Supportive Accountability

“You got an instant conversation:” E-Mentoring for Youth with Communication Disabilities

Grace, E., Shipman, J., Raghavendra, P., & McMillan, J. M. (2023). “You got an instant conversation”: Goal progress and perceptions following an e-mentoring social media intervention for young people who use augmentative and alternative communication. Journal of Communication Disorders, 103, 106328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2023.106328 Summarized by Ariel Ervin About the Study People with communication disabilities often face […]

Adapting Amidst Crisis: The Impact of COVID-19 on Mentoring in Social Work Practice Teaching

The Magic of Reading: How mentorship can boost reading level and story comprehension in elementary schoolers

Reference: Rubin, N. T., & Travero, A. S. (2022). Fostering reading level and story comprehension through MARITES (Marungko Approach Reading Intervention to Elementary Schoolers) with mentor-mentee arrangement. International Research Journal of Science, Technology, Education, & Management (IRJSTEM), 2(3). Summarized by Saniya Soni Introduction:  Reading is a crucial skill that plays a significant role in individuals’ […]

Human support for digital mental health interventions: a promising approach

Werntz, A., Amado, S., Jasman, M., Ervin, A, & Rhodes, J. (2023). Providing human support for the use of digital mental health interventions: Systematic meta-review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25. https://www.jmir.org/2023/1/e42864 Summarized by Megyn Jasman Notes of Interest: Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) are popular because research has shown that many are effective. However, many […]

The impact of a technology-enhanced peer mentor referral system on college freshmen

Werntz, A., Jasman, M., Simeon, K., Gunasekaran, H., Yowell, C., & Rhodes, J. E. (2023). Implementation of a technology-enhanced peer mentor referral system for first-year university students. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-023-00303-8 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  Although a college degree offers many benefits, evidence indicates that 30% of students drop […]

What lessons can be learned from a supportive accountability study on an online anxiety intervention?

Werntz, A., Silverman, A. L., Behan, H., Patel, S. K., Beltzer, M., Boukhechba, M. O., Barnes, L., & Teachman, B. A. (in press). Lessons learned: Providing supportive accountability in an online anxiety intervention. Behavior Therapy.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2021.12.002 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest: Although technology-delivered interventions (TDI) can help bridge the gap in seeking mental […]

Getting to Carnegie Hall: Why practicing skills is a “best practice” in mentoring

by Jean Rhodes Chances are you’ve heard about the pedestrian on 57th Street who sees a musician getting out of a cab and asks, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” Without pause, the musician replies “Practice.” Indeed, when it comes to any skill, from music and sports to academics and social-emotional learning, practice makes […]

Wait, what?!: Shorter, less intensive mentoring relationships can be just as effective

by Jean Rhodes I think we can all agree that a good working relationship is a necessary ingredient of all successful mentoring. It can provide a safe, supportive foundation for learning new skills and navigating challenging topics and tasks. In one mentoring program, for example, high school seniors who had expressed an interest in college, […]

Older and Wiser

Older and Wiser: New ideas for mentoring in the 21st Century

By Jean Rhodes Apologies for this bit of shameless self-promotion but my new book on youth mentoring, Older and Wiser: New ideas for Youth Mentoring (Harvard University Press) is now available for pre-order (out in August). This book is a synthesis and analysis of the research on youth mentoring, a topic to which I have […]

A match made in heaven?: Technology-delivered interventions and youth mentoring

by Jean Rhodes A few months ago, I wrote a column “There’s an App for That,” in which I described the promise of evidence-based mental and behavioral interventions that are delivered through smartphone Apps (and sometimes computers). An even deeper dive into this research has left me even more convinced of its promise. This is […]