Welcome to the KSCA Mentoring Program!   KSCA believes school counselors play a pivotal role in a student’s academic, social/emotional, and career development.  In response to the need for school counselors to receive high quality mentoring, we have established a program to offer additional support to new school counselors or current school counselors moving to a different grade level of service.  It is our belief that the provision of structured support for our new counselors will greatly impact the students we serve.

School Counselors are called to be collaborators, leaders and change agents in order to address the multifaceted needs of the students and families they serve.  These roles are complex and require continued professional development and a strong professional identity for the school counselor. KSCA adheres to the code of ethics and professional identity established by ASCA regarding the role of school counselors.

The purpose of the KSCA Mentoring Program is to provide new school counselors with support that is shaped by their professional needs. KSCA will strive to provide a diverse cohort of mentors, representing diverse backgrounds and locations around the state.  Selection of candidates will consider needs based on geography, job specific components, diverse backgrounds and goals of mentees.

If you have any questions about the program or how to get involved, please contact Sherlyn Bratcher at Sherlyn.Bratcher@grrec.org.

KSCA Mentoring Program Mission:

The mission of the KSCA Mentoring Program is twofold: 

1.    to ensure that new school counselors begin their first years (0-3 years) witheffective support to enhance skills in strategic leadership, reflective practice, andthe development of strong relationships; and 

2.    to maximize the potential of new school counselors to become integral members of their school community and leadership team.

KSCA Mentoring Program Goals:

The goals of the KSCA Mentoring Program are to:

• Provide support that encourages skill development, collaboration, and reflection, strengthening the growth of the school counselor mentee.

• Become familiar with the responsibilities that are embedded within a comprehensive school counseling program and how to remove barriers that arise.

• Learn strategies to navigate school culture in order to effectively implement the school counseling program.

• Strengthen the professional identity of the school counselor mentee.

• Build a network of support for the school counselor mentee with other colleagues.

• Support the self-care and wellness of school counselor mentees.

What are the requirements to be a KSCA Mentor?

Mentors must:

• Complete mentor application

• Have 5+ years as a school counselor or school counseling director experience

• Have appropriate Kentucky professional licensure/accreditation

• Be a current KSCA member (professional or retired)

• Participate in mentor training program sessions (in-person or virtual)

• Participate in online meetings with mentor cohort (one hour each) at least three times during the academic year (dates and meeting topics to be determined)

• Complete KSCA Mentor Mentee Goal Setting and Working Agreement

• Schedule regular meetings (in-person or virtual) with the mentee (at least twice each month during the academic year, for a minimum of 15-30 minutes per session) at times that are mutually convenient for the mentor and mentee

• Complete KSCA Mentor Meeting Collaborative Discussion Log to document each mentoring session.

• Be available for additional consultation via phone/email on an as-needed basis

• Participate in the program evaluation and improvement.

• Maintain a log of mentoring activities, including dates and times when mentoring occurs, to be submitted to the Mentoring Coordinator at the end of the school year (complete KSCA Mentor Mentee Hour Log).

• Maintain confidentiality within the mentor/mentee relationship

What are the benefits of becoming a KSCA Mentor?

Mentoring a colleague is a two-way street!  The benefits of becoming a mentor are:

• The opportunity to demonstrate commitment to developing our profession.

• The professional satisfaction of guiding and sharing with another member in the profession.

• The opportunity to use and develop leadership skills.

• Enhanced and strengthened interpersonal and coaching skills.

• Helping to facilitate a smoother learning curve for new school counselors.

• Helping to provide a supportive work environment.

• Creating opportunities for networking.

• $75 stipend earned upon completing the year-end mentoring paperwork

What are my responsibilities as a KSCA Mentor?

As a mentor your responsibilities are to serve as a coach who supports and encourages the new counselor. The Mentor has three very important roles:

As a Mentor you are a Role Model by:

• Displaying a positive attitude -- being enthusiastic, flexible, empathetic, and open-minded.

• Being organized – showing the ability to stay focused, meet deadlines, complete paperwork in a timely manner.

• Showing you are a strong and highly competent professional – leading by example, utilizing a growth mindset, maintaining current knowledge of regulations and best practices, and promoting active membership in professional career associations.

• Demonstrating active thinking and learning skills - Practicing and encouraging Demonstrating proficient mentoring skills – active listening, relationship-building, reflective practices; promoting thinking, analysis, problem solving, and planning; and being a life-long learner.

• Encouraging and challenging the mentee to grow on their own.

• Utilizing effective communication - strong verbal and nonverbal skills, good networking skills, and effective feedback.

Helper by:

• Giving of your time and support.

• Providing the mentee with resources, models of instruction, and methods.

• Showing an awareness of what new practice looks like.

• Building confidence in the mentee.

• Celebrating the successes of the mentee.

• Working collaboratively with the program at large to assist the mentee.

Colleague by:

• Being an advocate for the new mentee and the profession.

• Being a trustworthy confidante who listens in a non-judgmental, non-evaluative manner, without sharing confidential information.

• Demonstrating a caring, supportive attitude.

• Showing your commitment to mentoring by your desire to be a mentor and to give back to others in your profession.

What are the requirements to be a KSCA Mentee?

Mentees are expected to:                   

• Complete mentee application.

• Be a current KSCA member. 

• Complete KSCA Mentor Mentee Goal Setting and Working Agreement

• Schedule regular meetings (in-person or virtual) with the mentor (at least twice each month during the academic year, for a minimum of 15-30 minutes per session) at times that are mutually convenient for the mentor and mentee.

• Complete KSCA Mentor Meeting Collaborative Discussion Log to document each mentoring session.

• Be proactive, seeking out resources to help address priorities.

• Share ideas and practices with colleagues.

• Participate in the program evaluation and improvement.

• Maintain a log of mentoring activities, including dates and times when mentoring occurs, to be submitted to the Mentoring Coordinator at the end of the school year (complete KSCA Mentor Mentee Hour Log).

• Submit a $25 participation fee, ideally paid by the school district.  (If this is a barrier, please complete this form.)

• Maintain confidentiality within the mentor/mentee relationship.

What can I expect from the KSCA Mentoring Program?

An effective mentoring experience considers relationship issues, expectations and logistics.  With these in mind, here are some general guidelines for the KSCA Mentoring Program:

• KSCA Mentors are professionally informed about best practices in the field and participate in programs that promote alignment with the Kentucky Framework of Best Practices for School Counselors and/or ASCA Model 4.0©

• Professional Mentors and mentees should not be in a direct reporting relationship and are ideally not in the same district.

• Mentoring partnerships are about professional development.

• Mentoring partnerships are grounded in confidentiality and trust and should remain confidential unless otherwise specified upfront.

• Mentoring partnerships should be dynamic and reciprocal experiences in which the mentor and mentee grow and learn from each other.

• The responsibility for identifying discussion topics, surfacing ideas and structuring the relationship is shared by both mentors and mentees.

• Although there is a defined period of time for mentoring partnerships, they can be extended by mutual consent.

• Mentees are encouraged to keep their supervisors/administrators informed about the mentoring partnership; however, the disclosure of such information remains at the mentee’s discretion.

• The effectiveness of mentoring partnerships should be evaluated at defined intervals by reviewing the progress towards achieving the mutual objectives of both the mentor and the mentee.

• If a conflict arises in the mentee/mentor relationship, the mentor/mentee will reach out to Sherlyn Bratcher.

What will our mentoring format look like?

A mentor and mentee will be paired and will schedule regular meetings (in-person or virtual) with each other at least twice each month during the academic year, for a minimum of 15-30 minutes per session, at times that are mutually convenient for the mentor and mentee.  Mentor/mentee pairs may communicate through in-person meetings, virtual meetings, email, texts, or other appropriate formats. 

During the first session, the mentor pair will:               

● Complete the mentor-mentee agreement

● Work together to develop short- and long-term goals (academic, career, personal/professional)

What kinds of goal areas can be selected?

The mentoring relationship will depend on the needs of the mentee.  Goal areas can focus on both personal self-care and professional development, such as:

• Self-care ideas

• Becoming more familiar with and implementing the Kentucky Framework of Best Practices for School Counselors, which is aligned with the ASCA National Model 4.0, and applying the comprehensive tools and strategies into school counseling practices and protocols

Of course, these are broad areas, and there are many more you can consider -- as a mentee, your goals are as individual as you are!  Once goals are identified, then the mentor and mentee work together to develop action steps for these identified goals to ensure that you are creating a plan to meet your needs as a new counselor.

(Adapted from Massachusetts School Counselor Association.)