Blackburn Mentoring helps parents and families arrange one-on-one mentoring and coaching for a teen 13 and up, a college student or a young adult, by video anywhere in the United States or in person in Los Angeles, with progress updates for parents when needed. Mentoring since 2014, it starts with a free 20 minute intro call, and new clients are matched with a mentor within 2 business days.
When someone you love is struggling to find their footing, it is natural to want to help, and hard to know how. A Blackburn mentor gives your loved one steady, practical support, and gives you a clearer picture of how they are really doing.
Parents of teens and young adults often start with one of these questions: a mentor for your teenager, online, one-on-one mentoring for teens in Los Angeles, would a mentor help an isolated teen?, a young adult stuck at home and not working and mentor, therapist or coach. New to the terms? See the mentoring glossary for parents. Questions: (888) 305-5422.
How mentoring helps families
- A trusted person working with your loved one week in and week out
- Progress updates, shared with your loved one’s permission
- A practical plan for work, school, money and daily routine that you can see progress on
- Less pressure on you to be the one keeping track of everything
- Help supporting your loved one without taking over
Getting started for a loved one
Families are often the first to reach out. You can complete the assessment on their behalf and we will talk through your situation. Mentoring works best when the person is willing to take part, so the next step is usually a conversation that includes them.
Support for you
Our sister organizations offer support for families, including family therapy through Blackburn Clinical Services and, for families affected by addiction, a free virtual family support group through Blackburn Recovery Services.
Which family situations mentoring fits
- A high school student who is capable but disorganized, unmotivated or overwhelmed
- A student heading into the first year of college, or one already struggling there
- An adult child who feels stuck at home, between jobs or out of school
- A family member rebuilding structure after a hard stretch who wants steady accountability
Mentoring is not a substitute for therapy, medical care or treatment. When mental health or substance use is part of the picture, a licensed professional is the right first step, and a mentor can work alongside them. In a crisis, call or text 988.
What parents can expect in the first months
In the first weeks, the mentor builds trust with your loved one and sets a few concrete goals with them. Updates at this stage are mostly about attendance and the plan. Over the following weeks, you should hear about specific steps: applications sent, a routine kept, a hard conversation handled. Further in, the goal is less reliance on the mentor and on you. Progress is rarely a straight line, and the updates are meant to give you an honest picture either way. See how progress updates work.
Your role, and what to hand off
Families get the most from mentoring when roles are clear. Parents keep the house expectations, the financial decisions and the relationship. The mentor takes the weekly planning, the reminders and the follow-up, so you can stop being the one who checks. Writing down expectations helps; our living at home agreement guide shows how, and enabling vs helping an adult child covers the line many parents worry about.
It also helps to agree in advance what you will and will not ask about. Many parents choose one weekly conversation about progress and leave the rest to the mentor and their loved one. That small change tends to lower tension at home quickly, because the same topic is no longer raised every day.
Mentoring compared with the other options
Families often weigh a mentor against a therapist, a tutor, a residential program or simply waiting. A mentor is practical, weekly and lives inside your loved one’s real schedule, without leaving home. Read mentor vs coach vs therapist and an alternative to failure to launch programs.
Key questions to ask any mentor or coach
- Who sets the goals, and how much say does my loved one have?
- What will updates include, and how often will we get them?
- How do you work with a therapist or school already involved?
- What do you do if my loved one stops showing up?
Questions from families
Can I arrange mentoring for my adult child or spouse?
Yes. Families often reach out first. Mentoring works best when the person agrees to take part, so we will usually talk with them as well before starting.
Will I get updates on how my loved one is doing?
With your loved one’s permission, mentors can share progress updates with family.
Is there support for families too?
Yes. The Blackburn Group offers family therapy through Blackburn Clinical Services and a free virtual family support group through Blackburn Recovery Services.
Should we tell our loved one we contacted a mentor?
Yes. Mentoring works best when nothing is hidden. Many parents describe it as support for goals the person already has, and we can join that conversation.
Can siblings or both parents be on the intro call?
Yes. Whoever is closely involved is welcome on the free intro call, along with the person who will be working with the mentor.
What if parents disagree about whether mentoring is needed?
That is common. The intro call is a low-pressure way for everyone to ask questions and hear how it works before deciding.
Do you offer mentoring by video for families outside Los Angeles?
Yes. Mentoring happens by video anywhere in the United States, scheduled in your local time, and in person in Los Angeles.
How do we know when to end mentoring?
When your loved one is running the plan on their own most weeks, sessions can be reduced and then stopped. That conversation happens openly with everyone involved.
How do I find a mentor for my struggling teen or young adult?
Write down what you want to change, compare volunteer programs, school resources and paid one-on-one mentoring, and ask how progress is shared with parents. Blackburn Mentoring offers one-on-one mentoring and coaching for teens 13 and up, college students and young adults by video nationwide and in person in Los Angeles, starting with a free 20 minute intro call; new clients are matched with a mentor within 2 business days.
Related
- Mentoring for young adults after high school
- Living at Home Agreement Template for Adult Children
- How Parents Stay Informed: Mentoring Progress Updates
- How to Work With Your Teen’s School Counselor
- Mentor for adult child
- How to find a mentor for your son or daughter
- My adult son won’t leave the house: what can help?
- Programs for struggling young adults: the main options compared
Get started
Talk with us about your loved one. Call (888) 305 5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. We will listen, answer your questions and help you decide whether mentoring is the right fit.
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Booking for a son or daughter? You can book the call yourself. Free, by video, 20 minutes, with a member of our team. Weekdays 9 to 5 Pacific.