Elena Holler Helps Benefit Students at Blackburn College

2012 May 8

At Blackburn College, students get a four-year head start on their professional career. Blackburn's Peer Counseling Program gives psychology students an opportunity to gain experience in their field. Of the seven work colleges in the United States, Blackburn is the only one that has this opportunity for students interested in becoming a counselor.

At Blackburn, there are three student counselors, each with their own field of expertise, and each willing to help in anyway he or she can. Among these student counselors is Elena Holler of Sherman, whose specialty is in the field of Accommodations. There are many fields of "expertise" in the counseling department, including accommodations, relationships, academic help, career, and substance abuse. The Peer Counseling Institution at Blackburn not only benefits students seeking counseling, but also the student counselors. As a peer counselor, students gain expertise in the field at a very early stage in their undergraduate career, allowing them to graduate with the skills to carry their own load of clientele.

Rob Weis, College Counselor and the only professional in the department, began the program five years ago while talking to a fellow colleague about giving students an opportunity to work in the Work Program and still be a peer counselor. "Peer Counseling at Blackburn gives students the opportunity to talk to someone without being intimidated by talking to adults about drugs, alcohol, and other needs and worries. It ties in with the Work Program and it's one of the unique things that the Work Program provides. Psychology majors can get the experience they need along with witnessing the same situations that professional counselors have to deal with on a day to day basis. Outside of Blackburn, we work closely with the Macoupin County Mental Health Center and the Public Health Department. We want the students to be able to know that they can come to us with any problem that they're having and know that it will be kept confidential."

Elena Holler, a peer counselor, said of the Peer Counseling Institution, "Being able to say that you've held a professional position, conducted professional style counseling sessions, attended professional development training classes, and while being a full time student, is very rare and one of the better benefits that this institution offers. It's an opportunity that few undergrads are privileged to have. Being able to say that you've worked for your school every week of the semester is a benefit that all students have with the Work Program."

Founded in 1837, Blackburn College is a four-year, Presbyterian-related, co-educational liberal arts college located in Carlinville, Illinois. One of the seven work colleges in the U.S., Blackburn is the only one with a student managed Work Program. Blackburn was recently ranked by US News as the 2012 #2 Best Value College in the Midwest; and placed #65 in The Washington Monthly's ranking of Baccalaureate Colleges. The school remains the most affordable, residential liberal arts college in the state.