P4-5

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40 Speak Out June 2016
July and September
Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Brisbane and Perth
Additional courses organised by demand
Multisensory Instruction in
Language Arts 1
Teacher Training Course
Gain the skills to teach writing, spelling and
reading to primary school students.
Contact
Robyn Grace
03 9889 4768
One of the ways this is achieved is through phone
contact with mentees and mentors in the program two
months into their partnership. This is a great way for us to
find out key issues arising for mentees and mentors and
to provide support at this early stage of the partnership.
The majority of mentees and mentors report high levels
of satisfaction with their partnerships and few report any
issues with the partnership. Two key issues for mentees and
mentors to be mindful of are:
1. Is mentoring being used as a substitute for clinical
supervision? If the mentor is spending more than two
hours per month (one hour per month is recommended)
and/or discussions are predominantly focusing on
developing clinical competence. If this is the case
it is advised that options to establish regular clinical
supervision for the mentee are explored.
2. Are there systems in place to ensure the partnership
is ongoing for at least six to 12 months? If it has been
agreed that mentees will contact mentors “as needed”
there is more opportunity for partnerships to lose
momentum and focus. Setting goals and scheduling
contact at regular intervals, for example monthly, helps
to ensure time is set aside for reflective practice for
both the mentee and mentor, helps maintain focus on
goals and ensures each person gets the most out of the
partnership.
For any information about the Speech Pathology Australia
Mentoring Program go to:
mentoring
For information about supervision go to:
supervision
For all enquiries regarding mentoring, supervision or other
professional support options contact Meredith Prain psa@
Meredith Prain
Professional Support Advisor
Spot light on Professional Support
Professional Support
Getting the most out
of partnerships
An important part of the Speech
Pathology Australia Mentoring
Program is ongoing support and
evaluation of the program and
individual partnerships.