Apprenticeship and formal mentoring programmes

Domain XV · Nature, philosophy, social & rites of passage

What it is

Apprenticeship and formal mentoring are not psychotherapies. They are formation programmes in which a less experienced person develops through a structured, supervised relationship with a more experienced one. Two forms are covered:

Format

• This is a programme framework, not a session protocol. Two parallel tracks run together: the programme's own cycle, which the programme runs, and the therapist's track alongside it.
• There is no session count; the therapist's contact follows the client's existing therapy and the programme's milestones. Move on when the client and family can state realistic expectations and safety rules (1 to 2), when the client is engaged and safe in the setting (3), and when the ending has…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Screening. Goal: safety and suitability. Required: written acceptance and disqualification criteria; a written application; at least one face-to-face interview; a comprehensive criminal background check (national records, sex offender and child abuse registries, driving record where relevant); reference interviews; written agreement to the programme's minimum commitment (the benchmark default is one year, meeting on…
• Training. Goal: mentors understand roles, ethics, safety and closure before matching. Required: at least two hours of in-person pre-match training (six or more is an enhancement), including risk-management policies on physical contact, confidentiality, digital and social media, transport, money, emergencies, substance use, weapons and mandatory reporting of suspected abuse or neglect and of suicidality and…
• Moving between phases: the programme decides, using its written criteria (screening passed, training completed, agreement signed, monitoring showing a safe match). The therapist does not decide programme progression but can share relevant information with consent.

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Evidence status, one line each. A meta-analysis of 73 evaluations found mentoring programmes improved behavioural, social, emotional and academic outcomes, with modest gains of unclear duration (DuBois et al. 2011). The Public/Private Ventures Big Brothers Big Sisters impact study found…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Does it use a device, heat, cold, water or a physical procedure? Has a medical professional checked that it is safe for you?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• a long pattern of being called lazy; shame. Working: an assessment is booked and adjustments follow.
• fear of losing the job; employers asking for clinical detail. Working: an agreed adjustment is in place and attendance stabilises.
• blurred confidentiality; clinical interpretation of a mentee. Working: roles stay distinct and the programme knows which hat you wear.
• idealisation that blocks seeing harm; shame about a vocational path. Working: the client can hold what was given and what was lacking.
• avoidance of the gateway; catastrophic predictions linked to family expectations. Working: the client attends and can reflect on the result.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.