You chose:

"Anne, you sound sort of lonely. I remember I found it really difficult to make new friends when I started college. It can be really hard. Why do you think you are having such a hard time making friends now compared to high school? Try to give me some specific examples. How would things be different if you had more friends? Let's brainstorm about some ways that you could meet new people and make some new friends. "

This is the correct answer.

If you chose C, congratulations! You are developing the skills you need to help your partner use an effective problem solving strategy.

In this example, the mentor:

• Asks specific questions to help Anne describe the problem (Step 1 of DO IT!). The mentor writes:

"Why do you think you are having such a hard time making friends now compared to high school? How would things be different if you had more friends? "

• Starts to encourage Anne to outline different ways to solve the problem (Step 2 of DO IT!). The mentor suggests that Anne start to brainstorm about potential solutions to the problem. The mentor writes:

"Let's brainstorm about some ways that you could meet new people and make some new friends."

Once Anne answers her mentor’s questions, then the mentor will ask questions to continue with Steps 3, 4 and 5 of DO IT!. The mentor will encourage Anne to:

• identify the consequences of each potential solution,
• take action with the best plan and evaluate her progress, and
• celebrate her success when she reaches her goal!

In this answer, the mentor:

• doesn’t solve the problem for Anne and tell her what to do,
• doesn’t criticize Anne, doesn’t react hastily, and
• doesn’t ignore the problem and "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.