Programs · Peer Support
Peer Support and Resource Navigation
Sometimes the hardest part is just figuring out where to start. Our students listen, walk alongside you, and help you find the right professional support for what you are facing.
Important: what peer support is and is not
Peer support is a caring conversation with a trained student volunteer. It is not crisis care, counseling, therapy, diagnosis, or treatment, and it is not a replacement for professional or medical help. Our role is to listen and to help you find the right support, not to provide it ourselves.
If you or someone you know is in crisis or immediate danger, please do not wait. Help is available right now, any time.
In crisis, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free and available 24/7.
Who it is for
Any high school student who is carrying something heavy, has questions about their mental health, or just is not sure where to turn. You do not need to have it all figured out. That is exactly what we are here to help with.
What a session looks like
A relaxed, confidential feeling conversation with a trained student volunteer who listens first. Together you sort through what is going on, and we help map out next steps, like which professional resource, school counselor, or trusted adult might be a good fit.
How we help
What we help with
Peer support is a starting point, not the destination. Here is what that looks like in practice:
- A friendly, judgment free space to talk things through with a peer
- Help understanding the different kinds of mental health support that exist
- Guidance on how to find a counselor, therapist, or school support person
- Connecting people to trusted local and national resources
- Encouragement to reach out for professional help when it is the right step
- Always pointing to the 988 line when someone needs help now
Format and length
- Short, low pressure conversations, usually 15 to 30 minutes
- Offered through a partner school KMWP program
- Led by trained student volunteers, with professional oversight
- Always focused on connecting you to the right next resource
Why it works
It is often easier to open up to someone who gets it. A peer who understands the pressures of high school can lower the barrier to that first conversation, and to that all important first step toward help.
Our volunteers are trained and supported by our advisory team of psychologists, physicians, and educators, who help us stay within a safe scope and make sure people are guided to qualified professional resources.
“I did not know how to ask for help. Talking it through with someone my age made it feel possible to finally reach out to a counselor.”
Get started
Bring peer support to your school
We will help you set up a peer support program with the training and professional oversight to do it responsibly.