Therapeutic Mentor
About the role
The Therapeutic Mentor serves as a member of the Community Action Treatment (CAT) Team, providing active, hands-on peer support to parents and caregivers of children and youth experiencing mental health, behavioral health, and family-related challenges. Services may be delivered individually or in group settings at the agency, in family homes, schools, or community environments throughout Manatee, Sarasota, and DeSoto counties. The Parenting Partner/Mentor provides guidance based on evidence-based/evidence-informed training and personal lived experience, empowering families as they navigate behavioral health systems, DCF, child welfare, the courts, and other community partners. This role works collaboratively to increase family engagement, reduce unintentional bias toward parents, and support positive outcomes for youth and families facing crisis.
Responsibilities
- Provide support and assistance to parents in meeting the physical, emotional, and educational needs of their children.
- Work with and model for the entire family a positive, sensitive, non-judgmental manner of relating.
- Assist the team in understanding the parent’s perspective, culture, and beliefs in a way that increases understanding by others while decreasing differences and highlighting similarities.
- Assess and prioritize needs of a parent regarding parenting tasks or sources of self-confidence. Some examples include:
- Providing information on child development and parenting skills
- Assisting a parent in acquiring practical/organizational skills (i.e., budgeting, utilizing resources.
- Assist a parent in developing their own interests and personal goals
- Providing information that assists the parents’ understanding of their child’s developmental