Mentoring Program

Objectives of the Mentoring Program for the Association for
Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Issues in Counseling:

• To promote an understanding of gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) issues in counseling through mentoring relationships between experienced ALGBTIC members and others interested in serving GLB populations, especially graduate students, counseling interns, and novice professionals.
• To provide opportunities for career development and leadership within a national professional counseling organization.
• To provide opportunities for networking, exchange of ideas, and dialogue between and among members of mentoring relationships.
• To encourage and facilitate attendance and participation in professional development activities, especially the ACA World conference and/or other counseling national, regional, and local conferences.
• To encourage and foster supportive professional relationships between GLB professionals and allies.
  

Questions & Answers

Q: Who are the mentors?
A: They are professional counselors experienced in working with GLB issues and are members of ALGBTIC.

Q: Who are the protégées?
A: Are verified graduate students, post-graduates or doctoral students, or novice counselors who are members of ALGBTIC.

Q: What are the roles and responsibilities of mentors?
A: Mentors provide professional support by encouraging protégées in professional development and leadership opportunities, helping answer questions and think through difficult professional and educational situations, providing resources, assisting in the integration of counseling professional and GLB identities, being clear regarding time commitment and boundaries, collaborating with protégées on professional development activities, and maintaining confidentiality.

Q: What are the roles and responsibilities of protégées?
A: Protégées play an active role in the mentoring relationship by initiating contact with their mentors, identifying and communicating areas where assistance is needed, keeping mentors aware of changes in needs and interests, collaborating with mentors on professional development activities, and respecting the time commitment and boundaries of the mentor.

Q: How do mentors and protégées communicate? And how often?
A: Most mentors and protégées communicate through e-mail and phone calls. If you are matched with a mentor or protégée who is local to you, meeting in-person is recommended. Additional in-person meetings can be arranged when attending professional conferences. How often mentors and protégées communicate is determined by the needs and desires of the mentors and protégées and it is the responsibility of mentors and protégées to work out a mutually satisfactory arrangement in terms of communication methods and time commitment. For most mentors and protégées, we expect that you will communicate at least once a month, and more frequently if needed.

Q: How are mentors and protégées matched?
A: Mentors and protégées are matched on a number of factors. These factors include common professional interests, needed areas of expertise and experience, and available and needed time commitment.

Q: What do I need to do to sign up as a mentor or protégée and how do I get started?
A: You will need to contact one of the coordinators of the program with the following information: name, email address, phone number, address, professional identification, professional needs or areas of interest, goals as a mentor or protégée, and a description of what you would like from the mentoring relationship. The forms needed to join are linked below. As mentors and protégées become available, mentoring relationships are established.

Please fill them out and email them to Dr. Michael Kocet, Chair of the Graduate Student and New Professionals Committee mkocet@yahoo.com.

For further information about being a mentor or getting a mentor, please contact Dr. Kocet at (508) 531-2721 or mkocet@yahoo.com.