Mentoring support from clinical supervisors: Mentor motives and associations with counselor work-to-nonwork conflict.

Based on mentoring theory, social exchange theory, and theories of stress and coping, this study of data from the 2008 Managing Effective Relationships in Treatment Services project (MERITS I, a National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) platform study) examined antecedents and consequences of the provision of mentoring support by clinical supervisors. Of particular interest is how the provision of mentoring support is further linked to counselor’s experience of work-to-nonwork conflict. Survey data were collected in person in 2008 from 418 matched clinical supervisor-counselor dyads who worked in substance use disorder treatment programs across the U.S. Path analysis showed that clinical supervisors’ evaluation of relational costs, relational benefits, and overall relationship quality with a particular counselor was related to the counselor’s perception of the amount of mentoring support provided. In turn, perceived mentoring support was negatively related to both strain-based and time-based work-to-nonwork conflict among counselors.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that counselors and clinical supervisors should be made aware of and encouraged to create positive social exchanges, foster quality relationships, and promote mentoring support to help address and reduce counselors’ work-to-nonwork conflict, likely increase well-being, and possibly promote positive outcomes for organizations, such as reduced turnover and improved performance.