The wellbeing of current and former youth in foster care is of great importance in the United States; at any given point, there are almost 400,000 children in foster care and many more with a history of being in foster care. There is a dire need to prioritize access to professional, high-quality support services over time for both current and former youth in foster care, not only for psychological wellbeing, but for relational and physical wellbeing as well. Researchers have identified a high prevalence of mental health conditions among youth in foster care, which is purported to be due to experiences of adverse childhood experiences and trauma during childhood and adolescence. Unfortunately, barriers to accessing mental health services often leave current and former youth in foster care without the professional support that would benefit them. This chapter discusses the need to include varied service options to provide high-quality mental health supports to current and former foster youth. We propose that mentors can fill a gap in existing support systems for youth in foster care and be an adjunct to psychotherapy services. In addition to offering valuable support for long-term relationships with youth in foster care, we recognize the need for the mentorship of service providers who serve in these roles for youth in foster care. This idea is illustrated through a discussion of the A Home Within program, which provides consultative support to its volunteer clinicians through a “mentor the mentor” model.

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Overlapping Ideas for Mentorship and Psychotherapy for Current and Former Foster Youth

  • Deanna Linville,
  • Saralyn C. Ruff

摘要

The wellbeing of current and former youth in foster care is of great importance in the United States; at any given point, there are almost 400,000 children in foster care and many more with a history of being in foster care. There is a dire need to prioritize access to professional, high-quality support services over time for both current and former youth in foster care, not only for psychological wellbeing, but for relational and physical wellbeing as well. Researchers have identified a high prevalence of mental health conditions among youth in foster care, which is purported to be due to experiences of adverse childhood experiences and trauma during childhood and adolescence. Unfortunately, barriers to accessing mental health services often leave current and former youth in foster care without the professional support that would benefit them. This chapter discusses the need to include varied service options to provide high-quality mental health supports to current and former foster youth. We propose that mentors can fill a gap in existing support systems for youth in foster care and be an adjunct to psychotherapy services. In addition to offering valuable support for long-term relationships with youth in foster care, we recognize the need for the mentorship of service providers who serve in these roles for youth in foster care. This idea is illustrated through a discussion of the A Home Within program, which provides consultative support to its volunteer clinicians through a “mentor the mentor” model.