10 Weeks
Duration
10 Modules
Modules
Live Classes
Format
Certification + Practicum
Outcome
Step by Step
Your Path to Certification
Join the Program
Apply through your school or sign up directly. Open to students in grades 10 through 4th year college level from any course.
Complete Training
A 10-week journey covering 10 modules — from peer coaching fundamentals to mock coaching sessions — each with breakout activities and discussions.
Get Certified
Pass the certification exam to earn your Mental Health and Well-being Junior Coach credential under Project DAVID.
Begin Practicum
A 1-month practicum conducting real coaching sessions with peers, documenting through recordings, and receiving mentor feedback.
Grow & Lead
Spearhead initiatives in your school and community — from peer support groups to awareness campaigns and community outreach.
Understanding Your Peers and Their Mental Health Challenges
What You'll Cover:
- The most common mental health problems that the youth face today
- How young people usually cope with these challenges
- How to tell when your peer is in crisis
- How to respond to crisis using the DEFUSE Model
Discussion Joggers:
What are some other issues that you and your peers experience that you are reluctant to talk to adults about? Why is it hard to talk about these things?
How do you usually respond to a crisis?
How to Talk So Your Peer Will Listen and Listen So Your Peer Will Talk
What You'll Cover:
- Listening differently
- The art of asking questions (introduction to motivational interviewing)
- How to attend to big emotions (introduction to validation)
Role playing scenarios to practice listening and inquiring skills
Diving Deeper: Peer-Led Assessment for Mental Health Disorders
What You'll Cover:
- Assessing for depression and anxiety
- Assessing for suicidality/suicidal ideation
- Assessing for trauma
- Assessing for substance abuse
- Assessing for abuse (domestic, sexual, emotional, psychological)
Mock assessment drills (in pairs)
Helping Your Peer Problem Solve
What You'll Cover:
- Pinpointing the issue
- Creating SMART goals
- Understanding the stages of change
- Inspiring motivation (decreasing procrastination and distractions)
- Sustaining progress
Practicing creating SMART goals
Taking Care of Yourself While You Take Care of Others
What You'll Cover:
- The pitfalls of peer coaching — ethical dilemmas
- The reality of compassion fatigue and how to prevent it
- Self-care strategies: physical, emotional, spiritual and mental
- Setting healthy boundaries
💬 Discussion Joggers:
What other self-care strategies have you found to be effective for you?
Which boundaries do you foresee might be difficult for you?
Role play scenarios on making healthy boundaries
Helping Your Peer Navigate Relationships and Manage Drama
What You'll Cover:
- Why we need relationships and what a healthy relationship looks like
- How to create and maintain healthy relationships
- Navigating family issues (how to talk to parents/primary caregivers)
- Navigating romantic relationships (finding the right match to last a lifetime)
- Effective conflict management/resolution
💬 Discussion Joggers:
What are the qualities of a good friend?
What are your non-negotiables when dating someone?
Role-playing scenarios on coaching a peer with a relationship issue
Helping Your Peer Discover Who They Are
What You'll Cover:
- Assessing for assets and deficits
- Choice Theory and creating a quality world
- How to be a better version of yourself in every way
- Learning to be assertive
Practice creating your quality world and what/who you want in it; practicing being assertive
When to Ask for Outside Help
What You'll Cover:
- Recognizing the limits of your role as a peer coach
- Knowing when to refer your peer to someone
- Familiarizing yourself with outside resources and creating a network of qualified professionals
- Continuing to provide support for your peer
Compiling a list of "support resources": clinics, hospitals, psychiatrists, psychologists, teachers, guidance counselors, etc.
Mock Coaching Session
What You'll Cover:
- Full mock coaching session applying all skills learned
- Peer and mentor feedback
- Final assessment preparation
Practicum
Following the completion of the course, participants engage in a 1-month practicum where they apply learned concepts in real-world coaching scenarios. During this period, participants conduct coaching sessions with peers or community members facing mental health challenges, document their sessions through recordings, and reflect on their experiences. Mentors provide guidance and feedback throughout.
Certification
Upon successful completion of the course and practicum, participants receive certification as Mental Health and Well-being Junior Coaches under Project DAVID. This certification equips them with the skills and knowledge to effectively support mental health initiatives within their schools and communities.