We are a non-profit collective of community volunteers interested in providing free peer counseling to individuals in the community. We are not psychiatrists, psychotherapists, psychologists, social workers, or some other sort of professional counselor. We are peers, each one of us a unique individual with a unique background and experiences, who are trained in peer counseling at the Berkeley Free Clinic.
Confidentiality is kept to within the collective.
Listening, not advice We do not give our clients advice or tell them what to do in their lives. Instead, we listen actively to what our clients have to say and create a safe, secure, and confidential space for them to express their thoughts, concerns, feelings, emotions, and experiences. Empathy and understanding By actively listening, we try to empathize with our clients. We try to understand their feelings and experiences from their perspective, not ours. We give unconditional positive regard such that our clients can be open with us and reveal whatever they want without having to worry about being thought of negatively.