photo credit: Larry Sokoloff
A senior peer counseling flyer posted in downtown Novato on June 13, 2025.

t's not uncommon to hit some bumps in life, especially as people get older.
Seniors have to adapt to challenging new situations, including isolation, grief, and health problems.

One resource at such times are senior peer counseling programs, which rely on older volunteers to visit fellow seniors. Most Bay Area counties have such programs, and are often looking for new volunteers.

The volunteers undergo brief training, while working under the guidance of licensed clinical social workers or psychologists. Both volunteers and clients benefit from the peer-to-peer relationship.

"Volunteers benefit because they find it very rewarding," said psychologist Anat Louis. "It's a meaningful human connection. Participants feel heard and are less lonely and isolated."

Louis works for Wise and Healthy Aging, based in Santa Monica, where the peer counseling program was first started by therapist Evelyn Freeman in the 1970s. The program has since spread throughout the United States and to countries such as Denmark and Canada.

Volunteers, like 73-year-old Rita Wengler of Cotati, often help clients who don't know where to get started. Wengler helped one client find food resources, and occasionally will accompany others to a senior center or a class.

Volunteers are trained to be good listeners. "Sometimes, that's all we do, is listen," said Wengler, a retired office manager. "We're there with no judgment."

Senior counselors say they enjoy meeting new people and helping them.

"You feel like you're doing a service," said Santa Rosa peer counselor Larry Haenel, 84, a retired high school English teacher. "It reconnects me with the human experience."

Haenel has been a peer counselor for West County Community Services in Santa Rosa since 2006. He said it's helpful for older people to talk to a peer, who may have gone through a similar experience, such as losing a spouse.

Wengler usually visits clients for an hour a week over a period of 12 weeks. "I like to be a resource person," she said, explaining how she works with clients to meet goals such as finding new housing or identifying safety hazards in their residence.

In the Bay Area, senior peer counseling programs are easy to find in Marin, Contra Costa, Sonoma and San Mateo counties.

In Sonoma County, for example, West County Community Services is looking for volunteers willing to commit to the program for one year. The next training begins in January.

Marin County has about 30 volunteers in its peer-to-peer program. The county advertised for a similar training in June. A flyer for the Marin program explained that volunteers would take part in four sessions of training before beginning home visits. Volunteers did not need to have prior counseling experience.

"Volunteers will also participate in weekly group supervision sessions led by a mental health professional to support them in their role," the flyer said.

A flyer for a recent training in San Mateo County stated that its program offers seniors support in languages besides English, including Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish and Tagalog. The San Mateo County program was offered through Peninsula Family Service, which can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Wengler volunteers as a peer counselor in Marin, and also through a program with the Council on Aging in Santa Rosa.

Denise Johnson, a director at the Council on Aging, said that her program has five volunteers. By sending out volunteers rather than social workers, the county saves money.

"The expertise of a licensed clinical social worker is pretty expensive," she said.