Families in Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham, Troy and the rest of Oakland County can work with a Blackburn mentor by video. Each student or young adult has one dedicated mentor, meets weekly or more often in Eastern time, and stays in touch by text and phone between sessions. Our team is based in Los Angeles, so everything here happens online.
Suburbs built around the auto industry
Much of Oakland County grew up along Woodward Avenue and I-75, and a lot of households still have a connection to the auto companies, their suppliers, engineering firms, hospitals or the law and finance offices in Troy and Southfield. Parents often work long hours, travel, or carry real responsibility at work.
Parents here describe a few familiar patterns:
- A capable high school student whose grades have slipped and who no longer talks about school at dinner.
- A senior who is busy with sports, activities and a part-time job but has no plan for what comes after graduation.
- A college student who left Michigan, struggled, and came home to Birmingham or Troy without a clear next step.
- A young adult in an engineering, health care or business job who wants a steadier routine and a sharper career plan.
Long winters and the indoor drift
From November through March, daylight is short and the weather keeps people inside. For teenagers, that often means more hours on a phone or a console and fewer reasons to leave the house after school. A mentor helps a student build a weekday structure that holds up in February, not only in June: a set homework window, one physical activity, and a clear plan for weekends. Our guide on screen time and school has practical ideas for parents.
What a typical week looks like
- A 30 or 60 minute video session at a fixed time, often right after school or after practice.
- Two or three specific goals for the coming days, written down by the student, not handed to them.
- A short text check-in midweek so a slow Tuesday does not become a lost week.
- For high school students, regular progress updates to a parent, with the student aware of what is shared.
Michigan is three hours ahead of Los Angeles, so a 4 pm session in Troy is 1 pm for the mentor. Evening slots work well for working young adults.
For young adults back home in the suburbs
Moving back in with parents after college or a first job is common here, and it can work well with a plan. Without one, months slip by. A mentor helps set a job search routine, a savings target and a realistic move-out date, and keeps the agreement between parent and adult child honest. Our guide on moving back home after college covers the details.
Where a mentor helps
A mentor is one steady adult outside the family who meets every week, follows up between sessions and keeps the plan practical. Mentors are not tutors, therapists or admissions counselors, and they can coordinate with those professionals when a family already has them. Families with teens usually start with mentoring for high school students; graduates and young professionals often fit young adult mentoring. Details on video sessions are on our online mentoring page.
Oakland County life and what it means for young people
The auto industry still shapes Oakland County, but the work inside it has shifted toward software, electrification and engineering, alongside large health systems, corporate offices and a busy professional services sector. For young people that means opportunity paired with uncertainty, especially in households where a parent’s job has been reorganized or cut during an industry change. Housing ranges widely from lake communities in Waterford and West Bloomfield to older neighborhoods in Ferndale and Royal Oak, and many graduates now look toward living in Detroit itself.
Summer has its own pattern: weekends up north at a cottage or campground, the Woodward Dream Cruise in August and long days on inland lakes. Winter means slow drives on I-696 and M-59 and early darkness. Some high schools here have intensely competitive cultures, and students can feel ranked from freshman year on. Young adults often bounce between suburban homes and city apartments while they work out where their life is going to be.
Situations that come up often in Oakland County
- A teen’s family heads up north every summer weekend, and it becomes hard to hold a job or keep summer goals.
- A young adult wants to move from a parent’s house in Troy to an apartment in Detroit or Ferndale and needs a budget that works.
- An engineering student worries that the role they were preparing for will look very different by graduation.
- A parent’s job in the auto sector is restructured, and family tension spills into a teen’s school year.
- A high achiever in a competitive district is exhausted from comparing herself to classmates every day.
Oakland County is on Eastern time, so sessions are scheduled in Eastern hours and held by video. The only place we meet in person is Los Angeles. Families here often read AI skills for your career and moving out of your parents’ house.
Related
- Online mentoring in Ann Arbor and Detroit
- Online mentoring in Grand Rapids
- Mentoring in Michigan
- Mentoring for families
- Education guides for families
Common questions
Is there an office in Oakland County?
No. Our team works from Los Angeles, and clients in Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham and Troy meet their mentor by video, with text and phone contact between sessions.
Can sessions fit around winter sports and practices?
Yes. Sessions are set in Eastern time at whatever slot fits, and can move with the season if a schedule changes.
Does a parent take part with a high school student?
Yes. A parent or guardian joins the intro call, helps agree the goals and receives regular progress updates.
Do you work with young adults who already have jobs?
Yes. Many young professionals use a mentor for career planning, routines, money and follow-through, often meeting in the evening their time.
Get started
Thinking about a mentor for someone in Oakland County? Call (888) 305 5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free intro call.