Ohio Psychological Association | OPA Mentor Program

OPA Mentor Program

What is mentoring in the field of psychology?
Mentoring in the field of psychology is a nurturing process in which a more experienced professional psychologist provides guidance, support and encouragement to a less experienced early career psychologist, psychologist in transition or psychology graduate student. The psychologist mentor serves as a role model and advocate, and stimulates the mentee to develop as needed for work in the field of psychology, including practice in private, medical, forensic, academic and community settings.

The Mentor Program Process
If you are interested in a mentoring relationship with a licensed psychologist and an OPA member, visit the Meet the Mentors page and choose from the current OPA members who have agreed to be mentors for one year. For more information or to become a mentor, send your biography and photo to Priscilla Kingston.

Requirements
The minimum requirement for mentoring is four contacts within that year, which can be through e-mail, phone or in person.

The Mentor Relationship
The mentor and mentee will work together to choose specific areas that the mentee would like to focus on during the specified time period. The mentoring relationship is not supervision nor is it psychotherapy. The relationship can be as simple as being the "go-to" person when the mentee has a question, and as intimate and familiar as sharing dinner and dreams together. The power of the mentoring relationship lies in the building of self-esteem, confidence and direction, both personally and professionally, through the sharing of ideas and the expansion of possibilities.

Although the mentoring relationship is meant to benefit mainly the mentee, as psychologists we are all aware that benefits flow back to the mentor as well, because when we help others we ourselves are expanded and we grow through giving.

In the future, we hope that the OPA members will see the mentoring page as an opportunity to connect with colleagues who may have expertise in an area that they do not, and thereby can establish relationships and network with other psychologists to enhance and improve their practice. Therefore, we hope this page will be populated by any OPA members interested in sharing what they know with others to create a rippling effect throughout the OPA membership and help create an organization strengthened by the power of connecting through meaningful relationships.

If you are interested in being featured on the mentor page, contact Chair Priscilla Kingston.

What are the participant benefits of a formal mentoring program?
• Read the latest research from the National Mentoring Partnership
• Professional identity development
• Life and/or professional goal setting
• Career development
• Enhanced networking skills and development of a larger resource base
• Development of business and marketing skills
• Enhanced self awareness, self efficacy, and job satisfaction
• Knowledge regarding the practical application of ethical standards
• Increased awareness of current issues affecting the mentor’s practice
• Opportunities for supportive, nonsupervisory discussions of
challenging situations

Mentoring Program Prerequisites

Mentors
• Prerequisites

OPA membership in good standing beyond reproach
No history of licensure suspension
Licensed under ORC Section 4731.13
Licensure by a Canadian or other state Board of Examiners

• Role and responsibilities

Commitment to a minimum of one year to establish a working relationship
Facilitate the exploration and establishment of individual mentoring goals to be agreed upon by both the mentor and mentee
Facilitate contact with mentee to pursue goals
Provide program evaluations as requested by PPC Subcommittee

Mentees
• Prerequisites

OPA membership in good standing beyond reproach
Licensed by the Ohio State Board of Psychology under ORC Section 4731.13 or enrolled in graduate program
No history of licensure suspension

• Role and responsibilities

Work with mentor to establish individual mentoring goals
Work with mentor to determine arrangements for contact
Provide program evaluations as requested by PPC subcommittee