The program
How mentoring works, week by week.
Each young man works with one mentor for 6 to 12 months. The first month builds trust and a plan. Every week after that brings a meeting, a home visit and an update for his parents, until a planned finish.
Start to finish
Five stages.
Intro call with the family
We talk with parents, and often with the young man, about where he is, what he wants and what the family hopes for. We explain the approach, cost and weekly structure so everyone starts with the same expectations.
Onboarding
The family signs an informed consent that covers what mentoring is and is not, confidentiality, fees and scheduling. Billing is set up for the start of each month.
First month: trust and a plan
His mentor builds rapport, learns his motivations and goals, and identifies the areas where his development stalled. The plan that comes out of this month is built around what he wants, because that is what he will follow through on.
Weekly mentoring
One in-person meeting and one home visit every week, plus a parent update. Drug testing happens in person when needed. The plan adjusts as he grows.
A planned finish
Mentoring is meant to be temporary. The end date is discussed with him and his family several months ahead, and he leaves with a written one-year plan covering physical, mental and spiritual growth.
Every week
What the weekly meeting covers.
The meeting is a working session. His mentor checks progress on last week's commitments and sets the next ones.
- Weekly goals and follow-through
- Work schedule and consistency
- School, trade or career planning
- Recovery involvement: meetings and sponsorship, when it applies
- Therapy and psychiatry appointments, when he has them
- Medication follow-through, when it applies
- Budget review and money habits
- Everyday life skills
Focus areas
Six areas his mentor works on.
Every young man is different, so the weight on each area changes. These are the areas the program covers.
Recovery
Meetings, sponsorship and honest accountability, when recovery is part of his life.
Work and school
Finding work, showing up consistently, class schedules, trade and career plans.
Money
A real budget, an emergency fund, then saving and investing basics.
Routines and health
Sleep, exercise, food, medication and appointment follow-through.
Relationships
Family, friendships and dating, handled with maturity.
Home and life skills
A clean, safe place to live and the everyday skills to keep it that way.
Before the finish
What "ready" looks like.
These are the milestones mentors work toward before mentoring ends.
- His finances are in order: a budget he follows, an emergency fund and a plan for saving or investing.
- His days follow a steady routine for sleep, exercise, food, and work or school.
- If recovery is part of his life, his involvement is consistent: meetings, a sponsor relationship and service.
- He handles family, friendships and dating with maturity, and his family agrees things are healthy.
- He has a one-year plan to keep growing without a mentor.
Mentoring, not treatment
LifeChange Mentoring is life coaching and accountability. It is not psychotherapy or substance use treatment. It works alongside his therapist, psychiatrist and recovery program, and never replaces them.
Next step
See whether it fits.
Tell us where he is. We will explain honestly whether mentoring makes sense right now.