The Mental Health Association Project Together Mentor Program (MHA-PT) provides mentoring services for children, youth and families that are receiving mental health treatment through the County of Orange Health Care Agency, Children & Youth Services (CYS) and CYS contracted programs. To learn more about the clients being served, please click FAQ’s.

MHA-PT incorporates mentoring “best practices” as defined by the California Mentor Partnership, into all aspects of their mentoring programs.

The three distinct mentor services provided by MHA-PT are as follows:

Youth Mentoring Program: Mentors are matched with children, ages 5-15, serving as positive role models and helping the child/teen become more resilient in day-to-day functioning.

Insight TAY Program: Mentors develop supportive relationships with teens and young adults, ages 16-25, and work cooperatively to help them build productive life skills.

Parents Empowering Parents (PEP) Program: Experienced mentors provide one-to-one peer support, resource information and assist the parents of the children and youth to, navigate the mental health system.

Mentor services are requested by the child/teen’s CYS or CYS contract agency clinician. The clinician determines when a child/teen or parent will benefit from a mentor and once matched, agrees to support the mentor-mentee relationship, meeting and advising the mentor on a regular basis.

All mentors are matched based on shared cultural and linguistic needs of the children, youth and families. Once a match becomes mutually agreeable to all parties involved, the process of forming a trusting, nurturing, one-to-one relationship will begin.

Studies show that when youth are successfully matched with a mentor they can experience: