Abstract
Purpose: (a) Identify the current psychosocial and career issues impacting MFT/ASW interns and identify changes over time, as perceived by mentors in the past 10-15 years; (b) Identify the best mentoring practices as perceived by mentors and describe adjustments made over time; (c) Describe how mentors perceive their roles as influential in keeping interns in the field. Methodology: For this mixed methods research design, an expert panel recommended 125 long-term mentors to participate; 102 long-term mentors completed a 19-item survey, and 15 were then randomly selected for a semistructured interview. Findings: (a): The issues previously identified in the literature continue to impact interns; (b) There are current issues impacting interns that were not identified in previous research; (c) The hours of clinical work, productivity, changes in the field, and licensure were ranked as the career issues most impacting interns; (d) Financial stress, self-care, balancing work and family, and work-related stress were ranked as the psychosocial issues most impacting interns; (e) Evidence-based practices (EBPs) are a significant change for interns; (f) Over the last 10-15 years, work/family balance and self-care have significantly impacted interns; (g) Support, reflection, active listening, accessibility, and availability are successful mentoring techniques; (h) Mentoring is a developmental process; (i) Mentors adjust their strategies based on what issues need to be addressed; (j) Mentors have modified their strategies to accommodate changes in the field and economy; (k) Mentors modify their strategies based on their own development; (l) Interns are ultimately responsible for their own professional persistence. Conclusions: (a) Recent changes in the profession threaten intern self-actualization; (b) Interns are unprepared for the realities of community mental health; (c) Dual roles for mentors can make boundaries unclear; (d) Interns who regularly practice self-care may be more likely to remain in the field. Recommendations: Future studies should consider (a) the coping skills of MFT/ASW interns, (b) effects of graduate school training in community mental health on interns' success, (c) predictors of mentors' leadership styles, (d) effects of mentoring programs on intern satisfaction.