Senior Peer Counseling in Marin

Volunteering is often talked about in terms of benefits for society and for the volunteers themselves. Older adults who reach out to share their wisdom, kindness and service in their communities generally experience higher self-esteem, less depression, an increase in friends and less overall decline in health. One of our wonderful volunteer opportunities in Marin is the Senior Peer Counseling (SPC) program, managed for 20 years by Community Mental Health.

Peer counselors receive 8 weeks of initial training in issues facing older adults. These include aging, medical problems, isolation and family conflicts. Then, after being taught basic counseling skills and introduced to Marin’s extensive range of services for seniors, they are matched with one or more homebound older adults in need of counseling. Services are offered in English and Spanish. SPC’s next training will be held in April, 2010 in San Rafael.

SPC volunteers come from all walks of life: they are retired actors, directors, nurses, mental health professionals, professors, and computer entrepreneurs. Nan Heflin MFT, one of the coordinators of SPC, says, “Our volunteers are from diverse backgrounds, but they all have in common an interest in their own aging process and personal growth, and a belief that one can change at any age… Over and over I hear from the volunteers that they get as much from being counselors as the clients get from them.”

Peter Schmid of Greenbrae and Cynthia Wood of Bolinas are among the program’s 35 volunteer counselors. “Counseling is a chance to do something for humanity,” says Schmid, age 79, who has been a volunteer for 15 years. Adds Wood, age 77: “People are really appreciative.”

For more information on how to volunteer with Senior Peer Counseling and the next training, call 415-499-6802.