Family Service Welcomes Volunteers to Senior Peer Counselor Training Sessions

Family Service Agency of San Mateo County’s Senior Peer Counseling Program welcomes anyone in the community interested in becoming a volunteer senior peer counselor to register in advance for two training sessions. Held at the nonprofit’s headquarters at 24 Second Avenue in San Mateo, the training will prepare new volunteers to provide free one-on-one and group peer counseling to older adults and will cover the basics of counseling, social and family relationships, self-awareness, listening skills, understanding depression, substance abuse and other topics related to the challenges of aging. Senior Peer Counseling volunteers should be at least 55 years old.

The first volunteer senior peer counselor training session will be taught in Spanish as part of the program’s La Esperanza Vive component. Sessions start Tuesday, April 6th from 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. and volunteers may register in advance by calling Teresa Hurtado, x4321. The deadline to register for this session is March 25th.

Taught in English, the second session—on Monday, April 12th from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.—will kick off an ongoing series of training sessions for volunteers, including those who are bilingual in Tagalog, Mandarin and Cantonese. Anyone interested must please register by March 29th by calling Howard Lader, LCSW, at 650-403-4300, x4322 or emailing [email protected].

Family Service’s Senior Peer Counseling Program aims to assist older adults in English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Tagalog, and within the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender (LGBT) community who are experiencing issues such as loneliness, isolation, grief and depression. Older adults interested in receiving counseling services must be at least 55 years old and residents of San Mateo County, but exceptions may be made for those with special needs.

Family Service Agency of San Mateo County is a private nonprofit organization that for 60 years has helped children, families and older adults build positive and productive lives through the provision of vital programs and services. For more information, please call 650-403-4300 or visit www.familyserviceagency.org.