Posts

A qualitative thematic analysis of first-generation college students’ help-seeking attitudes, decisions, and behaviors

Reference: Hagler, M., Johnson, R., Boags, J., & Snipe, L. (2023). A qualitative thematic analysis of first-generation college students’ help-seeking attitudes, decisions, and behaviors. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice. https://doi.org/10.1177/15210251231198006  Summarized By: Ariel Ervin About this Study  Evidence shows that college degrees are longitudinally associated with higher earnings, greater civic engagement, […]

The Power of Mentoring and Employment Assistance for Youth in Foster Care

Leathers, S., Holtschneider, C., Ludington, M., Ross, E. V., & Barnett, J. L. (2023). Mentoring, Employment Assistance, and Enhanced Staff Outreach for Older Youth in Care: Outcomes from a Randomized Controlled Trial. Children and Youth Services Review, 107095. Summarized by Ellen Parry Luff About the Study This study investigated the effectiveness of the Adult Connections […]

Forever Bonds: The Power of Enduring Relationships for Youth Leaving Foster Care

Cartoon girl sadly resting her head on her bent knees with speech bubbles surrounding her indicating sadness/depression

Navigating the College Mental Health Landscape: Underrepresented Students in Focus

Kook, Y., Le, T. P., Robey, N., & Raposa, E. B. (2023). Mental health and resource utilization among underrepresented students transitioning to college in the United States. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000496 Summarized by Saniya Soni About the Study Despite 35% of job openings requiring a bachelor’s degree, the American […]

Breaking Barriers with MOSSAIC: Empowering Autism Inclusion on Campus through Mentorship and Support

Locke, J., Osuna, A., Myrvold, R. J., & Closson, J. S. (2023). Supporting autistic college students: Examining the mentoring, organization and social support for autism inclusion on campus (MOSSAIC) program. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1-14. Summarized by Ellen Parry Luff About this Study There has been an increase in the number of autistic individuals […]

Mentors helping students prepare for college: More than just making the grade

Woods, C. & Preciado, M. (2016). Student–Mentor Relationships and Students’ College Attitudes. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), 21(2), 90-103. DOI: 10.1080/10824669.2015.1127767 Summarized by Justin Preston   Introduction Research has demonstrated that low-income high school students are less likely to plan for college, apply to selective colleges and universities, and complete a […]

Systematic review explores natural mentoring among underrepresented college students

Monjaras-Gaytan, L. Y., & Sánchez, B. (2023). Historically underrepresented college students and natural mentoring relationships: A systematic review. Children and Youth Services Review, 149, 106965. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.106965 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest: Historically underrepresented college students encounter many hurdles as they navigate higher education. Although natural mentorships are a viable way to support historically underrepresented […]

Are supportive relationships enough? The great debate continues

by Jean Rhodes In their provocative new paper, Back to the Future: Mentoring as Means and End in Promoting Child Mental Health, mentoring experts Tim Cavell, Renée Spencer & Sam D. McQuillin make the case for several approaches, including the “supportive mentoring” approach, wherein the “mentoring relationship is not intended as a targeted intervention designed to produce […]

Now more than ever: Best practices for working with immigrant youth

by Jean Rhodes Editor’s note: Mentors who are working with the many immigrant children in our country are, no doubt, concerned about the immigration-related policies of the former administration, including its the anti-immigration rhetoric and hate incidents/speech of recent months. Although President Biden is seeking to reverse many of the measures, and restore DACA, the policies […]

Making the case for paraprofessional mentoring …40 years ago

by Jean Rhodes In 1979, a young psychology professor named Joseph Durlak published a controversial study in Psychological Bulletin that sent ripples through the helping professions. What Joe sought to do was to combine all published studies that had compared the outcomes of experienced psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers with those of paraprofessionals (i.e., nonexpert, […]