Specialist Mentoring Services
Connected Self has hand-picked and experienced mentors who provide specialist support to children and young people.
This mentoring program is designed to support young people experience a safe, trusting and secure relationship with an adult figure, while at the same time developing key skills to support their development.
This mentoring program is designed to support young people experience a safe, trusting and secure relationship with an adult figure, while at the same time developing key skills to support their development.
Connected Self has mentors who are experienced in the fields of expressive arts, the Rock & Water program, music, sports and yoga. The Connected Self mentoring program is externally supported, supervised and evaluated by a psychologist. During the process of matching a mentor with a young person, a client assessment is undertaken to determine a suitable match. It represents a "needs-based" or outcome orientated intervention. The program has been developed in respect to best-practice mentoring criteria.
What is Needs-Based Mentoring?
Research suggests that mentoring is most effective when the mentor is able to respond to the individual needs of the young person. Connected Self offer specialised mentoring to meet the specific needs of each young person as assessed through a written needs analysis conducted by a psychologist. The mentor is coached and supervised to integrate specific skills or undertake specific activities to achieve the objectives stated within the needs analysis.
Research suggests that mentoring is most effective when the mentor is able to respond to the individual needs of the young person. Connected Self offer specialised mentoring to meet the specific needs of each young person as assessed through a written needs analysis conducted by a psychologist. The mentor is coached and supervised to integrate specific skills or undertake specific activities to achieve the objectives stated within the needs analysis.
Specialty Areas
Children and young people come in different shapes and sizes. To assist in the matching process, Connected Self mentors have speciality skills in the following areas:
Children and young people come in different shapes and sizes. To assist in the matching process, Connected Self mentors have speciality skills in the following areas:
- Rock & Water mentoring
- Visual and expressive arts mentoring
- Music mentoring
- Yoga mentoring
- Sports mentoring
- Student support mentoring
What is Needs-Based Mentoring?
Rock & Water mentoring is an innovative and best-practice means to work with young people with more complex needs and behaviours. Often young people can flourish in an one-on-one environment where alternative strategies can be used to assist one's learning. Individualised mentoring programs are developed around the specific needs of individual single clients or small groups.
This mentoring program integrates both Rock & Water exercises and other techniques (relaxation, mindfulness) that are designed to reduce anxiety and arousal levels, as well as foster body-, emotional- and self-awareness. A thorough needs assessment is conducted before each mentoring program is conducted. Connected Self's psychologist, Ivan Raymond, supervises each individual program. Each mentor program is fully evaluated and this evaluation is openly available to the sponsor organisation.
Rock & Water mentoring is an innovative and best-practice means to work with young people with more complex needs and behaviours. Often young people can flourish in an one-on-one environment where alternative strategies can be used to assist one's learning. Individualised mentoring programs are developed around the specific needs of individual single clients or small groups.
This mentoring program integrates both Rock & Water exercises and other techniques (relaxation, mindfulness) that are designed to reduce anxiety and arousal levels, as well as foster body-, emotional- and self-awareness. A thorough needs assessment is conducted before each mentoring program is conducted. Connected Self's psychologist, Ivan Raymond, supervises each individual program. Each mentor program is fully evaluated and this evaluation is openly available to the sponsor organisation.
Aims and Outcomes
Our mentoring program has achieved success for:
Our mentoring program has achieved success for:
- Young people presenting with complex behaviours. Our mentors are experienced in the design of behaviour management plans for children displaying complex behaviours.
- Young people who have backgrounds of abuse and trauma. The program is designed to foster safe and responsive relationship experiences, and skill development in the areas of personal boundaries, self-protective behaviour and emotional regulation.
- Young people who experience high arousal or anxiety and/or are unwilling to participate in larger groups.
- Young people with learning difficulties. The psycho-physical program is ideal for young people who have had negative experience with traditional learning environments
- Young people to re-integrate back into the school community with improved confidence and self-understanding.
- Young people presenting with low self-esteem and self-confidence.
Who are our mentors?
Our mentors are hand-picked individuals who undergo significant background screening. All mentors have extensive experience in working with complex young people from a diverse range of settings. Our mentors are trained and externally supervised by Connected Self psychologist, Ivan Raymond, and Program Facilitator, Tim Brenton.
Our mentors are hand-picked individuals who undergo significant background screening. All mentors have extensive experience in working with complex young people from a diverse range of settings. Our mentors are trained and externally supervised by Connected Self psychologist, Ivan Raymond, and Program Facilitator, Tim Brenton.
Evaluation and evidence
This Rock & Water mentoring service has been developed from best-practice research on mentoring and the Rock & Water program. We encourage you to visit our resources section where we present a library of background evaluations and information on both mentoring and Rock & Water:
This Rock & Water mentoring service has been developed from best-practice research on mentoring and the Rock & Water program. We encourage you to visit our resources section where we present a library of background evaluations and information on both mentoring and Rock & Water:
- Rock & Water program
- Mentoring for young people
