Aspire
Vocational Programme
Connect Mentoring has been designed to support young people with social, emotional and mental health needs (SEMH) by building a relationship with one of our specialist mentors who are also trained and qualified therapists.
This provides an alternative to formal mental health talking therapies for young people who may not yet be ready or willing to speak to a professional in a counselling service.
Your young person may not have left their bedroom for weeks. They might have been excluded, or, although they are at school, they’re only just managing. Counselling may have been recommended, and the idea of spending time in a room talking to a stranger may feel like too much right now. If any of this sounds like something you’ve experienced, Connect Mentoring was created for situations like this.
HOW IT WORKS
Each young person is matched with a specialist who is therapeutically trained as a mentor. Rather than asking them to come to us and have a conversation, we go to them; this could be at their home, in the community, during a walk, over a game or while cooking together. Each session lasts at least two hours, may take place several times a week, and can continue through the school holidays, since support should not stop when the term ends.
We won’t give up; even if your child can only manage five minutes or can’t come downstairs at all, we’ll still turn up. Missed sessions don’t stop the support! Moreover, we work with you, their school, and other professionals so we’re all working towards the same goal.
CONNECT PROGRAMME
BENEFITS
- 1:1 mentoring with therapeutically trained professionals
- Designed to help improve mental health
- Support to better regulate emotions and behaviours
- Designed to help young people with Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA)
- Preferential access to a qualified Counsellor if needed
- Opportunity to transition into small group sessions
I also feel that my mentor has helped me a lot. Ever since I’ve been talking to her, I feel I’ve been better at explaining how I feel, and I feel much closer to getting out of the house like with my friends. Even though I don’t feel 100% better,…
I used to find leaving the house difficult and really struggled to attend school - found everything overwhelming and couldn’t control my feelings. Since working with my mentor. I feel a lot more confident in new settings and speaking to people. I still get very nervous and anxious but feel…
Next Steps
If you are working with a young person who you think might benefit from this programme, please either get in touch to discuss their case or send in a referral. Every engagement is tailored to provide the most effective package of support that meets the young persons needs, so we will require as much information as you can provide us with such as their educational history, any risk assessments, official documentation such as an EHCP, and any safeguarding context.
Our recent NHS-commissioned evaluation found that 94 per cent of young people experienced improvements in their confidence, mental health, and self-esteem. For youngsters who had been struggling to attend school, average attendance increased from 24 per cent to 82 per cent. We have witnessed cases where young people have gone from not leaving the house to attending school full time, sitting their GCSEs and then going on to start college.
If you’re at all wondering whether Connect Mentoring might be of any use, please contact us. We’d be happy to talk it through with you.
Connect Programme FAQ’s
We believe that too have any meaningful connection the session needs to be two hours, and the length of the support package will vary depending on the needs of the child, but our minimum package is 12 weeks.