Blackburn Mentoring offers one-on-one mentoring by video anywhere in the United States and in person in Los Angeles, for clients who need practical help turning goals into weekly action. You stay in your role. The client, or the family of a high school student, chooses whether to start, and anything we share with you is shared only with the client’s permission.
This is our referral hub for therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, schools, educational consultants, case managers and programs. More specific pages for school counselors, educational consultants, independent schools, college advisors and wealth advisors and family offices are linked below.
Who to refer, and who not to
Mentoring tends to fit clients who are functioning day to day and want to move on something concrete, but stall on follow-through. Typical goals include:
- Career and education: a job search, returning to school, choosing a direction, keeping a first job.
- Routine and independence: sleep, schedules, a first apartment, getting out of the house with a plan.
- Money and life skills: budgeting, bills, paperwork and everyday adult tasks.
- Health, relationships and family: steady habits and better communication at home.
- Accountability across all of the above, including support for clients in recovery as one specialty among many.
Mentoring is not the right referral when a client needs clinical care that is not yet in place, is in an acute crisis, needs a higher level of care, or is looking for something to replace therapy. Mentors are not therapists, clinicians, tutors or admissions counselors.
What mentoring looks like week to week
- One dedicated mentor. The same person every week, who gets to know the client’s goals, schedule and habits.
- Goals broken into weekly steps. Big aims become small, specific actions with a day and time attached.
- Sessions weekly or several times a week, 60 minutes, by video anywhere in the United States or in person in Los Angeles.
- Text and phone contact between sessions, so a plan made on Monday is still alive on Thursday.
- Sessions that fit. We do not publish prices; rates are reviewed on the free intro call.
For many clients, the most useful part is the middle of the week. Our guide on staying on track between therapy sessions explains the gap mentoring fills, and therapy and mentoring together covers how the roles divide.
How a referral works
- Talk with your client first. Explain what mentoring is and is not, and check they are interested. Nothing happens without their agreement.
- The client or family reaches out. They can take the five-minute assessment at get-started, or call or email us. You are welcome to contact us first to talk it through in general terms.
- A free intro call. Our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a short call to understand goals and fit.
- Matching. We match the client with one mentor whose experience and style suit them.
- Agree on updates. The client decides whether you receive updates, what they cover and how often.
What we need from you
Very little. A short note on the practical goals you see, what supports are already in place, and how you would like to coordinate is helpful, but only with the client’s permission. We do not need diagnoses, clinical records or treatment notes; mentoring is not clinical.
Who joins the intro call
The client always. For a high school student, a parent or guardian is welcome to join too and stays involved throughout. Other family members can join if the client wants them there, and if the client would like you on the call, we can arrange it.
Updates, consent and your role
- Permission first. We share progress only with people the client has agreed to, and only what they have agreed to share.
- Practical, not clinical. Updates cover goals, attendance and follow-through, not anything that belongs in your notes.
- You stay in your role. The mentor does not interpret, diagnose, adjust medication or second-guess the treatment plan.
- Clinical matters come back to you. If something comes up that belongs with you, the mentor encourages the client to raise it with you and, with permission, lets you know.
If a client needs a higher level of care
Mentors watch for signs that something has moved beyond practical support, such as worsening symptoms, safety concerns or a sharp drop in functioning. When that happens, the mentor encourages the client to contact their clinician, and with the client’s permission lets the referring professional know. Mentoring can pause while care is stepped up and resume when the clinical team thinks it is helpful. A licensed professional is the right step for mental health concerns. In a crisis, call or text 988.
What Blackburn does and does not do
- We do: one-on-one mentoring, weekly goals and steps, contact between sessions, permission-based updates, coordination with professionals already involved.
- We do not: therapy, diagnosis, treatment, medication management, tutoring, admissions consulting or clinical aftercare.
- We do not ask you to give up any part of your work with the client.
For transitions home after a program, see young adult transition support. For students, see refer a student. For employers and institutions, see for employers, for colleges and universities and mentoring for schools.
Trustees, wealth advisors, family offices, estate planning attorneys and family law attorneys have their own hub, mentoring for advisors and attorneys, with pages for trust officers and professional trustees, for estate planning attorneys and for family law attorneys.
Entertainment business managers, talent managers and agents: see how to suggest mentoring for a client’s family.
Related
- Therapy and mentoring together
- Between-session support
- Mentor vs coach vs therapist
- How mentoring works
School counselors and educational consultants can also use the printable referral sheet, a one-page summary to hand to families.
Common questions
Do you work with clients outside Los Angeles?
Yes. Mentoring is by video anywhere in the United States, scheduled in the client’s local time zone, and in person in Los Angeles.
Is there a formal referral agreement?
Referring is informal: the client or family chooses to start, and we coordinate with you only with their permission. If your organization needs a written arrangement, contact us to talk it through.
What do you share with me?
Only what the client agrees to: practical progress on goals and follow-through. We do not ask for or send clinical information.
What happens if a client needs more support than mentoring?
The mentor encourages the client to contact their clinician, lets you know with permission, and mentoring can pause. In a crisis, call or text 988.
Get started
Have a client who could use weekly, practical support alongside your work? 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.
Last updated .
Free, by video, 20 minutes, with a member of our team. Weekdays 9 to 5 Pacific.