bold next steps
Designed for individuals with little or no prior treatment history who are seeking a new path forward.
Every new client is enrolled in a ninety-day program of mentor support.
The purpose of the ninety-day structure is to provide each mentee the time and space to build rapport at a pace that feels comfortable to them. Through this process, clients are encouraged to begin identifying areas of their life they would like to approach differently and explore what meaningful change could look like.
For many, this initial ninety-day period serves as the starting point to create space for them to lean into goal-setting and personal growth in a way that honors their individual readiness and sense of agency. This approach often allows for deeper traction and more sustainable progress because the mentee defines the direction of their work with support.
Establishing care, and a path forward
For many, Bold Ascents is the first step toward seeking support, a return to care after a break from treatment, or the next step after trying approaches that didn’t quite fit. In some cases, families turn to Bold Ascents after their child has felt burned out by therapeutic services. Ethan will work directly with them to build a clear understanding of their needs, goals, and how they would like to move forward. Support may also include helping your child connect with additional resources when the time feels right, whether that means identifying a therapist, finding community supports, or serving as a bridge to a higher level of care if needed. Throughout this process, Ethan’s approach remains centered on choice and agency, empowering your child to take the lead in deciding when and how to engage with additional resources at a pace that feels right for them.
Daily Contacts
Mentor support is facilitated through daily contacts consisting of a combination of phone calls, text messages, and one weekly video call throughout the work week, Monday – Friday. Phone calls and text messages can vary in length to allow space for any necessary support that day. The weekly video call is lengthier to allow for a more in-depth conversation on that week, their path forward, and any applicable goal setting. Flexibility exists surrounding the format of these calls. There are times when a client may request a phone call that day if there is too much to explain over text, for example.
-
Goal Setting
Ethan encourages his clients to establish weekly goals to begin. He employs weekly video calls and daily contacts to facilitate the setting of S.M.A.R.T. goals, while also providing daily follow-up to motivate progress towards these goals.
-
Emergency Support
If a client finds themselves in crisis and needs support, Ethan can make himself available to provide in-the-moment crisis support.
-
Weekly Updates for Parents
Ethan will send briefly weekly email updates to parents, summarizing that week’s daily communication with the mentee.
-
COLLABORATION WITH ALL SERVICE PROVIDERS
If applicable, Ethan will collaborate regularly with all service providers including educational consultants, parent coaches, and therapists.
Frequent In-Person Visits for Local PA Clients
For clients that are local to the Philadelphia area, Ethan will visit your child for a total of 10 hours of in-person visits to be used with varying frequency over a three-month period. Price differences exist between clients that are local to the area, and those that are not to reflect the inclusion of local visit costs.
Please note that if you are not local to the PA area, visits are not included in the 90-day contract. If you would like a visit to your home, please connect with Ethan on the possibility to add a visit to the contract depending on his availability. Additional costs apply.
Reach out if you are interested in learning more about our 90-day support program.
Upon your inquiry, Ethan will be in touch to schedule complimentary consultation calls with you and your child. If Bold Ascents is a fit, and you would like to move forward, you will be sent paperwork to be returned with payment.
Please note that a spot is not reserved on Ethan’s caseload until all necessary paperwork is complete and payment is received in full.
Frequently Asked Questions by Mentees
-
That’s completely understandable, and something many clients at Bold Ascents share. Ethan is not a therapist; he provides mentoring that is flexible, client-driven, and nonclinical. While he may encourage clients to consider therapy as an additional resource, he fully respects when someone wants to take a pause from therapeutic services.
-
It can be beneficial to have an additional layer of support beyond a therapist who you may meet with weekly. Having someone to connect with daily who is not your therapist, your parent, your counselor, but a nonjudgmental empathetic ear to connect on your needs can serve as a key piece of support as you find your path forward.
For those clients who are in therapy, Ethan will work with them if they’d like to follow through on any goals set in their therapy session that week. Clients have found that the concrete daily follow-up to in-depth therapy sessions helpful. Ethan can also collaborate directly with a client’s therapist with their permission to ensure the support remains consistent and aligned.
-
Of course! Mentees are able to reach out to Ethan outside of scheduled daily contacts if they find they need the additional support, even if they have already connected that day. Ethan is not available at all hours given his full case load, and other engagements but he is more than willing to do his best to accommodate any calls or support needed outside scheduled daily contacts.
-
Any client that has worked with Ethan will tell you that is okay and happens. There will be days you may not have a lot going on, and may not need much support. In the downtime, you may discover that you and Ethan use the time to further rapport. On other days, there may be times when the daily contact is brief. That is okay because the support is there when you need it.
-
Ethan often works with clients who have jam-packed schedules filled with school, extracurriculars, part-time employment, and more. He is willing to work with you on a schedule that works for you, and is flexible on any feedback you may have on catering to your busy needs.
-
Ethan is intentional with communication with your parents to prioritize and maintain rapport with you. There will be communication with parents at the start of the contract during the enrollment process through the exchange of program information, paperwork, and payment. Afterwards, there will be limited communication with parents through brief weekly updates. Ethan will be transparent with you regarding items shared in the brief weekly updates to your parents. He aims to not take away any of your agency or accountability if there’s an item you request to remain confidential.
-
Like most individuals who do this work, Ethan has his own personal story of adversity that he faced at a young age that originally pulled him into these spaces. His journey wrestling with grief, vulnerability, and human connection fuel a passion in Ethan to hold space for others, and support them on their journey to recovery, however they may define that. The exciting piece for Ethan with this work is the opportunity to witness how his clients define the support they need, and their growth within that process. He also thoroughly enjoys having conversations with young men on vulnerability as it relates to masculinity.
Frequently Asked Questions by Parents
-
All new clients begin with the ninety-day daily mentor support model. In the early stages of Bold Ascents, we offered weekly-only support from the outset but found it did not provide the same level of connection, consistency, or outcomes. Daily contact helps build the trust and momentum essential for meaningful growth. That said, some clients choose to scale back to fewer daily contacts during the initial 90-day period. This happens only once a strong foundation is in place and we’re confident the shift will continue to support progress. The contract fee remains the same to allow flexibility to adjust frequency of daily contacts as needed without requiring parents' involvement such as further billing.
-
Because our ninety-day model has proven to be the most effective structure, Bold Ascents does not offer month-to-month enrollment. When we tried shorter timelines, many clients saw them as a trial rather than a true commitment. A ninety-day structure allows the time to build trust, establish consistency, and create the momentum that makes real progress possible. It also gives your child space to identify what they want to work on at a natural pace and begin taking steps toward lasting change.
Committing to ninety days can feel like a big step, especially if other supports haven’t worked in the past. However, this timeframe based on what we’ve seen gives your child the strongest opportunity to benefit from the process.
-
With over ten years of experience, and five years specific to mentoring, Ethan is no stranger to walls that clients often create to avoid difficult conversations, and the vulnerability these conversations may require. Ethan’s approach to mentoring is incredibly relational, taking the time and energy to develop a strong foundation for the mentee-mentor relationship. Ethan has found great success with this heavy focus on rapport in the early stages of the contract. He also incorporates choice into every bit of his work, allowing clients to not only set the pace of the rapport building process but also the topics of conversation for daily contacts. He has found this leads to a high level of engagement because it is the client defining the support of mentor services, not Ethan.
There are the rare exceptions of clients who choose to not fully engage in mentor support. Ethan has learned there are typically two reasons to explain a lack of engagement from mentees: a lack of involvement and choice in the admissions process, and individuals who may need a higher level of care.
Every prospective client is required to participate in an initial video consultation call with Ethan prior to enrollment to confirm engagement.
-
That is okay, and can be a part of the process. Ethan will connect with you on next steps whether that is a partial refund of the remaining days on the contract or a pause in services until they return home.
-
Parent coaching is not provided through Bold Ascents, but is recommended if you find yourself needing the additional support. If you find that parent coaching support would be helpful for you at the start of the contract or at any point, Ethan would be happy to recommend, and connect you with a parent coach that suits your needs.
-
Prior to forming Bold Ascents, Ethan worked for a mentoring program that required travel to clients’ homes. While visits were meaningful for some families, many found them difficult to manage within already full schedules. Even when initially welcomed, they were often shortened or canceled. Over time, it became clear that the strongest engagement came not from the visits themselves, but from the consistent relationship and accountability built day to day.
Bold Ascents has integrated this feedback into its ninety-day program for clients outside Pennsylvania. Ethan’s relational, choice-based approach creates space for mentees to take ownership of their growth and lean into the steady, day to day connection, where the most meaningful engagement happens. While parents often ask about visits, mentees frequently share that the consistent daily contacts already give them the connection and accountability families hope a visit would provide. For local PA clients, visits are included due to the local and more brief nature compared to what is required of out-of-state visits.
If you’d like Ethan to visit your child at home during the ninety-day program, please share that preference during admissions. Ethan will make every effort to accommodate requests as availability allows on a case-by-case basis.
-
Not a problem! Ninety-day extensions beyond the initial contract are available for continued daily support or a step-down option of one weekly video call. Please connect with Ethan on options.
-
You are always welcome to revisit services at any point in the future. We know life can shift, and there may come a time when support is needed again. Please connect with Ethan on his availability.