3 TPC Digest T oday many children and adolescents face a plethora of problems such as substance use, academic challenges, and health concerns. Oftentimes, youth can benefit from mental health interventions to address concerns such as these. A variety of youth mentoring programs have proven to be successful in helping youth to connect with a trusted adult. Adding a therapeutic component to youth mentoring programs can further support youth who might have a variety of mental health concerns. In past research and publications, youth exhibiting behaviors that might lead to juvenile delinquency were referred to as at-risk youth. However, at-promise youth is now the preferred phrase used by many organizations. The term at-promise youth describes youth who have the ability to reach their full potential with additional time and resources. In this article, we share our findings from a study with 14 at-promise youth, ages 11–15, who participated in a 12-week therapeutic mentoring program. Youth were paired 1:1 with a mentor and had access to individual counseling with counselors-in-training throughout the therapeutic youth mentoring program. Throughout their time in the therapeutic youth mentoring program, participants received help with academic and study skills, participated in “walk and talks” on a college campus, shared a family meal at the dining hall, and participated in prosocial and social justice activities. Participants were interviewed at the beginning and end of the 12-week therapeutic mentoring program. Five themes emerged from the data collected with the participants: life stressors, self-awareness, trusting others, adaptability and resiliency, and hope for the future. In addition, participants in the youth mentoring program demonstrated an increase in self-esteem, self-efficacy, and problem-solving and coping skills. Implications for counselors, particularly those interested in adding a therapeutic component to traditional mentoring programs, are discussed along with suggestions for future research. Diane M. Stutey, PhD, NCC, LPC, RPT-S, is an assistant professor and department chair at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Abigail E. Solis, MA, is a clinical mental health counselor at Colorado Motion. Kim Severn, MA, LPC, is an instructor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Lori Notestine, PhD, LPC, is an instructor and program coordinator at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Kodi L. Enkler is a licensed school counselor at Swigert Aerospace Academy. Joseph Wehrman, PhD, LPC, is a professor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Molly Cammell, MA, is Campus Connections program manager at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Correspondence may be addressed to Diane M. Stutey, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, dstutey@uccs.edu. Diane M. Stutey, Abigail E. Solis, Kim Severn, Lori Notestine, Kodi L. Enkler, Joseph Wehrman, Molly Cammell Perceptions of At-Promise Youth in a Therapeutic Youth Mentoring Program | TPC Digest
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