Frequently Asked Questions

We work with adolescents and teens in 5th through 12th grade.

Before mentoring begins, Dr. Contractor will have a consultation with both you and your child to set personalized goals. The focus is on empowering your child, so we’ll emphasize identifying skills they want to work on. If they’re unsure, that’s okay—together, we’ll explore it during the sessions. Each session is designed to have a tangible outcome, with an actionable step toward skill-building for the week. The mentor helps your child brainstorm solutions for any challenges they’re facing. For example, if your child struggles with maintaining a schedule, the mentor will first discuss why it’s difficult and then work together to create strategies for setting and sticking to a schedule. We provide the action steps to both you and your child.

Two days after the session, Dr. Contractor will check in with you to review progress and address any challenges. The following week, the mentor will revisit what worked and what didn’t. The goal is not to have a new goal each week, but to make steady, incremental progress toward the skills your child wants to develop.

We work with all teens who have social, emotional, and executive functioning challenges. We especially have experience with teens who have ADHD, ADD, Autism, OCD, and other learning differences. While we’re not therapists, many of our mentees also have overlapping mental health diagnoses.

Every mentee in the program has made consistent, measurable progress in the specific skills they chose to focus on. 

Our program is built around setting clear, incremental goals and tracking measurable growth each week. We prioritize fostering a sense of agency in each mentee, collaborating with parents to address any barriers, and nurturing a supportive mentor-mentee relationship. Mentees tell us they value the program because 1) they feel comfortable speaking with a relatable older peer mentor, and 2) they appreciate the opportunity to "lead" the sessions. That sense of ownership and comfort is exactly the grit and empowerment we aim to nurture.

We’ve worked with many teens who are initially reserved or unsure about what skills they want to develop. If your child doesn’t know where to start, we won’t rush them. Instead, we prioritize building a trusting, comfortable relationship between the mentor and mentee first. Once that foundation is established, we’ve found that many teens feel inspired and motivated to open up to their mentor and identify areas they’d like to work on. To date, there hasn't been a teen who was "too reserved" to engage. The mentees truly enjoy their sessions and do not see it as work.

Mentors are carefully selected, thoughtfully trained, and continually supported to make a real impact.

All of our mentors go through an onboarding process—but the real strength of our program is in the ongoing support and training they receive throughout the mentorship.

Our mentors are college students who already have experience working with kids or neurodiverse communities. We specifically choose students who have shown grit, strong executive functioning, and social-emotional skills—not just in theory, but through their own lived experiences.

During training, they reflect on how they built those skills themselves—so they can help their mentees do the same.

The training was designed by Dr. Contractor, who teaches the mentors:

• The GRIT method

• Understand the traits, strengths and challenges of neurodiverse learners

• Growth mindset principles and tools

• Positive, healthy communication strategies

• Mentorship techniques and strategies

• How to empower while mentoring—supporting mentee agency while sharing from their own lived experience

• Role-playing scenarios to understand diverse learning profiles and real-life situations

After an initial consultation with each mentee and their family, Dr. Contractor tailors the mentorship approach and trains the mentor specifically how to approach that particular student’s needs. After every session, mentors debrief with Dr. Contractor to:

• Reflect on progress

• Address challenges

• Adjust strategies as needed

She also speaks weekly with parents, and that feedback is shared with mentors so they can continue to grow and respond to the mentee’s needs effectively.

We do not accept insurance, as this is not a medical service. It is mentorship.

Yes, we offer a 2-week trial period to ensure that the mentor-mentee match is a good fit.

Refunds are considered on a case-by-case basis. However, we will not start the monthly fee until you are satisfied with the mentor match. Our 2-week trial period ensures the fit is right before any charges are made.

Yes, all mentors undergo a thorough interview process and background check.

Confidentiality is determined by the parents in consultation with their child. During the initial consultation, we’ll discuss confidentiality preferences. If the parent prefers to be involved in the sessions or know about the discussions, we’ll accommodate that request. If the parent wishes for the mentee to have confidential conversations with the mentor, we will respect that, with the exception of issues involving self-harm or harm to others. In those cases, we would immediately contact the parents.