Gary J. Rentschler, Ph.D.

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Mentoring Basic Constructs

• Gary J. Rentschler, Ph.D.
• SID 4 Leadership Conference
• Phoenix, AZ June 25, 2008

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What is Mentoring?

• A higher-level of teaching for learners who have
  already acquired a degree of success.
• Learning is often based upon teaching values and
  the rationales upon which values are based.
• A mentor helps to interpret values into everyday
  professional interactions.
• A goal of mentoring is for the mentee to enact
  value-based behaviors independently.

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What is a Mentor?

• A learned person willing to facilitate the
  development of a responsible, self-directed
  associate.
• Rather than training specific skills, a mentor
  identifies the meaningful values and standards
  which underlie them.
• A mentor helps to translate values into everyday
  professional interactions.
• A mentor is more a partner than a superior.

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Famous Mentored Pairings

• Socrates Plato
• Henry Kissinger Alexander Haig
• Benjamin Mays Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Diana Ross Michael Jackson
• Sir Laurence Olivier Anthony Hopkins
• Dr. Dre Snoop Dogg

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Value-Based Mentoring
CN Tower in Toronto
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Facilitating Independence
A communication structure which promotes
independent thinking, independent action, and
professional growth in a desired
direction. Offers different communication style
for various stages of growth and independence.
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Continuum Model of Supervision
J. Anderson, 1998
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Strategies to Facilitate Development
Goal Move the mentee to independent action
utilize a strategy appropriate to the level of
the mentee
From Dowling Mielenz, 2002
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Communicate Performance Expectations

• Clarify Values
• State Expectations
• Model and Demonstrate

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Encourage Skill Development

• Make Observations
• Ask Questions
• Listen and Respond

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Collaborate to Expand Expectations

• Validate Feelings
• Invite Alternatives
• Aim for Consensus

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Recognize Responsibility and Self-Direction

• Confirm Readiness
• Accept the Risk
• Maintain the Relationship

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Shifting Between Strategies

• Downshift to Structuring to support the
  development of new skills reminding mentee of
  the value underlying it

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Components of the Mentoring Process

• Find a mentor
• Establish ground rules for the relationship
• Set expectations for the mentor and the
  mentee/protégé
• Formulate a plan based upon the expected outcomes
• Establish a tentative schedule and agree to
  modify it as needed
• Discuss a plan to assess progress and evaluate
  results4

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Summary Concepts

• Value-Based
• Adjustable Interaction Styles
• to Meet Needs and Level
• Teaching the Culture to
• Promote Independent Behaviors
• Setting Goals to Succeed

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Structuring

• Communicates performance expectations that
  determine appropriate behavior
• Identify values, their rationale and the
  behaviors they require.
• Walk the walk

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Application of the Mentoring Process to Fluency
Disorders

• Dale F. Williams, Ph.D.
• Chair
• Specialty Board on fluency Disorders

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BRS-FD Involvement of the Mentor

• The use of mentors to enhance the education
  and training process for the development of
  BRS-FD is a key component of the Specialty
  Recognition Program.  It is through the mutual
  effort of the mentor and the applicant that the
  applicant enhances skills, learns the
  professions norms and values, clarifies
  professional goals, and establishes contacts in
  the professional community (SBFD Standards
  Procedures Manual).

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SBFD Survey 2008

• Have you served as a mentor to candidates for
  board recognition? If so, what was your
  experience as a mentor?
• Yes- I understood my role as a mentor and feel I
  helped the candidate
• 15.2
• Yes - but the experience could have been better
• 3.3
• No - I have not been a mentor
• 81.5
• Answered question 92

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Specialty Recognition Plan

• Continuing Education in Fluency
• Observation and Case Studies
• Direct Treatment of Fluency Disorders

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Videotaping Guidelines

• Mentor approves that observed treatment fulfills
  requirements (different approaches, demonstrated
  skills, client ages, severity levels, etc.).
• SBFD reviews short clips demonstrating
• -baselining
• -establish/teaching new skills
• -practice of skills
• -transfer
• -counseling

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Candidate Portfolio

• Among other items, the portfolio must
  demonstrate
• multi-dimensional assessments procedures covering
  the affective, behavioral, and cognitive
  components of stuttering,
• the capacity to base treatment goals on
  assessment results,
• rationales for treatment methods,
• an ability to modify course of treatment,
• a range of activities addressing all elements of
  treatment,
• appropriate responses to the clients needs,
• age-appropriate and client-centered activities,
• skills in fluency shaping, stuttering
  modification, integrated treatment, and
  counseling, and
• the ability to treat clients of different ages
  and severity levels.

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Mentor Summary Report

• A statement regarding the experience of mentoring
  the applicant as well as attesting to his or her
  readiness to be a BRS-FD.
• When both the applicant and the mentor agree that
  the supporting materials are sufficient for
  specialty status, they shall be submitted to the
  Board for approval. 

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SBFD Professional Activities

• Direct clinical contact
• Supervision
• Consultation concerning fluency disordered
  clients
• Support group attendance

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Barriers to Mentoring

• Ellen Bennett Lanouette, Ph.D.
• SBFD Board Member
• SRP Coordinator

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Possible Barriers

• Unrealistic (or extremely differing) views of the
  mentoring relationship.
• Little discussion- mentee waiting for mentor to
  solve problems
• Insufficient time on both parties- Just got so
  busy
• Low level of commitment (on both parts)- not
  willing to put in the time or effort- Im a
  gonna
• Inadequate understanding of roles, boundaries,
  and contributions and/or methods- You didnt
  tell me that
• Performance Expectations- Just because you can
  play the piano does not make you ready for the
  Carnegie Hall

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Differing Views of the Mentoring Relationship
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Mentee Expectations

• Outline why he/she wants to become a specialist
• List what the mentee thinks he/she will have to
  do become a specialist
• Define fluency specialist in own words
• Describe what would happen if the mentee did not
  pass through the process

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Mentor Expectations

• Know why you want to mentor
• this individual
• Define what it means to be a specialist
• Discuss the possibility that the mentor might not
  become a specialist
• Have a good understanding of the requirements for
  specialization

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Mentee Tasks

• Download specialization manual from the internet
• Submit to mentor updates on observations what
  he/she learned from the experience (Observation
  Log Sheet)
• Perform self-evaluation of a session and send it
  in to mentor
• Identify an area of need, research the topic, and
  submit a summary of what you learned to the
  mentor

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Mentor Tasks

• Download manual
• Viewing video clips of therapy
• on an ongoing basis and provide written feedback
  of strengths and areas of growth
• Follow through with proposed changes in therapy
  to see if mentee is implementing suggestions
• Request copies of session notes
• Ask mentee to send a monthly update on client
  challenges and how he/she addresses them
• Send mentee a video clip of you demonstrating a
  particular skill

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Set Deadlines

• Set a routine schedule for contacts
• Decide best way of making contacts
• Keep track of contacts
• Mentor Log sheets

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Develop a Contract

• Expectations
• Tasks
• Be specific- include benchmarks
• Include timelines
• Signature page

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Insufficient time

• Dont rush the process
• Consider extending time frame for completion of
  each phase
• Re-set benchmarks and stick to the timelines
• Periodically re-evaluate contract and timelines
• Annual report to SBFD

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Low level of commitment

• What to do when the mentee does not have the same
  level of commitment to becoming a specialist?
• Discuss it openly with mentee
• Notify SBFD Board for suggestions

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Inadequate understanding of roles, boundaries,
and contributions and/or methods.

• What happens if
• Get frequent phone calls from mentee- (go back to
  set schedule of contacts)
• Mentee wants you to solve the problems
• Mentee rejects mentors suggestions (Already
  tried that)
• Mentor not seeing growth in problem solving or
  clinical skills

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There are six decision- making steps

• 1. Define the problem
• 2. Reevaluate the situation
• 3. Gather information
• 4. Think of alternatives
• 5. Choose an alternative
• 6. Put your decision to work
• 7. Be positive.
• 8. Your attitude is important when you are facing
  a situation

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Performance Expectations

• What to do when you, as mentor, do not believe
  the mentee has the skills, knowledge, or
  competencies to qualify as a specialist?
• What to do when the mentee thinks he/she is
  performing at the level of specialist?

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Its All About Communication
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Contact Information

• rentschler_at_duq.edu
• ebennett_at_elp.rr.com
• dwilliam_at_fau.edu