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Profiles in Mentoring: A Conversation with Johanna Greeson on Natural Mentoring and Foster Care

Below is a profile of Professor Johanna Greeson. Johanna’s excellent new book will be out next month!  by Kate Powers Introduction: Johanna Greeson is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Greeson received her MSW from Bryn Mawr College in 1999, and then returned to […]

Mentoring and the New Science of “Wise Interventions”

  In his influential paper, The New Science of Wise Intervention, Stanford psychologist Gregory Walton argued for the importance of first developing psychologically precise theories of change that target the processes (e.g., maladaptive thoughts, behaviors, feelings, environments) that impede thriving and then developing interventions that efficiently target and alter these processes. Changes in these processes […]

Importance of attunement to mentoring relationships and mentees’ academic support-seeking behavior?

Weiler, L., Chesmore, A., Pryce, J., Haddock, S., & Rhodes, T. (2019). Mentor Response to Youth Academic Support–Seeking Behavior: Does Attunement Matter? Youth & Society, 51(4), 548-569. Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest: Mentoring interventions are appealing methods to help lower the chances of poor academic performance, school absence, and dropping-out, for adolescent offenders. However, the […]

Foster care youth speak: We need career mentoring!

Hudson, A. (2015). Career mentoring needs of youths in foster care: Voices for change. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 26, 131-137. Background Once young adults age out of the foster care system they are more likely than their non-fostered peers to experience homelessness, poverty, incarceration, and a variety of mental health issues. According […]

Study Finds Positive Physical and Mental Health Outcomes for Mentored Foster Care Youth

Ahrens, K. R., DuBois, D. L., Richardson, L. P., Fan, M. Y., & Lozano, P. (2008). Youth in foster care with adult mentors during adolescence have improved adult outcomes. Pediatrics, 121(2), e246-e252. Summarized by Elyssa Weber, UMB clinical psychology doctoral student Introduction: Young adults in foster care are more likely to have poorer physical and […]

Important study of mentoring for higher-risk youth

Mentoring Experiences and Outcomes for Youth with Varying Risk Profiles by Carla Herrera, David L. DuBois, Jean Baldwin Grossman reprinted from MDRC More and more, mentoring programs are being asked to serve young people who are considered “higher risk.” While mentoring has a strong research base generally, relatively little is known about mentoring programs’ capacities to […]

Mentoring survivors of abuse and trauma

Reilly, R. C., & D’Amico, M. (2017). Mentoring survivors of childhood abuse and intimate partner violence. Journal of College Student Development, 52(4), 409-424. Introduction: Both child abuse and intimate partner violence are widespread and are known to lead to a multitude of adverse outcomes, such as self-destructive behaviors, difficulties with concentration, educational under achievement, and […]

Homeless Youth and their Natural Mentors

Dang, M.T., & Miller, E. (2016). Characteristics of natural mentoring relationships from the perspective of homeless youth. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, Advance online publication. DOI: 10.1111/jcap.12038 Introduction: Relative to their peers, homeless youth face greater challenges including higher rates of mental illness, substance abuse, risky sexual behavior, and victimization.  Given the negative outcomes […]

Presence of natural mentors and vigilant parents leads to more positive outcomes for Black youth

Hurd, N., Varner, F., & Rowley, S. (2013). Involved-vigilant parenting and socio-emotional well-being among Black youth: The moderating influence of natural mentoring relationships. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(10), 1583-1595. Doi: 10.1007/s10964-012-9819-y Summarized by Jessica Cunningham Background: Previous research on Black youth has often operated on a deficits or challenges based approach, which has the […]

How natural mentors help youth develop strong racial identities: Implications for school success

Child Development, 83 (4), 1196-1212. Natural mentors as key factors in promoting both racial identity and educational attainment among African American teens Problem: Great disparities in educational attainment exist between White and African American students. These differences can lead to increased rates of unemployment, poverty, and mental and physical health problems in comparison to Whites […]