Feeling Better: Experiences and Needs of Adolescents and Professionals Regarding Their Mentoring Relationship in Residential Youth Care

Annemiek T Harder,Erik J Knorth,Annika Eenshuistra

doi:10.1007/s10566-021-09645-x

Annemiek T Harder, Erik J Knorth + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-021-09645-x

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Abstract

BackgroundIn residential youth care, group care workers and teachers often serve as a mentor for individual adolescents. Although favorable mentoring relationships are associated with positive adolescent outcomes, few studies examined the role of mentoring in residential youth care.ObjectiveThe present study aims to assess adolescents’, care workers’ and teachers’ mentoring relationship needs in terms of their one-on-one conversations during residential care.MethodsWe conducted structured interviews with eleven adolescents, ten group care workers and two teachers and content analysis to assess the dataResultsAll respondents are rather satisfied with their conversations, which are often concerned with how the adolescent is doing. Adolescents mostly consider their family and home-situation as difficult topics, while care workers mostly consider sexuality as a difficult topic to talk about. Although ‘improvement’ with the youth is often the aim, most adolescents report that they do not (know if they) show changes because of these conversations. Moreover, only one of the twelve professionals thinks that it is his core task to achieve behavior change with the adolescents. According to the professionals, conversations often aim at building a good relationship, coaching, determining treatment goals, and gaining insight into the adolescent. Adolescents prefer a mentor who is calm, has respect, listens, and is reluctant in giving advice. Most professionals do not use a specific method and doubt whether they want to have conversations according to a manual or support tool.ConclusionsDespite being rather satisfied, adolescents and professionals indicate several points for improvement of one-on-one conversations.

Highlights

Young people in residential care show the most serious problems in comparison to those in foster care and family-style group care (Leloux-Opmeer et al, 2016)
Considering the ‘very complicated, high-need and high-risk youth’ (Lyons et al, 2015, p. 64) it can be difficult for residential care workers to establish a good, genuine therapeutic or mentoring relationship with individual young people during care (Harder et al, 2013)
The aim of this study was to examine how adolescents and professionals in residential youth care experience their individual contacts and needs regarding their one-on-one conversations during care. These conversations often aim at achieving improvement, such as feeling better

Summary

Introduction

Young people in residential care show the most serious problems in comparison to those in foster care and family-style group care (Leloux-Opmeer et al, 2016). Risk behaviors such as suicide risk, self-mutilation, being a danger to others, and delinquency are quite common for youth in residential care (Lyons et al, 2015). 64) it can be difficult for residential care workers to establish a good, genuine therapeutic or mentoring relationship with individual young people during care (Harder et al, 2013). Several studies suggest that a good alliance or relationship is often difficult to establish with young people showing serious behavioral problems (Florsheim et al, 2000; Van Binsbergen, 2003). Objective The present study aims to assess adolescents’, care workers’ and teachers’ mentoring relationship needs in terms of their one-on-one conversations during residential care

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