Rebecca Mulcahey

Youth mentoring is a 1:2:1 or group talking session, whereby a youth worker will use tools that encourage personal development, whilst also holding space for them to express themselves, any worries they may be holding onto and supporting them on managing their concerns.

The young person should preferably be between 10 and 18 years old but I will consider clients outside of this age group dependent on their needs and level of communication.

Youth mentors do not aim to stand in as parents, teachers or friends. They are there to offer impartial, trustworthy support without any judgement. A youth mentor can give a young person the chance to vent freely and confidentially about anything they want. This may include school and family life, friends or anything else that happens to be on their mind.

Youth mentors are not counsellors, psychologists or therapists and during sessions we do not aim to support, treat or advise on specific psychological matters. We can however sign post you to appropriate support for these concerns.

Why Might Someone Benefit from Youth Mentoring?

Post pandemic, challenges with young people’s wellbeing are at an all-time high and access to services that support and manage this are at an all-time low.

Charities that support young people as well as schools and parents, are crying out for early intervention that can prevent an escalation of difficulties such as chronic anxiety, low mood, depression, anger issues and much more.

If concerns of young people aren’t managed soon enough, they have increased risk of escalating into these difficulties meaning a higher risk of exclusion from school, lower attendance to school, relationship break downs, social exclusion and the young person posing increased risk to themselves and others. Unmanaged stress, anxiety and low mood is also linked to difficulties in physical health such as fatigue and stomach issues.

Coaching and mentoring is a proven, nurturing, and successful early intervention for young people, if it is engaged with properly and supported by the people around them. It is perfect for early intervention, before the situation becomes embedded and complex and therefore requires support of specialist services who either have high waiting times, high thresholds and/or high costs.

If you look after a young person that has gone a bit off track, is struggling at school, is going through a tricky time and not managing well, has low resilience or self-esteem, has a big decision to make or anything else where they may benefit from talking to someone other than a parent or teacher, then a youth mentor just may be helpful.

What Happens during a session?

All sessions are held on Zoom, your young person needs to be somewhere, where they feel comfortable and safe, where they have privacy but can open a door if they need to and we conduct a 45 -60 minute session via video call.

When I first meet a young person, I will have a general and casual conversation to try and get to know them and allow them to get to know me. I explain the boundaries of our relationship and the limits to confidentiality so that they can have full understanding before sharing anything with me.

From there we investigate where their difficulties lie, how that makes them feel and behave, what’s going well for them (and how that affects how they feel and behave) and what needs to change.

This helps give the young person to organise their thoughts and prioritise things making it all seem less overwhelming.

Action plans are always made at the end of sessions giving the young person achievable actions to show their commitment to making the necessary changes in their life.

In future sessions a similar format is used but I can also provide tools and knowledge to support them in managing situations and emotions. I can also sign post them and parents where possible to other support that may compliment our sessions.

We will also look to developing really important life skills such as building self-esteem, problem solving, work ethic, stress management and much more.

Sometimes I may ask to speak to you after the session if there is something I need to pass on from our session with the young persons permission or if I have any safeguarding concerns, so please check in afterwards.

How many sessions are needed?

This would depend on the situation. If a young person had a goal to hit such as picking options at school or managing revision, then a single session would support this. If someone was struggling at school or with managing their emotions then multiple sessions would benefit as it will take time to properly pick apart, understand and support those needs.

Once we have spoken on the phone or by email, I should be able to give you an idea on how many sessions as a minimum would be suitable.

Regardless, I want people to feel in full control so sessions can be booked and paid for one at a time. I do however offer discounts for multiple sessions paid for in advance.

What should I expect to see after sessions?

It is important to manage your expectations of your young person after these sessions. As you will know, we are all so different and so each young person will respond differently and will experience a different impact.

I can say from experience that most will come away from sessions feeling lighter. If they commit to their action plans and use the tools I provide, then you should start to see improvements in whatever we are working towards but it will take time and it will depend on their engagement with their development.

Young people that I work with can show improvement in school attendance, reduce their risk of exclusion and improve their self esteem and feelings of self-worth. They could also improve their ability to manage emotions such as stress, anger and anxiety, and develop better communication skills.

Often, young people need to offload and although they might not be ready to use support on a regular basis, they benefit from a safe and confidential environment to air their concerns and worries. This alone lightens the load.

Please note that during our first contact, I will ask about the extent of the difficulties faced by the young person and will provide a risk assessment to be signed. This is because I am unable to work with young people that face moderate to high level mental health difficulties or are in situations that are extremely complex and therefore better managed by other professionals. I will always have the young persons best interests at the heart of all I do and therefore will not risk having a negative impact on someone due to not being able to meet their needs.

How much does it cost?

The initial call or email is free of charge to determine whether the service is right for both parties. Please note I WILL NOT SELL TO YOU. Don’t be afraid to get in contact, I will not push you or pester you into working with me. We will have a discussion and you will have as much time as you need to get back in contact with me if you would like to book.

*Please keep reading if you are low income or a school/organisation as I can offer reduced rates depending on circumstances.

When you book a £20 deposit is taken and this is non-refundable should your young person not make the meeting.

The remaining £20 must be made before the session for it to take place so the per session cost is £40.

If you are low income and your child is on free school meals I can offer a reduced rate, please let me know if this is the case and we can discuss how to provide proof and discuss an affordable rate.

If you are a school or other organisation, please get in contact to discuss pricing as I can offer reduced rates for multiple sessions/clients.

How do I book a session?

Please pop me a message or voice note on 07483823961 or email me on rmulcaheycoaching@outlook.com

I will aim to get back to you within a day or two and we will go from there.

The important information

I am enhanced DBS checked, insured and qualified and I will provide information surrounding these once sessions are booked (or before if you are concerned, just ask). I will also provide you with a GDPR agreement.