Welcome to the Porch…

Outdoor patio with wicker and metal chairs, a table with a blue tablecloth, and lush greenery of plants and trees in the background.

Students

Connect with experienced mentors, reflect on your growth, and build your professional identity in a supportive, small-group environment

Join a Group
A white wicker rocking chair with a tropical leaf patterned pillow on a porch, surrounded by green wooden railings, with a red brick wall and window with white flowers in the background.

Mentors

Guide, support, and inspire graduate students as they navigate their counseling journey - all while receiving training, guidance, and community to strengthen your own growth

Become a Mentor

About the Porch Project

The Porch Project is a mentorship program designed to connect graduate counseling students with supportive mentors in small, relational groups. Our name reflects our philosophy: like a porch, we provide a space to pause, reflect, and connect. The spaces where we connect become the spaces where conversations happen, ideas grow, and relationships foster personal, professional, and spiritual development.

We believe that mentorship is a two-way street - mentees gain guidance, support, and insight as they navigate the challenges of graduate school and early professional life, while mentors gain perspective, prevent burnout, and have the chance to inspire the next generation of counselors.

Grounded in relational-cultural theory, the Porch Project emphasizes mutual respect, collaboration, and growth-fostering relationships. Here, every voice is valued, every story is heard, and everyone has space to grow - personally, professionally, and spiritually.

Our goal is to create a safe, supportive community where learning, leadership, and connection happens naturally - one porch conversation at a time.

FAQs

  • Graduate students who are currently enrolled in a counselor education program are invited to apply to the Porch Project.

  • We invite all licensed professional who currently hold the status of licensed professional counselor or licensed professional counselor associate to apply to serve as mentors. Graduate students who have completed a practicum and 1 semester of their internship may also apply with 1 professional recommendation.

  • While the Porch Project is not affiliated with any denomination or specific religious group, it is rooted in Christian principles that follow the basic assumptions:

    God - There is One God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Spirit.

    Jesus Christ- Jesus is both true God and true man. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and died to effect propitiation, reconciliation, and redemption for all who would call upon his name in faith.

    Bible - The Bible is the inerrant, inspired, and infallible Word of God that reveals God’s plan of salvation for all who would believe in him.

    Salvation - Our only hope in life and in death is that we are not our own, but belong body and soul to our Lord. Salvation is achieved through the work of Christ and cannot be earned through any work of man.

    Holy Spirit - The Holy Spirit, as the third person of the Trinity, is equal in glory and power to the Father and Son and proceeds from the Father and Son to regenerate believers and to empower them for life and service.

    Part of our mission at the Porch Project is to help counselors-in-training to understand their work in context of their greater purpose to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.

  • Mentors are asked to meet with their mentorship groups at least once every two weeks for a minimum of 60 minutes. Relationships take time. However, we want to create sustainable commitments that will encourage growth and support wellbeing of both students and mentors.

  • At this time, we ask that all participants of the Porch Project be members of the counseling profession.

Contact Us

Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!