The Evolution of Millbrook’s Peer Counseling Program

Millbrook’s longstanding Peer Counseling community service has been reimagined into two distinct student roles for the 2021-2022 school year. The new design of the program into two groups—Human Development student facilitators and peer supporters—allows leaders to play to their individual strengths and creates additional leadership opportunities.

As Millbrook’s IVth form Human Development curriculum has expanded beyond the state-mandated health class basics, the involvement of student facilitators has grown apace. Saturday morning Human Development classes meet in small groups around campus, and topics of discussion include identity, mental health, drugs and alcohol, relationships, and sex and sexuality. As in the past, student facilitators work with faculty to create a safe and supportive environment to explore issues, discuss the curriculum, and tweak relevant coursework.

Peer supporters are not participating in the Human Development course; instead, they are training to facilitate the more dynamic interactions that can take place in dorms or informally elsewhere on campus. Peer supporters are encouraged to circulate beyond their own dorms so students seeking to connect can do so in a variety of venues. They are practicing active listening skills and learning how to build rapport quickly in one-on-one interactions.

Sarah Stanton LCSW ’89, director of counseling, and Billy Thom LMSW, assistant director, meet weekly with the crew of peer supporters in a bright conference room in the new counseling center. These meetings are intended to debrief, train, and provide a regular forum in which Millbrook’s counselors can gain insight into campus issues and moods.

The counseling center, completed last spring, provides comfortable and private spaces for sensitive conversations and room for larger group meetings and strategy sessions. By design, the counseling center’s new location in the Barn has strengthened the connection to the Student Life Office and engendered a more holistic approach to mental health and wellness on campus.