FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHO DOES ROOM 13 SERVE?

Room 13 is a peer counseling service for Harvard undergraduate students.

 

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WHAT DOES ROOM 13 PEER COUNSELING LOOK LIKE?

Two counselors are on staff in the Room at all times. You can drop by at any time during our hours and we will be available to listen and talk to you for as long as you like. You are not expected to share your name, your class, or any information you don’t feel comfortable discussing — you determine the topic of conversation and the level of detail you want to go into.

 

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HOW CAN I BECOME A ROOM 13 PEER COUNSELOR? WHAT IS THE INTERVIEW PROCESS LIKE?

Every spring semester, we seek individuals interested in peer counseling to join our staff beginning next fall. There are two rounds of interviews that take place March-April. The interviews are formatted as role-play hypothetical examples of what you may encounter on staff. No prior experience is needed and the examples are not based on real room experiences. The purpose of interviews is to both serve you by showing you what you may encounter in the room while also showing us how well you fit within our confidential, nonjudgmental, nondirective room style. What we do NOT want are people stressing over these interviews. This is not a reflection of your abilities or potential. We host interviews so that we can find potential staffers who will work well with our style and help strengthen the room(‘s ability to serve the) community. All counselors will receive intensive training before the beginning of the fall semester.  

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WHAT IS EXPECTED OF A ROOM 13 PEER COUNSELOR?

Staffers are expected to work about two 12-hour shifts per month from 7pm to 7am, attend monthly staff meetings, and check in at weekly supervisory meetings. Additionally, staffers are expected to communicate and keep up to date with our slack channel (we know) and emails. This is vital to keep the room open. If you’re interested in being a peer counselor, we hope to meet you during interview season!