Psychology Mentorship Program
The Psychology Mentorship Program is a formal mentorship program for psychologists and psychology trainees within our system (HHC/IOL/BHN, or CT Children’s)
Psychology trainees, early career psychologists, and psychologists who are new (within 1 year of hire) to our system (HHC, BHN, IOL, or CT Children’s) are eligible to participate as mentees.
Any psychologist 3 years or more post-licensure within our system (HHC, BHN, IOL, CT Children’s) are eligible to participate as mentors.
Purpose and Goals of the Mentorship Program
The goal of the mentorship program is to provide support and guidance to interns, fellows, early career psychologists (ECP’s), and psychologists new to our system, beyond what a clinical supervisor provides.
Some benefits of having a mentor include increased job satisfaction, employee retention, and preventing burn out. We also hope to support and improve a sense of inclusivity for any trainees and psychologists from underrepresented backgrounds.
Research has consistently found mentored individuals to be more satisfied, and committed to their professions than non-mentored individuals (Wanberg, Welsh, & Hezlett, 2003). Furthermore, mentored individuals often earn higher performance evaluations, higher salaries, and faster career advancement than non-mentored individuals (e.g., Shen et al., 2022). Mentors can also benefit from a successful mentoring relationship by deriving satisfaction from helping to develop the next generation of leaders, feeling rejuvenated in their own career development, learning how to use new technologies, and becoming aware of issues, methods, or perspectives that are important to their field.
Program Commitments and Supports
Mentors and mentees are asked for a 10-month commitment, beginning in the fall and concluding in mid-August. Although it is up to the mentee and mentor to decide how often to meet, once monthly is a common frequency of meetings.
To provide guidance and support, we offer meetings for both mentors and mentees throughout the year. All of these meetings are optional. They include an orientation meeting (via Zoom) for those who are interested in the program, an in person meet and greet before matching mentors and mentees, and quarterly meetings that are held separately over zoom for both mentors and mentees.
What is a mentor?
A mentor is a more experienced person who can provide guidance and support to a mentee, including in the areas of professional development and managing work/life balance. A mentor is different from a clinical supervisor in that a mentor has no direct role in observing or evaluating the mentee.
What are the benefits of being a mentor?
Being a mentor can bring many benefits, such as personal satisfaction of helping another, professional growth, strengthening leadership and communication skills, gaining new perspectives, and enhancing your professional network.
Who can be a mentor?
Any psychologist in the HHC/BHN system and psychologists from CT Children’s with 3 years or more after licensure. You do not have to be an IOL psychologist or share a similar theoretical orientation or clinical area of interest. Some mentees may prefer to have mentor who is not directly involved in their own training area.
Who can be a mentee?
Early career psychologists within 3 years of licensure or completion of postdoc, psychologists who are new to our system (within one year of hire), postdoctoral fellows, and psychology interns. Interns, fellows and psychologists across the BHN, HHC, IOL, or Children’s Hospital are invited.
What are the benefits of being a mentee?
The are many benefits to being a mentee, such as professional and personal guidance, expanding your professional network, clarifying professional goals and understanding learning gaps, increasing awareness of professional benefits and opportunities.
Questions? Interested in becoming a mentor or mentee?
Please contact Chris Gilliam (Christina.Gilliam@hhchealth.org) or Dana Shagan (Dana.Shagan@hhchealth.org) for more information or to enroll in the program.