Shawley Curtis, a counselor and psychology lecturer at Cochise University, said it all started with a trip to Cambodia in February 2020.

“Of course, as a mental health counselor, I’m always fascinated by the different types of conflict that people go through around the world,” Curtis told AZPM. What kind of services do you offer? ”

In the mid-1970s, genocide at the hands of the communist Khmer Rouge rebel group hit the Cambodian population. Curtis said many of her children who witnessed her brother’s murder are now her age. There aren’t many mental health resources in Cambodia today, she said.

“It just broke my heart,” Curtis said. “And as we delved deeper into this idea, we found that many countries are in the same situation, with the same lack of necessary mental health services.” And people are having a hard time. Cambodia was the starting point. ”

At the end of the 2020 school year, Curtis said she decided to quit her job as a school counselor at Benson Elementary School and aim to create a street counseling program.

She began consulting this idea with her father-in-law, Dr. Lynn Curtis. It’s about creating programs in adult education that can provide mental health support that anyone can lead, not just mental health providers. Together with Christie Barker, a certified clinical social worker, and Kim Andersen, a clinical social worker, they started brainstorming.

“And what our mandate really is: a program that is structured yet flexible, that provides but does not require support, that is effective and that does not require the presence of a mental health professional. What is it?” Curtis said.

The four began implementing a pilot program, and Curtis ran a pilot program with Benson. One participant in her pilot program suggested bringing the program to Cochise County, she said.

“Cochise County is a very rural county and lacks services,” Curtis said.

The program is a discussion-based educational program led by a facilitator, who Curtis said is open to anyone and does not have to be a mental health professional.

Facilitators read program stories to individuals in group or one-on-one settings around topics such as depression, anxiety, and trauma. Leads then encourage discussion about those topics and encourage others to share their experiences on the topic.

Curtis said he’s found that when people feel comfortable and safe enough to share their stories, the healing process can begin. She added that the ultimate goal of the program is to encourage peer-to-peer support.

Curtis first announced the program in January of this year and has been piloting the program in schools throughout Cochise County.

Here’s what a Cochise County facilitator had to say about using the program:

Sierra Vista, PEPP TEC High School

Rebecca Bell, a student support specialist at PEPP TEC High School, a public charter school in Sierra Vista, was one of the facilitators who piloted a street counseling program at her school. She initially conducted her one-on-one program with her students, which she expanded into her 30-minute meetings with Focus Her group of four of her students.

“Reading other people’s stories takes the pressure off a little bit, and it opens up dialogue,” Bell said.

Gabe Turner, who participated in the program and graduated from PEPP TEC in May, said it was difficult to trust his peers at first, but over time, “it really helped me a lot.” “I think I have let go of a lot of things. For example, when I first came I was holding on to my past, and I still am. Most of it I let go, because I don’t know, it helped me.”

Bell said he plans to continue using the program next year with his students.

Elfrida, Valley Union High School

Danny Bertram, former special education co-director and teacher at Valley Union High School in Elfrida, says students feel the program has allowed them to add more tools to their toolboxes. He said he was.

“One of the reasons they entered the program was that they didn’t really know what to say,” Bertram said. I’m away from home.’ And when they left the program, they said they felt more empowered because of the tools they had that allowed them to help fellows who came to them struggling with a variety of things. ”

Curtis said the program does not replace traditional professional counseling. Its goal is to provide additional support and resources to help those in need.