ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the context of peer counselling and support – factors which should be considered by schools before involving peers in supporting other peers. The process of consultation emphasises collective responsibility for the maintenance of constructive relationships. This responsibility is shared equally by both adults and young people within the context of school. Supervision maintains the quality of a peer counselling service by providing a collaborative context for reflection and learning. The effective peer counselling service is more likely to thrive in a supportive and proactive environment which overtly values constructive social relationships amongst peers and adults. The boundaries of the counselling relationship can be defined along two dimensions. Firstly there are boundaries which relate to the nature of the peer counsellor role and the client-counsellor relationship within and beyond the counselling situation. Secondly, there are boundaries concerning the type of difficulty which peer counsellors are able to work with.
