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Centering on Mentoring: Getting Connected!
April 2006
Our profession's growth and continued success can be accomplished only through mentoring the next generation of competent and motivated professionals. Access to role models and mentors is important for our up and coming young student professionals as well as early career professionals and those who may be switching to this field from other careers. To address this critical need, Dr. Gerald P. Koocher created the Centering on Mentoring Task Force to focus on mentoring within the profession and in the American Psychological Association (APA). This Task Force is one of his Presidential initiatives and part of Dr. Koocher's broader initiative on Early Career Psychologists. APA indicates that the number of graduate students and early career psychologists has increased over the last decade. At the same time, the Association has had a dramatic increase in the average age of its members. Connecting psychology graduate students and early career psychologists with more experienced senior psychologists is an important vehicle for enhancing psychology and APA.
Members of the Task Force were selected from a pool of nearly 70 nominees to comprise a geographically, professionally, and culturally diverse group. The age and professional experience of the group varies from early career psychologists to seasoned professionals who have been part of APA for over 30 years. Dr. Jessica Henderson Daniel is the Chair of the Task Force. The other members of the group are Drs. Joseph F. Aponte, Georgia T. Chao, Haydee M. Cuevas, Benjamin D. Locke, Janet R. Matthews, Mark A. Vosvick, Danny Wedding, and Tanya E. Williamson. APA staff members on the Task Force include Ms. Judy Strassburger, Ms. Elizabeth Kaplinski, Ms. Casey Reever, and Ms. Rachel Weinberg, all from APA Governance Affairs Office. All nominees for the Task Force were invited to serve as part of an Advisory Group that provides input and feedback on the Task Force's initiatives.
The Centering on Mentoring Task Force has met twice. Emerging from these meetings was an operational definition of mentoring. Mentoring was defined as a professional relationship in which one provides advice and/or psychosocial support that will contribute to another's professional and personal development. This mentoring relationship may be provided on an individual or group basis and may occur through a range of communication venues. Furthermore, the duration and intensity of the relationships vary according to the match and needs of the individuals involved. Such a definition also assumes an array of mentoring relationships that cut across different scientific and professional interests in a variety of geographical locations and settings.
In moving forward on connecting mentors and mentees, the Task Force members believe that it is important to identify and acknowledge existing mentoring programs within APA. A number of APA Divisions, including Divisions 2, 14, 17, 21, 37, 40, 42, 44, 45, 50, 52, and 53 already have mentoring programs. The nature of these programs varies. For example, some Divisions include goals such as increasing the number of ethnic minority students and professionals in the discipline, while others focus on providing guidance on beginning and ending a private practice. Other organizational structures within APA also have mentoring programs. For example, the APA Council of Representatives has a mentoring program where “veteran” members of Council are assigned to mentor new Council members. These programs potentially provide a wealth of information that could form the basis for developing and refining other mentoring programs within the Association.
A number of “mentoring venues” are planned for the upcoming APA 2006 Convention in New Orleans. Among these include interactive social opportunities (e.g., divisional and organizational social hours) where potential mentors and mentees can freely meet and discuss their interests and concerns in an informal setting. Also planned for the 2006 Convention is a three generation mentor-mentee symposium, Centering on Mentoring: Voices from Three Generations, which will feature a number of distinguished speakers who share a mentor-mentee relationship. The first set of mentor-mentee speakers will be Drs. Stanley Sue and Sumie Okazaki, and Mr. Eric J. R. David. The second set of speakers will be Drs. Martin Seligman, Sonja Lyubomirsky, and Susan Nolen-Hoeksema. These speakers will describe their mentor-mentee relationships and the role these relationships have played in their personal and professional lives.
The APA Convention will also be a vehicle for launching a pilot of the APA Centering on Mentoring Program. This program will collect mentoring needs from prospective mentees and areas of expertise/experience from perspective mentors. From this data, mentors and mentees will be matched. There will be a training/orientation program at the New Orleans Convention to help mentors and mentees set up clear expectations for the relationship and to help formulate developmental goals. All participants in the program are invited and encouraged to attend this training session, but training is not mandatory. Program materials will be made available to all participants. Contact Dr. Georgia T. Chao for further information on the Pilot Mentoring Program.
Further information on Centering on Mentoring can be found at http://mentoring.apa.org. This recently developed website describes the purpose of the Centering on Mentoring Task Force, identifies the Task Force and Advisory Board members, and describes the planned Task Force activities and those projects currently underway. Of particular note on the website is a resource guide, Introduction to Mentoring, which describes the different forms and stages of mentoring, discusses mentoring and ethics, and identifies the Do's and Don'ts of mentoring under a section on the etiquette of mentoring. The website also lists APA affiliated and non-APA affiliated mentoring programs, including sponsoring group, name and description of mentoring program, and link to the program.
A perusal of the Centering on Mentoring website clearly indicates that there are already a number of innovative and exciting mentoring programs within APA. We can and should expand these efforts within APA and within state, provincial, and state associations. Many of you have had a mentoring relationship as a student and/or professional. Your experiences as a mentor or mentee are important to us. Let us know about your mentoring experiences, your thoughts on the subject, and your recommendations for improving mentoring within psychology and APA. Please email your ideas. With your support, the Centering on Mentoring Task Force will meet its objective of creating resources and opportunities to assist the next generation of psychology professionals in “getting connected” with potential mentors and ensure their success as they embark on their new careers.
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