Mountain Home High School
GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT

Natural Helpers

300 South 11th East Mountain Home, ID 83647
(208) 587-2570 Fax (208) 587-2579

Events & Meetings	Members
McCall Retreat Thank You to Staff	Natural Helpers 2006
Retreat_Photos

A Natural Helper's Poem
If you come to me
I won’t refuse
Though I may approach you
Through hidden clues.

And when times grow rough
And you’ve dug even deeper
I’ll cast down my hand
As something to reach for.

You probable don’t see it
You may view you life as bare
But as you Natural Helper
Take my hand, it’s always there.
By B. C. (ZYXIII)

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A NATURAL HELPER?
Natural Helpers are a cross-section of students and staff identified through a school-wide survey as people with whom it’s comfortable to discuss personal problems. They are warm, supportive, trustworthy people who care about others and talk with them about their thoughts, feelings and problems. Through their helping relationships Natural Helpers assist others in personal growth, decision-making and the use of professional resources as needed. Although they are not professional therapists or counselors, they do receive training in communication skills, decision-making, self-assessment and resources for helping others.

A NATURAL HELPER DOES:

· Facilitate TRUST, OPENNESS, COMFORT, and EMPATHY.

· Accept people as they are

· Listen, clarify, and help people see alternatives for decision-making.

· Give support and encouragement to take positive action.

· Validate people without being phony.

· Respect confidentiality

· Realize that not all problems can be solved and not all people want to be helped

· Work with people who have normal development (“growing up”) problems.

· Refer troubled students to a professional person: counselor, nurse, community agency

A NATURAL HELPER DOES NOT:

· Dominate, preach, tell people what to do

· Judge people, try to change them

· Give advice, offer solutions

· “Rescue,” Do for a person what they should do independently.

· Put people down.

· Gossip about what was said in working with another person

· Expect all problems to be resolved quickly and easily.

· Work with seriously disturbed people.

· Attempt to provide services beyond what he/she is qualified to provide.

ROLES

Being a Natural Helper means being yourself, using your skills to help others in a way that is comfortable for you such as:
·        Talking with friends
·        Being available through the counselors to be “matched” with someone wanting help
·        Reaching out to other students with a smile, hug, information, etc.
·        Being a big brother so sister to new students
·        Assisting with small groups, support groups, etc.
·        Helping to organize special events for the student body – speakers, red ribbon week, and spirit days.
·        Tutoring