Alcohol, sex, eating disorders, stress, violence or spirituality – there is a place on campus to find help with all these issues.

The Peer Health Education program is a “promising method for encouraging college students to make healthy lifestyle decisions,” according to the program’s brochure. It comprises ACU students who volunteer to train and serve as Peer Health Educators for participants struggling with personal issues.

Naomi Mandel is a counselor in the Counseling Center and is involved with the student-to-student guidance program.

“A student will listen to a message better if they perceive the giver of the message as a peer rather than someone “preaching” to them,” Mandel said.

For this reason, students who volunteer to serve as educators must go through an interview process in March and attend training in the fields of spiritual mentoring, role modeling and development of listening skills. After the training, educators are nationally certified, Mandel said.

In the past, the program has prompted growth in each person involved.

“In educators, I see it develop more care and concern for fellow students. They become aware, observant and confident,” Mandel said. “It strengthens their faith, and they grow in their walk with God.”

For participants, simply knowing about a support system on campus makes a difference to someone struggling with a personal issue, Mandel said

“It helps them know that there is someone here who really cares,” she said.

Claire Hardin, sophomore English major from Lubbock, said she thinks students will benefit from student-to-student counseling.

“I think it’s more comfortable to talk to someone your own age than talking to a professor,” Hardin said. “It just seems like students would understand you better.”

Mandel said she hopes to see the program’s popularity increase this year.

“Year by year, little by little, our influence is growing,” she said. “The more people know, the more people will participate.”

The designated application and training time was in March, but students interested in serving as educators or students who want to make a counseling appointment can e-mail Mandel at naomi.mandel@acu.edu or stop by the Counseling Center in the basement of McKinzie Hall.

Help is available from trained students who want to listen.

“If you need to go, go,” Hardin said.