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Build Mentorship Practices

Build flexible mentorship programs that boost retention, belonging, and leadership across behavioral health teams and early-career professionals.

Behavioral health agencies across Illinois and beyond face ongoing challenges in retaining a skilled and motivated workforce. Mentorship is a powerful and often underused strategy to help.

Effective mentoring strengthens workplace culture and supports staff at every career stage. It’s especially valuable in high-turnover settings or with early-career staff navigating complex roles.

How Mentorship Supports Today’s Workforce

Younger professionals (especially Gen Y and Gen Z) seek:

Rapid feedback
Career guidance
Inclusive, purpose-driven environments

Mentorship meets these needs while also:

Reducing isolation
Supporting professional growth
Fostering leadership and belonging

Modern Mentorship Models

Today’s mentorship programs don’t have to follow a rigid one-on-one format. Consider these flexible approaches:

Reverse mentoring: Early-career staff mentor senior colleagues on technology or generational trends
Group mentoring: One or two mentors support a small cohort of mentees
Peer mentoring: Colleagues in similar roles check in and reflect together
Virtual mentoring: Online or hybrid mentoring across locations
Flash mentoring: Short, focused sessions on specific skills or topics

5 Steps to Build an Effective Mentorship Program

Design:

Choose a model (e.g., group, peer, flash)
Define goals and time commitment
Plan how you’ll measure success

2. Attract:

Share benefits with staff
Offer orientation or training for mentors

3. Connect:

Match participants based on shared interests, roles, or goals
Let people choose or opt in where possible

4. Guide:

Use the SMART method to set attainable, specific goals
Provide conversation tools and sample check-in prompts

5. Measure

Collect feedback regularly
Adjust your program based on what’s working

Case example: Nebraska’s Virtual Mentorship Network (VMN)

Virtual Mentorship in Rural Areas

In rural and underserved communities, virtual mentorship can build a stronger workforce pipeline.

Nebraska’s Virtual Mentorship Network (VMN), developed by the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN), was designed to address the state’s shortage of behavioral health professionals—especially in rural areas—by virtually connecting students with mentors.

The program linked high school and college students with behavioral health professionals and trainees through live online sessions and recorded video content. To make career pathways feel more approachable, it used a “near-peer” model, pairing mentees with mentors just a few steps ahead in their training

After testing a longer format in its first year, the program shifted to a short, focused one-month cohort model. Live sessions featured career discussions, Q&A, and real-world insights into behavioral health roles. High school students accessed recorded materials, while college students participated directly in mentoring sessions.

Evaluation results showed higher satisfaction, engagement, and perceived support in the shorter, live-only version compared to the original mixed-format pilot. Participants reported increased confidence, career readiness, and motivation to pursue behavioral health fields.

Explore the BHECN

What the Research Says

Studies across healthcare fields show that mentorship:

Improves job satisfaction and retention
Reduces stress, especially early in careers
Strengthens intergenerational collaboration
Builds leadership and communication skills
Supports equity and inclusion across teams

Key success factors include:

Clear expectations
Organizational support (time, recognition)
Cultural sensitivity and ethical boundaries

Want to Go Deeper?

Explore how mentoring can help engage and retain the next generation of behavioral health professionals.

Mentoring at work: a talent development tool for Gen Y and Gen Z (Saxena, 2024)

Sources

Block, L. M., Claffey, C., Korow, M. K., & McCaffrey, R. (2005). The value of mentorship within nursing organizations. Nursing Forum, 40(4), 134–140.
Bourke, L., Waite, C., & Wright, J. (2014). Mentoring as a retention strategy to sustain the rural and remote health workforce. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 22(1), 2–7.
Goodyear, C. (2018). Supporting successful mentoring. Workforce Development Journal, 2(3), 45–49.
Keeler, H., Keeler, L. E., Lukens, J. M., & Rapp, C. A. (2018). Virtual Mentorship Network to Address the Rural Shortage of Mental Health Providers. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 54(6 Suppl 3), S290–S295.* Full text | Open-access PDF
Saxena, A. (2024). Mentoring at work: A talent development tool for Gen Y and Gen Z. Viewpoint, 38(1), 23–26.
Full reference list available in internal documentation if needed.