The Importance for Mentorship for Youth

Mentoring is often one component that involves other elements, such as tutoring or life skills training and coaching. The supportive, healthy relationships formed between mentors and mentees are both immediate and long-term and contribute to a host of benefits for mentors and mentees.

Better school academics and attendance:

Youth with mentors had fewer unexcused absences from class than students without mentors (Tierny, Grossman, Resch, 2000; Herrera, Grossman, Kauh, Feldman, McMaken, & Jucovy, 2007). For example, youth participating in the Across Ages mentoring program showed a gain of more than a week of classes attended, compared with those youth not participating in the program (Jekielek et al., 2002).

Positive attitudes. Teachers of students in the BELONG mentoring program reported that students participating in mentoring were more engaged in the classroom and also seemed to place a higher value on school than students who did not have mentors (Blakely, Menon, & Jones, 1995).

Potential Behavioral Benefits:

Decreased likelihood of initiating illegal drug and alcohol use. A BBBS study showed youth with mentors were less likely to begin using drugs or alcohol during the eighteen-month period of the study than their peers. Specifically, 6.2 percent of youth with mentors initiated drug use compared to 11.4 percent of their peers without mentors, and 19.4 percent initiated alcohol use compared to 26.7 percent. These findings were more substantial for minority youth (Tierny et al., 1995). Findings from a study of the Across Ages mentoring program showed that mentees gained important life skills to help them stay away from drugs (LoSciuto, Rajala, Townsend, & Taylor, 1996).

Decreased violent behavior:

Mentees in the BBBS program were 32 percent less likely to report having hit someone over the past year than the young people without mentors (Tierny et al., 1995). Jekielek et al. (2002) found that four mentoring programs showed reductions of some behaviors related to delinquency and negative behaviors, but did not eliminate all delinquent behaviors.

Other Potential Benefits:

Mentoring has also been linked in studies to social-emotional development benefits, improvements in youth perceptions of parental relationships, and better prospects for moving on to higher education.

References

Cavell, T., DuBois, D., Karcher, M., Keller, T., & Rhodes, J. (2009). Strengthening mentoring opportunities for at-risk youth. Retrieved from http://www.mentoring.org/downloads/mentoring_1233.

LoSciuto, L., Rajala, A. K., Townsend, T. N., Taylor, A. S. (1996). An outcome evaluation of across ages: An intergenerational mentoring approach to drug prevention. Journal of Adolescent Research, 11(1), 116-129.

MENTOR. (2009). Elements of effective practice in mentoring. Third Edition. Retrieved from http://www.mentoring.org/downloads/mentoring_1222.

Tierney, J. P., Grossman, J. B., & Resch, N. L. (1995). Making a difference: An impact study of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Public/Private Venture.

Herrera, C., Grossman, J. B., Kauh, T. J., Feldman, A. F., McMaken, J., & Jucovy L. Z. (2007). Making a difference in schools: The Big Brothers Big Sisters school-based mentoring impact study. Public/Private Ventures. Retrieved from http://files.bigsister.org/file/Making-a-Difference-in-Schools.pdf

Author: Dana Papania, Counseling Practicum Student

Blended Family

There are many challenges blended families may encounter. Challenges such as cultural differences, personal value differences, life experiences, and more. What I have noticed in my therapeutic practice is that most blended families are in conflict due to the lack of knowledge of the impact the above differences have on the wellbeing of their family’s success.

I’ve had a firsthand encounter not only from the perspective of a mental health professional but from the personal experience of blending with my family. My husband and I are a newly married couple who both have children from a previous marriage (his adult children and my teenagers). My husband and I, who were single for over 10 years, now encounter me and my two teenage girls. He only has experience parenting male children prior to our marriage. My husband’s style of parenting is new to my daughters, which caused them to be resilient. My daughters were accustomed to being parented by me and rejected any subjective parenting by my husband. However, my blended family had to adjust to challenges which changed the dynamics within our home. The shift from sole parenting to dual parenting and decision-making changed the tone within our home. My husband exhibits a direct and structured approach to parenting versus my open and suggestive approach, which allows options to incur instead of conclusive decisions being followed.

In sharing my current style of parenting in association with my husband’s, it allows a hybreath injunction of supervision which can help our children with everyday encounters they may endure. Amendments that helped my family overcome difficulty in transition entailed:

• Prayer for direction.

• Unconditional Love and Understanding.

• Communication at all times; expressing one's thoughts and feelings.

• Respect goes a long way and is a must and is given by everyone in our home.

• Appreciation; counting our blessings

• Boundaries, understanding of one another space.

Blended families can be challenging, but good planning will evolve true understanding. As I mentioned above; unconditional love, coupled with respect and communication will develop appreciation within a blended family and help them thrive without fail.

Some challenges that research shows may occur within blended families are the following.

• A lack of communication being established, or responsibilities assigned within the blended family can cause confusion, frustration, and unhappiness.

• When blending two separate families, anxiety and concerns from both sides may be expressed.

• Open conflict between siblings who are from different parents may emerge and contribute towards defying the stepparent.

• Anger and frustration suppressed in a child may cause interpersonal conflict.

In efforts to ensure blended families survive the trial and tribulations of all the differences, the Structural family approach can be beneficial. Its emphasis is on a whole-family base, rather than trying to figure out each individual's issues first, then moving forward with group therapy. In SFT, therapists work to uncover any habitual patterns, routines, or behaviors that may negatively impact family dynamics. They may seek to establish healthier routines within family structures in order to create a dynamic, loving, stable home life for everyone.

Author: Charmaine Fobbs, LMSW, Clinical Social Work Intern

Monroe, J. (2020, June 05). Family systems approach: Glossary. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/glossary/family-systems-approach/

WORD FROM THE CEO - December Newsletter

As we draw near the end of 2021. I want to take some time to reflect on the year that will soon be behind us. As I sit and reflect, the words that come to mind are, ADAPTING and APPRECIATION.

ADAPTING came to mind first because many of us are adapting to our new ways of living, our new ways of working and our new ways of celebrating. Since COVID, the world has changed, the ways in which we do things have changed and the ways in which we see life has changed. In many ways, I see that our values have changed and for many of us, what we value has matured.

APPRECIATION came to me next because since 2020, we’ve had to learn to appreciate the small affordability’s that we have that we may have overlooked once before. We’ve learned to appreciate our loved ones and appreciate the time we can spend with them. We’ve learned to appreciate our health, friends, employment, income, availability of supply, our homes, and our freedom to move as we please. And honestly, that’s what the Christmas season is all about.

The Christmas season is about remembering the great purpose of life, being appreciative of the basic needs in life and the people we have to share life with. In the Christmas season, we cheerfully give, we are in service to those in need and we make amends, we tend to forget offenses because we choose to see the better parts of life.

I hope that you have something to be grateful for and something that propels you to keep persevering. You have purpose! Your life is valued! You are awesome! You are courageous! You are a conqueror! Strength resides in you!

With love and appreciation for you and your family. With love and appreciation for your trust of the Restorative services. With love and appreciation for your business. From me and the entire Restorative Team, we wish you the most Joyous 2021 Holiday Season.

Brittney Collins Jefferson, LCSW, LCADCI

CEO & Founder