LGBTQ Mentor for Young Adults: One-on-One Support

Mentoring for LGBTQ young adults is one-on-one support with the practical side of building your life: work, school, money, routines, relationships and independence. At Blackburn you work with one dedicated mentor who helps you set goals, break them into weekly steps and stay on track, with text and phone contact between sessions. You set the agenda, and you decide what is shared with anyone else.

Being LGBTQ is not a problem to fix, and this is not a program built on the idea that you are struggling. Many people come to a mentor simply because they want someone steady in their corner while they figure out the next few years. It is the same practical work our young adult mentoring covers, with a mentor who respects who you are.

What mentoring focuses on

The goals are yours. Common ones include:

Work and career. Finding a first job or a better one, preparing for interviews, handling a new workplace and thinking through what comes next. Our career and education page has more on this side of mentoring.
School. Finishing a degree, returning after time away, choosing a direction or keeping up with a heavy schedule.
Money and independence. A first budget, rent, bills, credit basics and planning a move. See money and life skills.
Routines. Sleep, exercise, meals and a weekly rhythm that holds up when life gets busy.
Relationships. Friendships, dating, roommates, coworkers and family, and how to handle the hard conversations that come with all of them.
Finding community. Building a social life in a new city or after a move, at a pace that feels right to you.

Some clients want to talk about identity, coming out at work or how to handle family. Others never bring it up. Both are completely fine. Your mentor follows your lead.

What it looks like week to week

A starting conversation. In the first sessions you and your mentor talk about what is going well, what feels stuck and what you want to be different in a few months.
Goals broken into weekly steps. A big goal like moving out becomes small actions with days attached: compare three neighborhoods, set a savings target, look at two listings.
Regular sessions. 30 or 60 minutes, weekly or several times a week, by video anywhere in the United States or in person in Los Angeles, scheduled in your local time.
Contact between sessions. A text before an interview, a quick call when a week goes sideways, a check-in on the step you said you would take.
A weekly review. What happened, what got in the way and what to adjust.

Plans are weekly (billed week to week) or monthly. Rates are reviewed on the free intro call. You can read more about the process on how mentoring works.

Choosing your mentor

You can tell us what you are looking for in a mentor on the five-minute assessment or on your intro call. That might be personality and style, background, areas of experience or anything else that matters to you. The team takes your preferences into account when matching. We cannot promise a specific match, but we listen, and if the fit is not right after you start, tell us and we will talk about it.

Tell us the name and pronouns you use, and that is what your mentor uses.

Family involvement, on your terms

For some young adults, family is a strong source of support. For others it is complicated, distant or still changing. Mentoring works either way.

Families are involved only with your permission. As an adult client, you decide whether anyone at home gets updates at all.
If you do want updates shared, you decide what is shared and what stays between you and your mentor.
Sometimes a parent is the one who reaches out first. Even then, the goals and the decision to start are yours.
If family relationships are something you want to work on, your mentor can help you plan a conversation, set a boundary or decide what you want from the relationship right now. Our guide on setting boundaries with parents may help.

Parents who want to understand how to help can read our guide to supporting your LGBTQ young adult.

How privacy is protected

Your mentor does not share updates with family, a school or an employer unless you say so.
You never have to share anything about your identity to work with a mentor.
Video sessions can be scheduled at times and from places where you can talk freely.
If you work with a therapist or another professional, your mentor coordinates with them only with your permission.

How mentoring differs from therapy and other support

Mentoring is not therapy. A mentor helps with goals, routines and follow-through. If you are dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma or anything that feels heavier than a practical problem, a licensed mental health professional is the right step, and many people work with a therapist and a mentor at the same time. Our guide to therapy and mentoring together explains how that works. In a crisis, call or text 988.

Community groups and peer spaces offer connection that a single mentor cannot replace. A mentor is different: one person who knows your goals, meets with you regularly and helps you take the next step.

Questions to ask any mentor or program

Who decides the goals, and who gets updates?
Can I share preferences about who I work with?
How often will we meet, and can I reach my mentor between sessions?
What happens if the fit is not right?
What do you do if something comes up that is outside your role?

Common questions

Do I have to talk about being LGBTQ with my mentor?

No. You can talk about it as much or as little as you like, or not at all. Your mentor follows your lead.

Can I ask to be matched with a particular kind of mentor?

Yes, you can share preferences on the assessment or the intro call, and the team takes them into account when matching. We cannot promise a specific match.

Will my parents be told what we discuss?

Not without your permission. As an adult client you decide whether family gets updates and exactly what is shared.

Is mentoring available outside Los Angeles?

Yes. Sessions are by video anywhere in the United States, scheduled in your local time, and in person in Los Angeles.

Get started

Want a mentor in your corner? 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.

Mentoring for LGBTQ Young Adults