Mentoring has been around for years and is a way for individuals to develop themselves personally and professionally. A Mentee will work with a mentor when they are interested in being guided and supported to reach their fullest potential in life, work, and/or relationships.
The mentoring relationship is one of learning, guidance, encouragement, and supporting people to find and/or stay connected to their aspirations or life goals and/or their own unique path. Mentoring offers a one-on-one opportunity for learning, growth, and development in any or all aspects of one’s life.
What are the Benefits of Having a Mentor?
There are many benefits of having a mentor as you may have seen from the brief description above, however, there are also specific benefits to having a mentor. Here are some of the main benefits:
- Guidance, support, and encouragement in one or all areas of life
- Someone to turn to outside of family and friends in times of need
- Having a positive role model who is encouraging and supportive of your own unique life path and goals
- Assistance with professional networking
- Gaining a deeper understanding of professional settings and structures
- Providing an external point of view to personal or professional relationship issues
Types of Mentoring
Mentoring can take many shapes and forms, depending on what the person needs. For example, one person may only want to focus on their professional life goals or with advice on workplace issues and/or advancing in their career. Meanwhile, another person may want a mentor for all areas of their life, with personal relationships, professional career, and even their hobbies and lifestyle. And, another may want to live a more spiritually informed life, in terms of a life that reflects their deepest truths, values, and spiritual beliefs. Others may come wanting a combination of all of these.
How Does Mentoring Work?
Counsellors and therapists who work with clients may want a mentor in addition to supervision or to have on its own. The way that mentoring works depends widely on the mentee’s needs, however, there are certain aspects of the process that tend to remain consistent, such as:
Initial Consultation: In the initial consultation the mentor (in this case the psychologist) would explore and understand the mentee’s needs and from there together they will create a plan for the areas to work on and where to begin.
Regular Communication: Mentors and mentee’s usually meet on a regular basis either face-to-face, on the phone, or through a video call. Mentees can take notes or journal in their personal or professional life anything they would like to discuss with the mentor.
Mentor Guidance: Over the period of mentorship, the original goals of the mentee will be revisited to determine if those goals need to be changed, added to, and/or are on track. The mentor works collaboratively with the mentee to continue to discover and/or become clearer about his/her life path and goals. At the same time, the mentor will provide guidance, support, and advice as needed.
Mentoring is one of the many services offered by Karen Potter for individuals wanting to develop themselves personally and/or professionally in order to live their lives to their fullest potential and in a way that corresponds with their deepest values, truths, and/or aspirations.
Karen Potter offers psychology and psychotherapy services in Lismore. For more information on how mentoring or other psychology services can help you, call Karen Potter on 0438 389 829 or visit her website.