The Case for Trauma-Informed Mentoring

Summary of new chapter: Hagler, M., & Rhodes, J. (2024) Trauma-informed mentoring and related approaches.  In Boxer,(Ed). The Future of Youth Violence Prevention: A Mixtape for Practice, Policy, and Research. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

Youth referred to mentoring programs often come from backgrounds marked by adversity. A national survey found that 69% of mentees live in single-parent homes, 85% face significant financial hardship, and 18% have a family member in prison (Jarjoura et al., 2018). These circumstances are risk factors for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. Research shows that ACEs are linked to a host of negative outcomes, including depression, anxiety, substance use, and even violent behavior (Kalmakis & Chandler, 2015; Mumford et al., 2019). Alarmingly, nearly two-thirds of Americans report at least one ACE, with a quarter experiencing three or more (Merrick et al., 2018). For youth in mentoring programs, these figures are likely even higher.

The “Just Showing Up” Fallacy

Despite serving such vulnerable populations, most mentoring programs operate under the assumption that good intentions suffice. This philosophy prioritizes quantity—recruiting as many mentors and serving as many youth as possible—over quality, often at the expense of meaningful outcomes. Nationally, most mentors receive less than two hours of training before being matched with a mentee (Garringer et al., 2017). This lack of preparation leaves mentors ill-equipped to navigate the complexities of trauma-exposed youth. Consequently, relationships often falter under the weight of unmet needs and unaddressed challenges.

The Case for Trauma-Informed Mentoring

To address these shortcomings, experts advocate for integrating trauma-informed care into mentoring practices. Trauma-informed care operates on principles such as trustworthiness, collaboration, and empowerment while recognizing that trauma can profoundly shape an individual’s behavior and relationships (Huckshorn & LeBel, 2013). Programs must move beyond simplistic approaches and adopt comprehensive strategies to support both mentors and mentees effectively.

Key Components of Trauma-Informed Mentoring

1. Screening for Trauma: Programs should assess mentees for trauma exposure using validated tools during enrollment. This information can guide mentor-mentee matching and identify youth who may need additional services (Eklund et al., 2018).

2. Evidence-Based Training: Mentors should receive training on trauma-informed care frameworks like Attachment, Regulation, and Competency (ARC), which equips them with skills to build trust and teach coping mechanisms (Fehrenbach et al., 2022). MentorPRO Academy offers live and self-guided courses in therapeutic mentoring, mentoring for youth mental health, and other areas that touch on trauma informed care.

3. Regular Supervision: Mentors require ongoing support from program staff to navigate challenges and prevent premature relationship endings. Supervision should be frequent enough to address issues proactively rather than reactively.

4. Access to Clinical Expertise: Programs should establish partnerships with mental health professionals who can provide consultation when mentees exhibit severe symptoms or require specialized interventions.

Exemplary Models

Some programs have already embraced these principles with notable success:

– Fostering Healthy Futures: Designed for foster youth, this program employs graduate students in psychology or social work as mentors. It combines one-on-one mentoring with therapeutic skills groups led by clinicians. Participants were found to be 15–30% less likely to commit violent crimes years after completing the program (Taussig et al., 2021).

– Choose to Change: Serving adolescents in high-crime communities, this program employs full-time paid mentors who share similar backgrounds with mentees. By integrating mentoring with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), it achieved a 48% reduction in violent crime arrests among participants (University of Chicago Crime and Education Labs, 2020).

Challenges and Opportunities

Implementing trauma-informed practices requires significant resources—financial investments for training and supervision as well as time commitments from mentors and staff. Initially, this may limit the number of youth served. However, proponents argue that higher-quality interventions will yield better long-term outcomes while reducing societal costs associated with untreated trauma and criminal justice involvement (Glisson et al., 2006).

Moreover, expanding access to specialized programs like Fostering Healthy Futures will require creative solutions to overcome geographic disparities in mental health services. Embedding mentors within existing community agencies or leveraging telehealth platforms could help bridge these gaps (Freitag et al., 2022; McQuillin et al., 2022).

Conclusion

The promise of mentoring lies not in its simplicity but in its potential to foster resilience and healing among vulnerable youth. To realize this potential, programs must embrace trauma-informed practices that prioritize quality over quantity. This shift will require a collective commitment—from policymakers to practitioners—to reimagine mentoring as a professionalized intervention rooted in evidence-based care.

References

Brown, E. J., Cohen, J. A., & Mannarino, A. P. (2020). Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy: The role of caregivers. *Journal of Affective Disorders*, *277*, 39–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.07.123

Eklund, K., Rossen, E., Koriakin, T., Chafouleas, S. M., & Resnick, C. (2018). A systematic review of trauma screening measures for children and adolescents. *School Psychology Quarterly*, *33*(1), 30–42. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000244

Fernandes-Alcantara, A. L. (2018). Vulnerable youth: Federal mentoring programs and issues. Congressional Research Services.

Fehrenbach, T., Sax, R. M., Urban, T. H., Simon-Roper, L., Novacek, J., Aaby, D. A., & Hodgdon, H. B. (2022). Trauma treatment for youth in community-based settings: Implementing the Attachment, Regulation, and Competency (ARC) framework. *Journal of Child and Family Studies*, *31*, 434–446.

Garringer, M., McQuillin S., & McDaniel H..(2017) Examining Youth Mentoring Services Across America Findings From MENTOR