In a continued effort to foster student wellness and leadership, St. Margaret’s Peer Counseling program kicked off the school year with a 2-day youth leadership training for its student counselors, equipping them with tools to support peers across all divisions from Early School to Upper School.

The Peer Counseling program is a pillar of St. Margaret’s student wellness initiatives, which is designed to promote health, well-being, and safety through peer education. Older students are carefully selected through a competitive application process and undergo specialized training to become active listeners and trusted support for their fellow students.

As part of their leadership development, the Counseling, Empowerment, and Resilience (CORE) team led Peer Counselors through a leadership training that utilized a curriculum developed by Stanford University. The sessions focused on sharpening active listening, communication, and observation skills. Students also explored values clarification and restorative practices to help them mediate and resolve peer conflicts with empathy and understanding.

“The program offers students avenues to develop leadership, lead with compassion, nurture places of belonging, and build resilience in themselves and their peers,” Director of Counseling, Dr. Maryam Kia-Keating shared.

A highlight was a visit to Allcove, a Stanford-affiliated youth wellness center model that provides drop-in services for young people ages 12–25. The new Allcove facility, opening walking distance to the St. Margaret’s campus, offers a safe, community space for youth to access physical and mental health resources, connect with others, participate in game or movie nights, or simply find a quiet place to study. 

The leadership development continues later this semester when students participate in “Stronger Together,” a training program offered by the Wellness and Prevention Center, and a Bystander Intervention training program offered by Laura’s House. The course focuses on foundational knowledge in mental health and wellness, further preparing Peer Counselors to support students during the school year.

This year also marks a first for the program: the addition of Middle School Peer Counselors from grades 7 and 8. In addition to supporting their peers, these new student leaders will serve in Kindergarten and first grade classrooms expanding the peer counseling program to include leaders from both the Middle and Upper School. 

“Preparing our students for lives of leadership is such an important part of our mission,” Dr. Kia-Keating said. “We wanted to provide this kind of training and opportunity at a younger age as our students already have so much to offer our community.”

As the Peer Counseling program continues to grow, its mission remains clear: to create a supportive school environment where every student feels heard, valued, and empowered.