Psychological First Aid Training as an Effort to Strengthen the Capacity of Prospective Peer Counselors in Providing Initial Mental Health Support

Abstract

College students are a group vulnerable to various mental health issues due to academic, social, and personal pressures. The presence of peer counselors serves as a key strategy for strengthening early mental health support within the college environment. This community service activity aims to enhance the capacity of prospective student peer counselors in providing early mental health support through Psychological First Aid (PFA) training. The activity was held on May 21, 2026, involving 65 prospective student peer counselors from Makassar State University. The implementation of the activity consisted of preparation, execution, and evaluation stages. Training methods included interactive lectures, discussions, and simulations applying the Look, Listen, and Link principles. Evaluation was conducted using two case scenarios: helper practices that were consistent with and inconsistent with PFA principles. Results showed that participants were able to identify appropriate PFA practices with a very high percentage in the correct cases (98.5%–100%). The greatest improvement was found in the aspect of question types, with a 69.2% difference between incorrect and correct cases. These findings indicate that PFA training can enhance prospective peer counselors’ understanding of providing initial mental health support and has the potential to strengthen the student mental health support system at universities.