You chose:

"Sheila, I'm sorry you had such a boring weekend. I remember I found it really difficult to make friends and get involved in activities when I was in high school. What do you usually do on the weekends? What kinds of things do you like to do to have fun? Maybe we can brainstorm about some things you could do to have more fun on the weekends."

This is the correct answer, because the mentor remembers to use the LAF, don’t CRY strategy.

If you chose C, congratulations! You are practicing the positive communication skills you need to be a good mentor.

In this example, the mentor:

• Listens to Sheila and shows that she cares. The mentor writes:

"Sheila, I'm sorry you had such a boring weekend. I remember I found it really difficult to make friends and get involved in activities when I was in high school. "

• Asks specific questions to understand Sheila’s problem. The mentor writes:

"What do you usually do on the weekends? What kinds of things do you like to do to have fun?"

• Focuses on Sheila and what she is saying. The mentor focuses on Sheila saying that she is bored on the weekend. The mentor doesn’t get distracted and talk about other things.

In this answer, the mentor remembers NOT to CRY. The mentor doesn’t criticize, doesn’t react hastily, and doesn’t yakkity yak yak about other things.

This research is supported by Grant #H133G8004 from The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research and no official endorsement should be inferred.