Mentoring: Relationships of Connection and Empowerment

Special Edition, 2000 Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society International

Vol. 15 No. 1

Mentoring: Relationships of Connection and Empowerment

Cathy Woodyard

CSI Exemplar Editor

Early in my graduate studies, a graduate assistant named Erwin McCorkle encouraged me to apply to become a member of Chi Sigma Iota. He explained it was a new national honor society, and he was serving as our chapter president. As a student on a very tight budget, I didn't have the money to join at that time, but Erwin encouraged me to attend the chapter's initiation of new members. Tom Sweeney, executive director of the then fledgling honor society, came from Ohio to offer our new chapter suggestions and encouragement. I attended, soon joined, and was immediately nudged into positions of leadership within the chapter by Erwin . Within a few months, Erwin died unexpectedly, and I felt the enormous loss of a mentor and friend . After his death , I found myself more committed to CSI , for it seemed a way to honor his desire for a strong and growing chapter

Several years later, I applied to become a CSI intern , and I was fortunate enough to be selected. As I attended the CSI Executive Council meetings that year, I felt more than a little overwhelmed, for I wasn 't certain how to "be" surrounded by respected leaders of the counseling profession. Nicholas Vacc, then editor of the CSI Newsletter, invited me to write a couple of features for the newsletter. I did so, and at the end of that year when

he stepped down as editor, he recommended the Executive Council invite me to assume the editorship . I was flattered-but once again enormously overwhelmed . I accepted-on the condition that he would be on the other end of the telephone for assistance and guidance. He readily agreed, and during the seven years I have served as editor, I have called him many times. Each time he has answered my questions-no matter how simplistic or complex-in an affirming and encouraging way. His interest, investment, and belief in me have truly been instrumental in my professional development.

As editor of the Exemplar, I attend all Executive Council meetings, leadership development workshops, chapter leadership network meetings, CSI awards ceremonies and receptions. At each of these happenings, I am always observing and listening-ever attentive for a lead on a possible article or feature for the Exemplar. At the leadership workshops I see faculty advisors accompanying students to their first national conference and conferring with them on ways to strengthen their chapters. At chapter leadership meetings, I watch as "experienced" members share ideas with "new" members for fund raising, membership, and newsletters. Interns, chosen because of their leadership and mentored by the Executive

Council, lead these meetings and offer suggestions for chapter leaders. At the awards ceremonies, I observe faculty advisors proudly taking pictures of students receiving plaques, and I see CSI recognizing and honoring excellence in up-and-coming professionals. During the CSI reception, I watch students visit with other students but also meeting and connecting with seasoned professionals and leaders in the field.

From my initial invitation to join CSI at the chapter level to my many varied experienced with CSI on the national level, I have received valuable mentoring. Through CSI, I have made connections with individuals who have offered me guidance, encouragement, assistance, and reassurance personally and professionally. Because of their belief in me, I have been willing to take risks, and by doing so, I have found a

(Continued on Page 10)

IN THIS ISSUE

Mentoring: Relationships of Connection and Empowerment .. .. ............ .. .. ... ................1 Mentoring the Next Generation .. .. .... .. ... .......2 On Being a Mentor.. .. .. .. ........ .. ......... ............3 Multiculturalism and Mentoring .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .. ..4 The Mentoring Relationship Beyone Academe .. .... ...... .. ........ ... ...... ..... .... ..............?

a Meet Sam..... ... .... .. .... ... ..... ..... .... ..................

Ongoing Need for Mentorship............ .. .. .. .. 12 Mentoring While Avoiding the Pitfalls of Dual Relationships .. .......... ... .... ........ ... .. .......... .. .13 The Counselor as Mentor ...... ........ ...... .. .. .. 15 CSI Mentoring Programs .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ...... .17 CSI Faculty Advisors as Mentors .. ...... .. .. ... 18 Doing Your Part in Building Mentoring Relationships ... ... ..... ........ ... .......... .............20 E-mail : Enhancing Communication and Mentoring .. .. ..... ... ............. ......... ... .. .... ... .... .21 Book Review .. ...... .. .. ... .. .... .. .. ..... .... ........ .. ..23

PAGE 2

1999-2000 CSI LEADERSHIP

DIRECTORY

President: Don C. Locke The Graduate Center 143 Karpen, CPO #2140 Asheville, NC 28804 dlocke@unca.edu

President-elect: Edwin Herr 241 Chambers Building The Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA 16802 e lh 2 @email.psu .edu

Past-president: Bill Nemec 515 25th St. , NW Malone College Canton, OH 44709-3897 nemec2 @malone .edu

Secretary: Nancy E. Sherman ?806 Westlake Hall Bradley University Peoria, IL 28804 nes@bradley.edu

Treasurer: Jamie Carney 2084 Haley Center Counseling and Counseling Psychology Auburn, AL 36849 carnesjs@mail.auburn.edu

Executive Director: Tom Sweeney CSI Headquarters School of Education University of North Carolina P.O. Box 26171 Greensboro, NC 27402-61 71 (336) 334-4035 tjsweene@hamlet. uncg.edu

Administrative Assistant: Kelley Rowland CSI Headquarters School of Education University of North Carolina P.O. Box 26171 Greensboro, NC 27402-6171 (336) 334-4035

Interns: Lauri Ashton Dept. Of Educational Leadership, Counseling, and Foundations University of New Orleans New Orleans, LA 70148

Marsha E. Boveja 500 Gills Creek Parkway Columbia, SC 29209

COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS Membership Committee

Connie Fox By-Laws Committee

Michael Garrett Awards Committee

Lynn D. Miller Long Range Planning Committee

Ed Herr Chapter Development Committee

Claire Bienvenu Lauri Ashton Technology Committee Jane Myers CSI Home Page csi-

CHI SIGMA IOTA

SPECIAL EDmO. -. 2000

Mentoring the Next Generation:

The Mentor's Perspective

Mary Thomas Burke Mu Tau Beta Chapter

There are many qualities attributed to teachers who excel in their profession. Few, however, can surpass the creation of a nurturing environment for each student. I believe that teachers can become excellent when they realize that by creating an environment . where interruptions become opportunities, the effect of such creation is that the interruptions themselves become one's real work. Excellent teaching works to establish a hospitable atmosphere where students can enter an environment of fearless-comfort one where creativity is welcomed, history is suspended, and judgment is reserved . When such a space is created, where students and teacher can enter into open communication with each other and permit their respective life experiences to be their most valuable source of growth, a mutual trust is established resulting in teachers and students shari ng in the same struggle and search for the same truth . By creating such an environment, there is an unspoken element of soulful expectation.

Weekly Journal

Knowing what is going on in each of my students' lives is very important to me. Any major change in a student's personal life - whether it is a sick child or an ailing grandmother, a spouse who has lost employment, or the news of an impending surgery is a very important road block on a student's journey which impacts upon his or her school work. Having each student write a weekly journal and submit a copy of the entry to me is a great way of keeping in touch with st~ dents. I ask students to reflect on the1r learning experiences, discuss their successes and struggles, including their personal successes and str~g gles if they choose to do so. Hav1ng a total picture enables me not only to understand the student more fully but also to reach out to the student and , perhaps, make the differenc~ betwe~n success and failure , satisfaction or discouragement for the student. T~is . weekly journal proves to be an Incredible tool for the development of good writing skills.

Set Goals

Having students set goals for the semester and then meeting with each student on an individual basis at midterm and the end of each semester are other ways to get to know each student on an individual basis. The student brings a written self-evaluation to the conference and together we discuss the progress s/he has made toward the goals s/he had set and the goals I expect of him or her.

Greatest Mentors

Helping people reach their potential, 1 believe, is done primari ly by mentoring. My own greatest mentors were my parents, both of whom placed a very high value on education. The early lessons I learned as a young person growing up in Ireland have helped me value education. My father stressed that a good education was something no one could take from us. He often said , "You get just an outline in school , the rest is up to you." My mother spent endless hours with us being sure that the outline was fully developed. She was always available to help us with our homework, whether in algebra or Latin, history or English. Their message is one I have carried with me all my life and more importantly have attempted to implement as I developed my own philosophy of education.

Mentor as Model

The purpose of the mentor is to be

true to his or her discipline of study,

true to the goal of preserving and pro-

ducing knowledge, and true to the

vocation of teaching: teaching not on

by word , but more importantly, by

example. It is the example that

inspires, motivates, challenges. and

holds out the life model for the studen

to experience.

The mentor, having estab ished

trust, can indeed help the s

s

see themselves more clearly, thereby

aiding the student's acade ? growth

and his or her ability to e ought-

ful and meaningful choices. In order to

achieve such faithfulness. the mentor

must above all be true o e student.

It is through that indi ?d al student

Con ? ued on Page 5)

SPECIAL EDITION, 2000

CHI SIGMA IOTA

On Being a Mentor

Edwin L. Herr CSI President-elect

Mentoring is a term that has come

into prominence in the corporate world and in higher education , particularly graduate education , fairly recently. Like many such terms it has been an unnamed and , perhaps, under appreciated part of these environments, probably for centuries. Indeed, there are examples of processes in higher education (e.g. , career development and placement) that are now institutionalized that were once dealt with solely through mentoring relatfons. A century and more ago\ ?it was expected that a professor would be the primary agent for the placement of his or her favorite students in good jobs with persons with whom the professor had a personal and positive relationship.

Examples of similar behavior in the corporate , governmental or military workplaces of the world are common . We hear about senior persons taki ng junior workers "under their wings," "showing them the ropes ," "getting them access to the right people or assignments that would furthe r their careers." In many ways, these are expected , if unlabeled, informal processes of mentoring in different organizations .

Developmental Experience

In the recent past, mentoring has come to be seen as an extremely important mechanism by wh ich to facilitate the successful induction of people into the norms and expectations of the organizations they enter as well as to help them advance in their careers. Viewed from such a perspective, mentoring is a developmental experience of considerable value to the effective and efficient movement of people into and through institutional pathways and organizational cultures. Thus , mentoring is not only important at a beginning point in one's career, mentoring is likely to be important as one progresses through a career and faces new decision or transition points.

Transfer of Knowledge

In such contexts , mentoring can be conceived in many ways. Certainly, at a minimum , mentoring is a transfer of knowledge. The mentor is in a position to provide information about role expectations and role boundaries in a particular work or social context that the mentee would be likely to acquire only through trial and error, and often unpleasant and trying experiences. While one is likely to learn through such experiences , it is not necessarily an efficient or effective way to learn. Frequently the norms, role boundaries, and social expectations of organizational culture are not caditied or clearly marked out but they exist and they mediate one's acceptance by others and one's pertermance. The mentor can provide a "road map" by which the mentee can avoid or surmount the "pot holes," the unspoken obstacles, the organizational politics, the barriers to success in organizational cultures.

Transfer of knowledge by a mentor about the things which make for a smooth induction or transition into a professional context can be critical. I remember several years ago receiving a telephone call from a young

assistant professor in another department and college. He was distressed and asked if he could talk with me. I agreed to see him. To make a long story brief, he had just received notice from his department head that he would not be permitted to continue on the tenure track and would be terminated at the end of his fourth year as a faculty member. He was a bright, well-trained, and productive man who asked me to help him clarify what happened. The results of our analysis indicated that without intending to, or knowingly doing so, he violated several norms of his department. He undertook a revision of several courses he was asked to teach without consulting with senior faculty, he chose not to use text-

PAGE 3

Chi Sigma Iota Exemplar

The CSI Exemplar is distributed three times a year to all CSI members and is the main communication service informing members of current events within the Society and within the counseling profession. Its content represents enthusiasm for academic and professional excellence in counseling.

Deadlines: Issue Fall Spring

Summer

Deadline September 1 November 1 April1

Editorial Staff Andy Finch Audio Edition Recorder Vanderbilt, Tennessee

June Williams Associate Editor Southeastern Louisiana University

Susan DeVaney Associate Editor Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Cathy Woodyard Editor

Exemplar Publication and Communication:

Cathy Woodyard, Editor Texas Woman's University Department of Family Sciences P.O. Box 425769 Denton, TX 76204-5617

(972) 548-8092 (972) 548-9891 (Fax) cwoodyard@texoma .ne t

Exemplar Printer: Professional Printers, Inc. 1730 Old Dunbar Road West Columbia, SC 29172

a:!lfl t t _ , ____ 'P-_'A_G_E_4_________~-

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S_P_E_C_ IA_L_ ED_ _IT_I_O_N_;,__2_0_0_0

REFLECTIONS ON MULTI-CULTURAL

ASPECTS OF MENTORING

Leon E. Spencer Terry 0. Oatts

Georgia Southern University

Mentoring is an important strategy for the education and training of counselors. Mentoring relationships are an opportunity for faculty and graduate students to facilitate change through nurturing, challenging and providing support to underserved students, particularly students of color. The inadequate number of faculty of color makes it a difficult task for students of color to find a role-model mentor. Many well intentioned rventors may not pay attention to multicultural factors that can define how successful a mentoring relationship can be.

Both authors of this article are African Americans and have experienced mentaring (as mentor or mentee) with and without the use of a multicultural lens. Our experiences have led us to believe that the application of a multicultural lens to the mentoring process is essential if we are to serve our profession effectively.

Spencer's Mentoring Experiences

Three mentors were particularly influential and helpful to me during the formative stages of my graduate studies and tenure as a college professor. One mentor, a white female, was my graduate advisor at Ball State University. Another was a person of color who mentored me in my work setting. Lastly, I was mentored by a white male during my initial experience working in higher education. Finding a mentor through my graduate education was no small task. Being a person of color, I soon found that there were no role models who were people of color. I constantly encountered feelings of isolation which compounded the difficulties I already experienced in attempting to determine how I fit into institutional expectations. Although I was eventually able to find a mentor, it was a long and tedious task where my mentor and I constantly tested one another until we could talk openly and candidly about issues of race and gender. My mentor could relate to some of my experiences of isolation and doubt since she had similar feelings related to being a

woman in graduate school. Her sharing these with me was the beginning of a lasting professional and personal relationship. My experiences as a mentee not only led me to make mentoring an integral part of my role as a professor but also led me to realize the importance of mentoring's taking on a multicultural lens.

Oatts' Mentoring Experiences

As a graduate student in a counseling program devoid of racial and cultural diversity from both a student and faculty standpoint, I often yearned for a mentoring relationship that would allow me to express my world view in a context where it could truly be understood and appreciated. In addition to the ostensible benefits of mentoring, I felt that a culturally congruent mentoring relationship could offer greater benefits such as an enhanced self-image and increased self-esteem. I was eventually fortunate to find that mentoring relationship in the form of an African-American professor in my graduate program in counseling . The professor helped me to grow academically, personally, and professionally by providing me with a model with whom I could identify, informing me of opportunities to expand my professional growth, facilitating opportunities for me to publish my scholarly writings, and allowing me to extend my professional proficiency through supervision opportunities in the area of counseling. I am proud to say that the professor to whom I am alluding is the co-author of this piece.

This experience allowed for an open discussion about how my development as a student and a professional has been impacted by personal, cultural , and institutional oppression. Our mentaring relationship allowed me to challenge stereotypes and internalized issues of oppression in a safe and supportive environment. This mentoring process led to a more positive reframing of my experiences from liabilities to assets, a more positive view of myself, and a deeper appreciation for the world views of others. The development of

this multicu ltural lens was a personally liberating experience, resulting in a paradigmatic shift from blaming myself to examining institutional and cultural aspects of oppression.

Applying a Multicultural Lens to the Mentoring Process

The word "mentoring" comes from the Greek myth, The Odyssey. Mentor was the teacher of Telemachus, the son of Odysseus. Athena had to assume the countenance of a man in order to mentor Telemachus (Hansman, 1998). In a multicultural context, no one would have to become someone or something else in order to be successful in a mentoring relationship. According to Daloz (1986), mentors can serve three functions. Those functions are to provide support, to challenge, and to help the mentee develop a vision. Trust is an essential element that needs to be established in order to do these things . Applying a multicultural lens to the mentoring process is essential if we are to serve our profession effectively. Some institutional guidelines for applying a multicultural lens might include the following .

Abandon racial and cultural stereotypes associated with minority academic achievement. Pervasive racial and cultural stereotypes exist surrounding the academic achievement of certain groups. Much of the data used to support this stereotype has come in the form of disaggregated standardized test data (e.g. , ITBS, ACT, SAT, MAT) published by institutions across the country. Additional sources that have served to perpetuate the aforementioned stereotype come in the form of comparative analysis of IQ tests between groups. The stereotype that becomes associated with minority academic achievement translates into the fostering of low academic expectations for minority groups at all levels of education.

Appreciate the diversity of world views held by culturally different students. Though many higher education programs herald their institutions as havens of diversity, many programs remain rather monocultural from a ped-

(Continued on Page 16)

SPECIAL EDITION, 2000

CHI SIGMA IOTA

PAGE S

Mentoring the Next Generation This journey can be rich and reward- wildest dreams. The school had ch il-

(Conti nued from page 2)

ing , or it can be dull and boring . The dren from multicultural low-income

that a legacy will be passed along a legacy to which the student will add his or her own unique contribution so that eventually, still other lives may

teacher has the power to awaken the minds and the hearts of the students in order to make the journey one of achievement, excitement, and even

families and many of these children had never experienced an opportunity to express their feelings and feel accepted by an adult. Because she

be enhanced. The person who acts

enjoyment.

video taped her sessions with the

as a mentor imparts to the student more than a masterful understanding

Rich and Rewarding

children, the other graduate students in the seminar were privileged to

of an academic discipline. The mentor Traveling the journey with the stu-

share her success . As a result, others

also affects the student through deep- dents is a rich and rewarding one for were challenged and encouraged .

er psychological dimensions, involv-

me , no matter where an individual

Because of her success, the student

ing closeness, trust, and counseling, student is when he or she begins the began to realize that she is gifted in

and is motivated by a higher calling

journey. I believe that each student

working with young children. Now,

which ultimately invites students to

has the potential for limitless growth. I she is studying with the top play-ther-

"

use their knowledge and talent to add believe that by affirming students as to the lives of others as only a mentor no-limit persons they can develop a

apist in the world, Violet Oaklander. What a joy and satisfaction to see a

can.

new mind set and begin to learn

young woman develop into a first-rate

through knowing and trusting them-

professional! What a privilege to be a

Privilege and Opportunity

selves rather than doubting and fear- sojourner with her on the journey.

For many students, there is usually one person who shapes, influences, and inspires them to excel. For me , mento'r'ing and journeying with the students has often given me this rare privilege and opportunity. It is indeed a rare privilege as well as a grave responsibility to take young people and influence not only their thinking , but the development of the ir values and ultimately their lives. It has seemed to me that this was the ki nd of power I was more attracted to not the money or being able to command a number of people under me in any direct sense , but the power to influence people's thinking about the ir own lives and about the wo rld.

I believe that the teacher and students embark on a ?ourne to eth er.

ing . One of my basic principles is to practice unconditional acceptance of students. This acceptance allows students to begin to develop authentic faith in themselves and to claim their power over their own lives. As a result they become more confident in themselves and all kinds of creative gifts evo lve.

For example, I recently had a graduate student who came to me with good basic counseling skills. She wanted to work with elementary age ch ildren . After spending some time exploring her interests and gifts, I encouraged and helped her to setup a play center at her practicum site. With the approval of her site supervisor and her principal, this student set up a center that far exceeded my

There is energy and excitement each new semester, new beginnings , new students, new lives to touch and join in a dialogical journey. There is the challenge that the many facets of our academic and personal lives will be well-integrated and invigorated , and eventually wholly entrusted to God's judgment as to their final value. I believe the words of Lao-tzu in the Tao-to-Ching are appropriate:

When you find the way, others will find you .

Passing by on the road they will be drawn to your door.

The way that cannot be heard will be echoed in your voice.

The way that cannot be seen will be reflected in your eyes.

Mentoring Moment

A Father as Mentor

It didn't take me long to connect with my mentor,

to teach me math and to ally my fears as a doomed

since it was none other than my beloved father,

math failure . I soared in my tutoring sessions but

"daddy." I always emulated, loved and admired my

lacked the ability to transfer my knowledge into the

father. To me, he represented the epitome of knowl-

classroom. I became convinced that there would be

edge and wisdom . When my father offered me advice,

no future for me in academics. I cried at having to

I knew it was out of devotion , compassion , and con-

admit defeat in geometry. My father looked at me with

cern, not out of anger or control. I would argue with

tear filled eyes and in a soft crackling voice said, "You

him even when I believed he was correct-just to

have such an ability with people. You're caring, kind,

assert my independence. He would smile at me and

and in tune with everyone around. What does math

shake his head as if to say, "When will she ever

have to do with that?" I recall continuing to sob, but I

learn?" But I did learn.

listened carefully and internalized every precious word.

I remember having difficulties in geometry class in

Math did not have a thing to do with my abilities as a

high school-aside from having loathed the teacher

functional human being capable of other more suitable

who seemed to relish my vulnerability as a weak math

choices. That remark left an indelible imprint in my

student. The more I exerted effort, the more he peeled

mind to this day.

away at my fragile ego, leaving me feeling incompetent

Naomi Sternberg, Sigma Tau Chapter

and ineffective. My father acquired a competent tutor

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