The rewards that mentors receive are rarely considered in research on mentoring. Instead, the process tends to be conveyed in terms of the adult selflessly giving to the mentee in a one-sided relationship. It would be a mistake, however, to assume that the mentor gets relatively little from the relationship. And indeed, when one member derives little or no benefit from a relationship, it will become unstable and may disintegrate. One-sided relationships drain mentors of enthusiasm and leave mentees feeling burdened by the imbalance. On the other hand, when adolescents see that admired adults find it personally rewarding to spend time with them, they feel a new surge of self-worth and empowerment. Frank Riessman’s helper-therapy principle—that people help themselves through the process of being genuinely helpful to others—is particularly applicable to understanding the considerable rewards of mentoring.

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