Blackburn Mentoring works alongside counselors, consultants, learning specialists and advisors by giving a referred student one dedicated mentor for weekly follow-through. You suggest it to the family, they complete a five-minute assessment or call (888) 305 5422, and after a free intro call the student is matched. With written permission, the mentor shares progress with you. Your role does not change.
Find the page for your role
- School counselors: when a student leaves your office with a good plan and loses it within a week, and how to suggest a mentor to the family.
- Independent educational consultants: a mentor for the follow-through while you keep the school search, placement and college planning.
- Independent schools: how advisors, deans and college counselors can refer day and boarding students.
- College advisors and student support staff: support for students on probation, returning from leave or struggling to use campus resources.
- Learning specialists and educational therapists: weekly practice of your strategies on real schoolwork between sessions.
- Athletic academic advisors: video mentoring that moves with the travel schedule.
- Mentoring for schools: an overview for any school staff member connecting a family with outside mentoring.
- Refer a student: every step of a referral, from the assessment to permission-based updates.
- Other professionals: therapists, psychiatrists and programs referring clients for structure between their sessions.
How each professional works with a mentor
The pattern is the same across roles. You set direction: the course plan, the school search, the learning strategies, the eligibility plan. The student then has to carry that out across a week you do not see. A mentor meets the student weekly or several times a week, with text and phone contact in between, and helps them turn your plan into steps they actually take. When the student hits a question that belongs to you, the mentor sends them back to you.
What a mentor does for a referred student
- Sets goals with the student and breaks them into weekly steps
- Builds routines for planning, starting work and checking grades (see executive function skills)
- Helps the student follow up with teachers, professors and staff
- Keeps parents of high school students informed with regular updates
- Shares progress with you when the family or adult student gives written permission
What a mentor does not do
- Teach or tutor. Course content stays with teachers, tutors and specialists.
- Advise on admissions. No opinions on school lists, essays or applications.
- Evaluate, diagnose or treat. Assessment and clinical care stay with qualified and licensed professionals.
- Advocate. Mentors do not represent families at IEP or 504 meetings or in disputes.
- Decide standing or eligibility. Those calls belong to the school or college.
If a student is dealing with mental health or substance use, a licensed professional is the right step, and mentoring can sit alongside that care. In a crisis, call or text 988.
How a referral works and what updates you receive
- You suggest mentoring and share our number, (888) 305 5422, or the five-minute assessment.
- The family, or the adult student, reaches out. Our team reviews every assessment personally.
- A free intro call follows. For high school students, a parent or guardian is always on it and helps agree the goals.
- The student is matched with one dedicated mentor.
- With written permission, the mentor shares progress with you: whether weekly steps are happening, what keeps getting in the way and what you might want to reinforce.
Nothing is shared without that permission. Follow your own institution’s or practice’s policies on student information; the simplest route is for the family to make contact themselves. Families decide whether to start, and mentoring is arranged with them, not with your school or office.
More guides
Where a mentor helps
The clearest fit is a student who knows what to do and is not doing it yet. Mentoring is one student and one mentor, 30 or 60 minute sessions by video anywhere in the United States or in person in Los Angeles, on a weekly or monthly plan. See mentoring for schools, how mentoring works and our education guides to share with families.
Related
- Working with a school counselor (for families)
- Educational consultant vs school counselor
- College academic advisor vs mentor
- Progress updates for parents
Common questions
Does my school or office need an agreement with Blackburn Mentoring?
No. A referral is a recommendation to the family. The family contacts us, and mentoring is arranged with them.
What will I hear about the student?
With written permission from the family, or from a student who is 18 or older, the mentor shares progress with you and coordinates on the plan you set.
Can I call with general questions first?
Yes. Call (888) 305 5422 or email contact@blackburnmentoring.com to ask how mentoring works before you mention it to a family.
Which students are the best fit?
Students who understand what they need to do but struggle to plan, start or finish it consistently, and who are willing to take part.
Get started
Have a student in mind for a mentor? 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.