Who, What, Why: David Clark and the Peer Wellness Coaching program

More than six years ago, David Clark earned a degree in environmental engineering. But after college, he found the work was not as fulfilling as he had hoped. Clark, who is originally from Middleton, New Jersey, was motivated by the idea of service, enjoyed engineering, and wanted to protect the environment. But he didn’t want to sit behind a computer all day. “I wanted to more directly help people and get to talk to people all day,” he says.

After extensive research and volunteering, he decided to go back to school. He’s now in the accelerated bachelor of science program in the School of Nursing. He graduates in December and plans to return for a master’s degree to specialize in psychiatry later in his career.

As a nursing student, Clark applied to work in the Peer Wellness Coaching program, a new initiative launched by Wellness at Penn in spring 2023 that is designed to help students with their well-being in a nonclinical setting. After a six-month training program, Clark became one of three coaches who meets in one-on-one sessions with students to discuss everything from sleep habits to relationship issues to finding friends. If someone comes in with a range of issues, “we’ll start with one thing and focus on that,” Clark says, making it “more likely that they’ll follow through with the actionable step.”

Using coaching skills defined by the International Coaching Federation, Clark helps people identify their goals and bridge the gap between where they are and where they want to be. It’s not about offering advice, he says. “You don’t need to be an expert. You just need to ask the right questions and empower the student to solve their own problems.”

The program was born to help students create healthy change, Clark says. “It’s important to take the time to see where your life is going,” both in the short term and long term, a skill that students build in coaching sessions by talking about their values and identifying and solving problems.

It also builds confidence, he says. “I solved all these problems in the past by doing X, Y, and Z. How can I take what I've learned and apply that in the future?”