Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Mentoring In Marriage And Family Therapy Programs: Graduates' Perspectives, Allison Webber Hicken

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to understand how recent graduates of marriage and family therapy (MFT) master's programs experienced mentoring relationships. Fifteen recent graduates from six different MFT master's-level programs were interviewed about their experiences with mentoring relationships. Graduates shared their experiences regarding forming mentoring relationships, how these relationships affected elements of the program experience, the frequency and duration of contact, and mentors' influence after graduation. All 15 participants reported having at least one mentoring relationship and graduates described the variety of roles that their mentors took within the relationships. Characteristics of mentors are discussed in terms of positive …