Description
Youth engaged with mentoring programs often present with an array of different and intersecting identities. As these identities bear relevance to the mentee’s lived experience, mentoring needs, and relationship with their mentor, there is a critical need for mentors and program staff to notice and adequately respond to the mentee’s salient identity characteristics. Developing a sense of cultural humility is a critical element in effective mentoring.
In this course, participants will explore what it means to be a culturally humble and responsive mentor/ program staff person. Participants will learn specific skills to integrate identity (e.g., race, ethnicity) or background characteristics (e.g., immigration, socioeconomic status) into mentoring, as well as common challenges that may arise and methods to address these challenges. Participants will directly explore how a culturally humble approach is critical to relationship building with diverse mentees.
Training begins soon. Limited seats available.
Course sessions:
- February 25th Lesson 1: Cultural Humility: The What and Why
- March 4th Lesson 2: Me First: Self Reflection and Education
- March 11th Lesson 3: Setting the Stage: Assessment Skills
- March 18th Lesson 4: Specific Approaches 1
- March 25th Lesson 5: Specific Approaches 2
Trainings are from 10 to 11 am ET.

Who is the instructor?

Ramya Ramadurai, MA, is a 5th year Clinical Psychology PhD student at American University and a Research and Implementation Specialist with MentorPRO. She has received intensive training in using third wave behavioral therapies to treat complex emotional problems and suicidality in adolescent and adults. She is committed to cultural humility in research and practice, and using digital interventions to improve accessibility and scalability of care.
Expert consultation on course content
The Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring collaborated with Janelle S. Peifer, PhD, Licensed Psychologist, to create the content for this course. Dr. Peifer is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Richmond. She is also the owner of the Center for Inclusive Therapy and Wellness and Fleurish Psychotherapy. research examines intra- and inter-cultural processes of college students’ intercultural competence development. As an active clinician and clinical researcher, she also examines the intersection of trauma and identity. Her recent publications focus on topics related to college students intercultural competence development, short-term study abroad, and assessment in global learning.
Learn more about Dr. Peifer’s work:
