Strategies for Implementing Mentorship Programs

Presented by Patrick R. Mullen and Nancy ChaeCounselor Education ProgramWilliam & Mary

Handouts available at www.prmullen@wm.edu

A mentor is...

Write/think about 5 characteristics of an effective mentor.

Share the characteristics with the group.

Each group will identify 2 important characteristics to report out to the large group.

But before we begin...

Project Empower

● Project Empower is a community-engaged initiative in which W&M students and faculty provide school-based support services in cooperation with Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools.

● All project staff are students at W&M along with a designated faculty director. Project Empower staff work with school personnel to support student needs.

● Project Empower staff provide individual and group services for a wide range of student needs.

One resource for any school counselor looking to implement a mentoring program.

Garringer, M., Kupersmidt, J., Rhodes, J., Stelter, R., & Tai, T. (2015). Elements of effective practice for mentoring (4th edn). Boston: MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership.

It is a free resource.

Defining Mentoring

Mentoring takes place between young persons (i.e., mentees) and older or more experienced persons (i.e., mentors) who are acting in a non-professional helping capacity to provide relationship-based support that benefits one or more areas of the mentee’s development (Garringer et al., 2015, p. 9)

Rhodes (2002) defined a mentoring relationship as one “between an older, more experienced adult and an unrelated, younger protégé – a relationship in which the adult provides ongoing guidance, instruction, and encouragement aimed at developing the competence and character of the protégé” (p. 3)

Mentoring in School Counseling Literature

Lee & Cramond (1999) The Positive Effects of Mentoring Economically Disadvantaged Students

Terry (1999) A Community/School Mentoring Program for Elementary Students

Thompson & Brown (2000) A Collaborative E-mail Mentoring Program for Elementary School Students-

Karcher (2008) The Cross-Age Mentoring Program: A Developmental Intervention for Promoting Students' Connectedness Across Grade Levels

Karcher (2009) Increases in Academic Connectedness and Self-Esteem Among High School Students Who Serve as Cross-Age Peer Mentors

Wyatt (2009) The Brotherhood: Empowering Adolescent African-American Males Toward Excellence

Coyne-Foresi (2014)* Wiz Kidz Fostering School Connectedness Through an In-School Student Mentoring Program

Some Useful Readings

What constitutes a mentor?

Naturally Occuring Mentors

Represents mentors that develop naturally in the lives of youth

Include extended family friends, neighbors, teachers, coaches, after-school staff, and religious group leaders

More prevalent that formal ones

Access to natural mentors is declining and is limited to youth with access to positive adults

Formally Occuring Mentors

Represents mentors that develop via structures or programs that youth participate

Programs are managed by a facilitator

Includes formal mentors who typically receive training to be effective in this role

Less prevalent than natural mentors

Formal mentors often target the needs of students and address an identified issue

Settings of Mentor Programs

A program setting is the physical space were a program takes places. Some common settings include:

● School-Based: Mentoring within a school setting

● Community-Based: A program facilitated with the community (e.g., big brother big sister)

● Virtual Mentoring: Distance or e-mentoring as a program setting

Models of Mentor Programs

A program model is the method in which the mentoring program is delivered. Some common models include:

● Peer Mentoring (Near Peer or Cross-Age): Mentoring facilitated by an older more experienced peer

○ Older peers may be a more receptive mentor (Karcher, 2014)

○ Minimum 2 year gap recommended

● Adult-to-Child Mentoring: Mentoring that is facilitated by an adult

○ In schools, the adult can be a school staff or volunteer from the community

● Group Mentoring: Mentoring where a facilitator leads a group of mentees (vs. a single mentee).

General Process of Mentorship Programs

Program development

Recruiting

Screening

Matching

Implementation

Termination

Evaluation

School Counselors as facilitators

Rationale for School Counselors to Manage Mentorship Programs

★ Ability to identify students in need★ Evaluate effectiveness of the programm★ Counseling skills extend into mentoring

skills★ Encourage school belonging★ Hold knowledge about personality

theories, student development, and other important topics

★ Satisfy student needs/goals(Karcher et al., 2008; Rhodes & Spencer, 2010)

Common Approaches to Mentor Programs

Check and Connect

● Used to address academic disengagement (among other concerns)

● “Check” includes having mentors check in (or monitor) on students’ performance

● “Connect” includes mentors’ use of individualized interventions

● Supported by vast amounts of research● Costly (approximately $2,000)

Another Resource

Novel Approaches to Mentor Programs

Social Capital-Based Mentoring

● Mentoring focused on developing networking skills.

● Empowers youth in finding positive role models vs. serving as a “fix for their current needs

● Used as group or individual model of mentoring

● Emerging research on its use with college bound students

Novel Approaches to Mentor Programs

The Wiz Kidz

● Description of the program is available in Professional School Counselor

● School-Based peer mentorship program with middle school (mentors) and elementary school students (mentee)

● Focus on school connectedness ● Followed Dubois et al. (2002) recommendations:

○ Training○ Matching○ Supervision○ Structure

■ Shared lunch with guided activity○ Termination

Novel Approaches to Mentor Programs

Motivational Interviewing (MI) Based Mentoring

● Includes the application of MI skills into the mentoring of students

○ Ask, don’t tell○ Avoid argues○ Support progress toward goals

● Report Card Coaching using MI○ Single sessions with MI

● Core 6 MI Mentoring

Example Activity: Decision Balance Sheet

A technique to work through ambivalence

Helps the mentee consider all sides of ambivalence

Fosters the construction of a “realistic” plan for change

Is useful as a concrete & inactive approach

Make Change

Benefits/Pros

Make Change

Cost/Cons

Not Change

Benefits/Pros

Not Change

Cost/Cons

Example Activity: Change Plan

The changes I want to make are:The most important reasons why I want to make the change are:The steps I plan to take in changing are:The ways other people can help me are:The ways in which people can help me:I know if my plan is working if:Some things that could interfere with my plan are:What will I do if I get stuck & the plan is not working:

Novel Approaches to Mentor Programs

Screening for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Concerns

● As an element of a mentorship program, school counselors can utilize a Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) intervention

● Screen mentees for mental health of Substance Abuse concerns and connect them with community resources

Pre-Health Mentorship Program

Partnership with Alpha Epsilon Delta, Pre-Health Honor Society at JHU.

Targeted 11th grade students with passion, interests, and potential for health sciences careers.

Goal to expose students to pre-health studies and support students’ academic, social/emotional, and postsecondary capacities.

Established boundaries, expectations, and responsibilities for mentee/mentor relationships.

Coordinated with points of contact from JHU.

Organized field trip to meet with and observe researchers at JHU.

Monthly focus areas included: academic responsibility, resourcefulness, test-taking strategies, dealing with stress, preparing for college applications, career exploration in sciences

Strategies for Implementation

❖ Ongoing training vs. one time training❖ Mentor support groups and/or individual supervision❖ Formal parent involvement ❖ Relationships matter

➢ Closeness➢ Length➢ Frequency

❖ Students with high needs benefit the most from mentoring➢ Individual factors AND environmental factors

❖ Recruit people with experience and success in helping roles❖ Articulate clear goals of the program for mentors and mentees

(DuBois et al., 2002)

Common Forms Documents

Parent/guardian permission

Program manual

Mentor/mentee contract

Structured activities

Session notes

Mentee information forms

Goal setting forms

Mentorship Training (Garringer et al., 2015, p. 35)

What to teach mentors:

● Program requirements● Mentors’ goals and expectations for the mentee, parent or guardian, and the

mentoring relationship● Mentors’ obligations and appropriate roles● Relationship development and maintenance● Ethical and safety issues that may arise related to the mentoring relationship● Effective closure of the mentoring relationship● Sources of assistance available to support mentors● Opportunities and challenges associated with mentoring specific populations

of youth● Initiating the mentoring relationship● Developing an effective, positive relationship with mentee’s family, if relevant

Evaluation of Mentoring

What to evaluate:Attendance and hours of timeCompletion of tasksMentee satisfactionMentee/Mentor relationshipCollateral variables● Attendance● School Engagement● Belonging● College seeking● Mental health topics● Others

How to evaluate:● Pre/Post test● Control group● Paper pencil ● Google forms● EZ Analyze● Create own

measures ● Find established

measures

Evaluation Matters:Meta-analysis of program effectiveness found that positive impacts on youth outcomes were significantly higher when programs included systematic procedures for monitoring and evaluation (DuBois et al., 2002).

Questions and comments...

For more information about presentation, please reach out:

prmullen@wm.edu

Handouts available at:

www.prmullen.com