Our Mission

Senior Peer Counselling of British Columbia is an incorporated provincial non-profit society since 1992, dedicated to providing information, education, consultation, support and networking services to its members and representing Senior Peer Counselling to all levels of government and other senior organizations.

Our member groups address the health of older adults by providing emotional support and other related services as are needed in their individual communities.

The first Senior Peer Counselling program in B.C. was established in Victoria in 1984 at the James Bay Community Clinic. The training curriculum was developed by Dr. Honoré France, Faculty of Education, University of Victoria. Training was extensive and focused on Communication Skills, The Helping Process, Problem management, emotional support, and practicing the empathic approach to listening.

The Peer Counselling Concept according to France is a method for offering a more comprehensive approach in giving mental and emotional support. Peer counselling is based on the assumption that, when older people have a problem or concern, they will seek out their peers, people like themselves. Peer counsellors are older people trained in helping skills who genuinely care about others and are willing to listen and talk to other seniors about the thoughts and feelings raised by their problem.

Effective Peer Counsellors use communication skills to help other older people use their own strengths to solve problems. Building on the skills and modes of expression that come with age, Peer Counselling emphasizes the skills of empathy, active listening, reflection of meaning, and self-disclosure.

As trained volunteers, Peer Counsellors can work in an informal and/or a formal way. Informally, Peer Counsellors work within their own social network with those who are experiencing some life-changing circumstance. For example, if they see someone who is sad or lonely and having difficulty adjusting to a new living arrangement, they could visit that person. Once they have built a trusting relationship, they then would support that person to develop a new social network or become more comfortable in the altered situation. Secondly, a Peer Counsellor can work alongside a professional service provider. For example, if the service provider is counselling a grieving person, a Peer Counsellor can spend the needed time listening and companioning the person through the process. The result is that more in-depth help can be offered along with follow up care.

We continue to follow closely the curriculum of Dr. Honoré France while at the same time being aware of our different cultures and adapting as needed. Our current training model is based on 54 hours of training with an in depth focus on Active Communications, understanding the challenges many people face as we age and the available community resources. The training model is a combination of blending skill development and experientially based activities. Role playing in a supportive learning environment provides an empowering and educational perspective. Continued opportunities for learning, as well as encouragement and positive reinforcement of their valued role is essential. The training and volunteer experience is both meaningful and enjoyable.