The YPM Solution:

Several studies demonstrate that the most effective interventions for struggling youth share three critical features: they meet young people in their natural environments (homes, schools, communities), they provide real-time support where problems actually manifest, and they involve the entire family system (Henggeler et al., 2009; Swenson et al., 2010; Baldwin et al., 2012).

Furthermore, meta-analyses of youth mentoring programs demonstrate that effectiveness depends on intensive, consistent support delivered in the natural environments where young people live, combined with strong relational connections and family engagement (DuBois et al., 2002; Raposa et al., 2019). Research also shows that mentoring relationships lasting more than 12 months—with frequent contact and deep involvement in youths' social networks—produce significantly stronger outcomes than brief or office-based interventions (Grossman & Rhodes, 2002).

For a young person struggling with behavioral health challenges, it is crucial to have support at the precise moment and place where they need to make better choices, regulate their emotions, and follow through on commitments. Without someone there to guide, model, and reinforce adaptive behaviors in real-time / real-world environments, struggling youth will struggle to flourish.

The YPM Methodology:

At Youth Prevention Mentors, we understand how young people heal and grow in the real world, and we've designed every aspect of our clinically-informed mentorship model to support them where it matters most — at home.

That's why we send highly skilled, accredited mentors directly into the living environments and communities of struggling adolescents and young adults. At any given moment, our mentors serve four critical roles: advocate, confidant, role model, and accountability partner. With services like daily in-person companioning, crisis management, family systems integration, executive functioning skill-building (our EF12 framework), social survival skills training, and 24/7 clinical oversight—we make it possible for young people to recalibrate their lives in their natural environment.

Our Core Team:

Our unique methodology was developed under the guidance of world-renowned clinicians who bring unparalleled expertise to youth mental health:

• Our Partner and in-house Psychiatrist is Dr. Rami Kaminski, former Chief Psychiatrist of the state of New York with over 35 years of experience. Dr. Kaminski has received the "Exemplary Psychiatrist Award" from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, "Physician of the Year" from Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, and the "Charles E. Colt Excellence in Service" award.

• Our Director of Family Programming is Dr. Louise Stanger, recipient of "Interventionist of the Year" from Harvard McLean Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard University and DB Resources.

• YPM's CEO, Maks Ezrin, earned his Masters in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied directly under Martin Seligman, the founder of Positive Psychology.

• And YPM's COO, Jack Vaughan, has his Recovery Coach Professional Designation from CCAR, The Science of Well-Being For Teens certification from Yale University, and is a candidate for his Masters in Positive Psychology from Arizona State University.

What Makes YPM Different:

Unlike other coaching or mentorship companies, YPM operates in tandem with leading clinicians while maintaining the flexibility and real-world presence that traditional clinical settings cannot offer. Oftentimes, we collaborate with external clinicians and programs to provide families with multiple levels of support. We provide:

• Wrap-Around Care for the Whole Family

• Our bespoke programs are designed to involve and support every member of the family. That is why we utilize our expert in-house clinicians or collaborate with external providers to ensure that the entire family system gets the support that it needs.

• Personalized Mentor-Mentee Matching

• We prioritize fit over geography. With 100 certified and accredited mentors on our roster (CARC, RCP, etc.), we curate the perfect match between mentor and mentee from day one. We give every client and family the ability to meet multiple mentors before moving forward.

• Day One Buy-In

• Our young people choose to work with us—not the other way around. This is possible because our mentors bring both professional training and personal experience overcoming adversity, making them highly relatable and impactful.

• 24/7 Clinical Support and Crisis Management

• Our team is available around the clock. When crisis strikes, we're already integrated in our client's life and ready to respond.

• Flexible, Non-Binding Commitment

• No mandatory 30-60-90 day agreements. We take it one day at a time with à la carte services that adapt to each family's evolving needs.

• Three Tiers of Service

• We offer Companioning (intensive daily support), Hourly In-Person mentorship, and Hourly Virtual Sessions—allowing families to choose the level of engagement that works best for them.

• Preventative Model

• Rather than waiting for crisis, we intervene early with a preventative approach that focuses on resilience and self-efficacy before problems escalate.

• Daily Case Notes and Collaboration

• We provide daily documentation for the entire care team and actively collaborate with all existing therapists, psychiatrists, and educational consultants. Families are not required to utilize our clinical services unless they want to.

What Our Mentors Do:

• Foster adaptive coping strategies, emotional intelligence, and self-efficacy

• Enhance self-esteem through motivational interviewing and strength-based learning

• Model pro-social behavior and mature communication in real-time

• Help youth express and regulate their emotions as they arise

• Provide a safe space for young people to discover their unique abilities

• Improve their client's understanding of their role in the family system

• Cultivate intrinsic motivation, self-reliance, and long-term accountability

• Recalibrate social skills and enliven their client's social milieu

• Teach our proprietary EF12 framework—the 12 core executive functioning skills

Our Mission:

By combining clinical oversight with high-impact mentorship, families get to experience the best of evidence-based mentorship and real-world support. With our integrated approach, personalized mentor matching, and 24/7 availability, we make it possible for young people to develop the resilience, skills, and self-efficacy that will serve them for a lifetime.

Today, too many adolescents and young adults are stuck—not because they lack potential, but because they lack the right support in the right place at the right time. We are here to change that.