Launched in the spring 2025 semester, an internal program for all interested faculty, staff, and trainees at Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) offers an alternative approach to professional development and mentorship. The program is called YCSC Mentorship BRIDGE—which stands for Building Relationships; Inspiring Development, Growth, and Empowerment.
A committee of master’s-prepared faculty members collaborated to develop the program, to address common mentorship requests and expand related opportunities for all members of the YCSC community. Goals include providing tools and resources for individuals to take charge of their professional growth; utilizing faculty expertise while considering time limits; promoting service leadership; expanding opportunities to learn from others; encouraging conversations and mutual learning across different roles and fields; and building community by creating a sense of belonging and shared purpose.
“Everyone in the YCSC community is welcome to participate and learn from the activities that align with their professional development needs and interests,” comments Tara Davila, LCSW, who led the committee and serves as vice chair for collaborative excellence at YCSC. Joining her on the committee are faculty members Carrie Epstein, LCSW; Sandra Gossart-Walker, LCSW; Mansa LaPorte, LMSW; Jeanette Radawich, LCSW; and Bridget Torres, LCSW.
The program offers several activities, such as fireside chats, skill-building workshops, networking events, group feedback forums, and one-on-one mentorship meetings. This past fall, opportunities included a "Connections Café” networking event; “Mentorship Moments” meetings with YCSC Chair Linda Mayes, MD, and Associate Professor Chris Cipriano, PhD; and a skill-building workshop with Assistant Professor Daryn David, PhD.
Davila adds, “While there were varying opportunities for mentorship at the center and university prior to the development of this program, we have consistently heard that there are not enough opportunities to learn from others or for one-on-one engagement with people in our department. This innovative approach was developed to try to meet identified gaps while designing something that is accessible, can meet many of the expressed needs, is flexible, and is not very time-consuming.”
Ongoing offerings are announced via the center’s internal SharePoint site. Opportunities for the spring 2026 semester include a skill-building workshop on academic writing for clinicians with YCSC Assistant Clinical Professor Victoria Stob, LCSW, in addition to a networking event and opportunities to sign up for mentorship meetings.