To help facilitate the process of putting closure on mentoring, here are some helpful tips:

Celebrate Learning and Growth

One should prepare for a closing that celebrates learning and growth.  We often don't take the time to acknowledge where we began and what we might have learned along the way.  By making it explicit -- being more mindful of our goals, abilities, and skills at the start vs. the finish of the mentoring program -- we can better appreciate the learning and growth that did take place.

• Think about writing down how you were positively affected by the mentoring relationship, both personally and professionally; share your thoughts with each other

• Revisit the expectations, goals, abilities, and skills that were discussed early on; where did you see the most growth? 

Questions to Reflect Back on 

Here are some questions to ask yourself when reflecting on the year: 

• What did I learn personally and/or professionally about myself'?
• What do I now feel are my mentoring-related weaknesses and strengths?
• What will I do the same or differently the next time I am in a mentoring relationship?
• What other thoughts or feelings do I need to acknowledge to put closure on this mentoring relationship?