A Training Method to Teach Paraprofessionals Peer Counseling

The training methods used to develop peer counselors to colead counseling groups and provide both remedial and preventive counseling to academically able freshmen who have never performed at a level in keeping with their potential are described. Freshman subjects were selected on a voluntary basis from those who scored in the top quartile in the American College Testing Program, but failed to reach a 2.00 grade point average. The differentiating treatment between the experimental and control groups consisted of a peer-led counseling group experience. The "effect" of the group experience on academic behavior was measured by comparing grade point averages of the experimental and control groups. In addition, follow-up data is to be collected for three consecutive semesters. The major body of this report is a verbatim transcript of some of the group sessions. (Author/BW)