In-home and community-based support that helps clients practice, generalize, and sustain therapeutic gains between sessions and after discharge.
Our Services
Coach-Mentors provides individualized, practical, in-person support that helps clients translate therapeutic goals into daily life. We bridge the gap between what is discussed in session and what must be practiced in real-world environments.
Support ranges from twice-weekly sessions to live-in, round-the-clock coverage, depending on client need. We also offer a structured, clinically aligned alternative to away-from-home treatment, allowing clients to remain near family and community resources while still receiving residential-level support.
Clients are supported in their home, school, workplace, and community—the environments most relevant to therapeutic change. We meet clients during the times that matter most, including evenings and weekends, and provide phone support between sessions to reinforce follow-through and accountability.
Our work creates a relaxed, conversational, relationship-driven atmosphere that strengthens engagement and increases the likelihood that therapeutic strategies are practiced consistently.
Who We Serve
Our services are ideal for adolescents, young adults, and adults who:
- Struggle to implement therapy goals outside session
- Need structured support post-discharge or during step-down from PHP, IOP, or residential care
- Seek to maintain sobriety and reduce relapse risk
- Are navigating life transitions or mental health challenges
- Experience developmental delays that impact independence
- Need consistent support to sustain progress and build daily routines
Coach-Mentors empowers clients to develop independence, maintain recovery, and overcome barriers to growth—helping them thrive in daily life.
Our Approach
Our approach is goal-oriented, action-focused, and grounded in real-world application. We break down therapeutic goals into practical, achievable steps and help clients practice them in the environments where change actually occurs.
We collaborate closely with therapists, families, and referral sources to:
- Implement therapeutic strategies
- Build essential life skills
- Establish healthy routines and relationships
- Reinforce treatment goals between sessions
- Support consistent follow-through
Our work is person-centered, strengths-based, and forward-looking, helping clients build confidence, stability, and sustainable progress.
Collaboration with Clinicians
Coach-Mentors partners with clinicians to extend therapeutic progress beyond the session and into daily life. We reinforce treatment goals, maintain momentum between appointments, and help clients apply skills consistently across environments.
This collaboration ensures therapy is not isolated to the office—it becomes active, practiced, and supported throughout the week.
Key Benefits for Therapists
- Therapeutic goal follow-through Clients practice coping skills, exposure tasks, DBT strategies, communication skills, and other therapeutic goals in daily life.
- Support during discharge or step-down Mentors provide stabilizing structure during transitions from PHP, IOP, or residential care.
- Waitlist support Clients maintain readiness and stability while awaiting therapy openings.
- Consistency for clients with irregular attendance Mentors maintain continuity when clients miss sessions due to avoidance, dysregulation, or instability.
- Real-world skill application Mentors help clients apply therapeutic skills at home, school, work, and in the community.
- Enhanced treatment engagement Mentors support homework completion, reduce avoidance, and reinforce clinician recommendations.
- Meaningful observational feedback With consent, mentors share insights from home and community settings that inform clinical work.
- Stabilization during crisis or regression Mentors provide structured support during dysregulation, maintaining safety and continuity.
- Alignment across systems Mentors reinforce IEP/504 strategies and coordinate with school teams.
- Improved outcomes through team-based care Clients progress more quickly and maintain gains more reliably when therapy is supported in daily life.
Supported by Research
Recent research highlights the effectiveness of paraprofessional roles—such as therapeutic coaches and mentors—when they are well-trained, clearly scoped, and integrated into a client’s broader care team.
Studies published in JAMA Psychiatry show that paraprofessionals can:
- Reinforce treatment goals
- Support skill development
- Provide consistent, real-world coaching
- Strengthen follow-through
- Enhance emotional support
When paired with appropriate supervision and collaboration, this model amplifies clinical work rather than replacing it.
Citation: JAMA Psychiatry by Areán, O’Connor, and Sherrill (NIMH), summarized by Alexandra Werntz, Ph.D., UMass Boston Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring.
Personalized Client Matching
We carefully match each client with a Coach-Mentor whose skills, temperament, and experience align with the client’s clinical profile and life-skill needs. This personalized matching fosters trust, engagement, and meaningful progress.
Once matched, the mentor becomes part of the client’s interdisciplinary team—working alongside therapists, families, and other professionals to implement therapeutic strategies in real-world settings.
Individualized Action & Support Plans
Each client receives a customized Action & Support Plan that guides daily work and ensures consistent, targeted progress. Plans integrate:
- Family goals
- Clinician directives
- Developmental needs
- Real-world skill practice
Plans may include goals in:
- Independent living
- Employment/volunteerism
- Money management
- Mental health
- Social-emotional skills
- Communication
- Therapeutic skill implementation (exposure, DBT, etc.)
- Community integration
- Social relationships
- Substance use and recovery
- Health, wellness, and nutrition
- Structure and routine
- Family relationships