harness adds. “That’s literally my job—to be here for students and employees 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
For a full list of crisis resources available to anyone in need, click here.
All five peer mentors say they appreciate the hands-on experience of talking with fellow students and, most importantly, being able to help.
“This program really aligns well with what I want to do, which is to become a high school or college counselor,” Kramer says. “And Chaminade is providing the opportunity for me to reach that goal.”
