The cost of a mentoring program for a young adult depends mainly on how often sessions happen, how long they run, how much contact there is between sessions and the mentor’s experience; a good program includes regular one-on-one sessions, check-ins between them, a written plan and progress updates. Blackburn Mentoring does not publish prices: cost depends on how often you meet and is explained on a free 20 minute intro call after the assessment, and new clients are matched with a mentor within 2 business days.
The cost of a paid mentor depends on a few choices: how long each session runs, how often you meet, whether the mentor is reachable between sessions, their experience, in person or video, and whether you pay week to week or monthly. Free volunteer programs exist too and suit some people well. The useful question is what you get for the money, not only the rate.
What shapes the cost of paid mentoring
Most paid mentoring and coaching is priced on time and access. These are the factors that move the number up or down:
- Session length. A 30 minute check-in and a 60 minute working session take very different amounts of a mentor’s time, and are usually priced that way.
- How often you meet. Weekly sessions cost less in total than meeting several times a week. More frequent sessions help when someone is restarting routines or facing a deadline.
- Contact between sessions. Text and phone check-ins during the week are where a lot of follow-through happens. Some services include them, some charge separately and some do not offer them.
- Experience and focus. A mentor who has worked with many young adults or professionals on a specific kind of goal brings more to each hour than someone just starting out.
- In person or video. In-person sessions include travel time. Video removes the commute and widens your choice of mentor beyond your own city.
- Family involvement. Progress updates to parents and coordination with professionals already involved take time, so ask whether they are part of the plan.
Paid mentoring vs free and volunteer programs
Free mentoring is real and valuable. Nonprofits, schools, faith communities and workplaces run volunteer programs that pair a person with a caring adult or a more experienced colleague. They often focus on a long-term relationship and community connection.
The tradeoffs are usually structure and availability. Volunteer programs may have eligibility rules or waitlists, meet less often and leave goal setting loose. Paid one-on-one mentoring is built around specific goals, a set schedule and contact between sessions. Neither is better for everyone; our guide to volunteer vs paid mentors walks through the differences, and if you are also weighing a coach, see what coaching costs.
How to compare options fairly
- Price a full month, not one session. Multiply by the number of sessions you actually need. A lower rate at the wrong frequency can leave you without enough support.
- List what is included. Between-session texts, calls, parent updates and planning time all count.
- Check the commitment. Ask about minimum terms, how to pause and how to stop.
- Ask who the mentor is. You want one consistent person, not whoever is free that week.
- Set a review point. Agree in advance when you will check whether it is working, such as after the first several weeks.
Questions to ask before you pay
- Who exactly will I or my child work with, and will it stay the same person?
- How long are sessions, and how often do you recommend meeting for this goal?
- Is there contact between sessions, and is it included?
- Are there weekly and monthly options, and how do I pause or cancel?
- How do you match clients with mentors? See how matching with a mentor works.
- For a teen or young adult, how are parents kept informed, and with whose permission?
- What does a mentor not do, and when do you refer to a licensed professional?
- Is there a free call to talk it through before any commitment?
A good service answers these plainly. If it is unclear what you are paying for, keep asking. Our guide on whether mentoring is worth it can help you weigh the decision.
How Blackburn handles cost
We do not publish prices. Cost is discussed once your assessment is complete. We go over cost with you on the free intro call that follows the assessment. Here is how it works:
- Take the five-minute assessment at get started. A member of our team reviews it personally.
- Have a free intro call. We talk through goals, recommend how many meetings a month fit, and go over rates before you commit to anything.
- Choose a plan. Sessions are 60 minutes.
- Meet your mentor. Each client gets one dedicated mentor, with text and phone contact between sessions.
Sessions run by video anywhere in the United States or in person in Los Angeles. To see the full process, read how mentoring works, or try the mentor fit quiz to see whether one-on-one mentoring suits you. For help deciding on frequency, see how often to meet with a mentor.
What about executive function coaching? It follows the same structure as our other mentoring plans, with text and phone check-ins between sessions included. As with every plan, cost is discussed after the assessment. Read more about online executive function coaching, including coaching for college students and for adults.
Does insurance cover mentoring?
Health insurance usually does not pay for mentoring or coaching, because they are not medical treatment. Families typically pay privately. If therapy or psychiatric care is also needed, that part may be billed differently, so ask your insurer. At Blackburn Mentoring, we discuss cost after the assessment, once the plan and session frequency are clear.
Why is mentoring not covered?
Health plans pay for care that diagnoses or treats a health condition, delivered by a licensed provider. Mentoring helps with goals, routines and follow-through. It is not a diagnosis or a treatment, and our mentors are not licensed clinicians, so there is nothing for a health plan to bill.
Can I use an HSA or FSA for mentoring?
Usually not. Health savings accounts follow the federal definition of medical care, which covers costs for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease. A Congressional Research Service brief on HSA qualified expenses (November 2024) notes that personal expenses that are merely beneficial to general health do not qualify. Mentoring and coaching normally fall outside that definition. Check with your plan administrator or a tax professional about your own situation; we cannot give tax advice.
What about therapy that runs alongside mentoring?
Therapy and psychiatric care are medical services, so insurance may cover part of them depending on your plan and provider. Many families use a clinician for treatment and a mentor for daily follow-through. If you are looking for clinical care, ask your insurer which providers are in network and what your plan pays for outpatient mental health.
What is included in a mentoring plan?
Every Blackburn Mentoring plan includes the same core pieces. What changes from one family to the next is how often sessions happen.
- A short assessment that our team reviews personally, followed by a free intro call.
- A dedicated mentor, matched within 2 business days based on goals, age, schedule and fit.
- Sixty minute sessions by video anywhere in the United States, or in person in Los Angeles. Mentoring is arranged in 30 day cycles.
- Text and phone check-ins between sessions, included in every plan, to keep commitments from slipping.
- Written goals and a weekly plan that the client helps set.
- Parent updates when needed for high school students, and for older clients when they give permission.
- A team behind the mentor. Our team reviews every assessment personally, and the match can be changed if it is not working.
- Flexible times, including early morning, evening and weekend sessions.
Related
- Volunteer vs paid mentors
- How often to meet with a mentor
- Online vs in-person mentoring
- How to choose a mentoring program
- What does a mentor do?
Common questions
Why doesn’t Blackburn publish prices?
Cost depends on the goals and is reviewed on the free intro call. Cost is discussed once your assessment is complete, on the free intro call, so the number matches the plan you actually need.
Is the intro call free?
Yes. After you complete the five-minute assessment, our team reviews it and sets up a free intro call.
Can we change how often we meet?
Yes. Mentoring is arranged in 30 day cycles, and how often you meet can change as goals change.
Is free mentoring a good option?
It can be. Volunteer programs offer real support, especially for long-term connection. Paid one-on-one mentoring adds a set schedule, specific goals and contact between sessions.
Does insurance cover mentoring?
Usually not. Health plans pay for medical treatment from licensed providers, and mentoring is not treatment. Most families pay privately for mentoring and use insurance for any therapy or psychiatric care.
Does executive function coaching cost more than mentoring?
No. It is arranged the same way as our other mentoring plans, with check-ins between sessions included. We discuss cost after the assessment.
What is included between sessions?
Short texts and phone check-ins with the mentor are part of every plan. They help catch a missed deadline or a slipping routine before the next session.
What does a mentoring program for young adults cost and include?
Cost depends on session frequency and length, contact between sessions and mentor experience. A program should include regular one-on-one sessions, check-ins between them, a written plan, progress notes and updates for family when wanted. Blackburn Mentoring explains cost on a free 20 minute intro call; there is no charge for the call.
Is mentoring less expensive than a residential program?
Generally yes. Residential and wilderness programs include housing, round-the-clock staff and clinical care, so they cost far more than at-home mentoring, where the young adult lives at home. See programs for struggling young adults compared.
Get started
Want to talk through goals and rates on a free call? 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.
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Free, by video, 20 minutes, with a member of our team. Weekdays 9 to 5 Pacific.