In 2015, CARAS began a mentoring program to help connect students and early career professionals working with and/or researching alternative sexualities with more experienced researchers, faculty, and professionals. The goal of the program is to encourage the full development of the next generation of scholars and researchers addressing alternative sexualities communities, relationships, and family structures, and to help prepare professionals in health and other fields serve the needs of members of alternative sexualities communities.

The CARAS Mentoring Program involves a one-on-one mentoring relationship. The program matches students and early-career professionals in academic, research, counseling, and other alternative-sexualities related career paths with more advanced scholars and professionals. The mentoring program has also matched community members engaged in scholarly or professional projects (e.g., public health initiatives) that would benefit from a mentoring relationship. Mentors and mentees commit to talking at least once a month by video conference, phone, or email during the duration of the mentoring program.

The CARAS Mentoring Program has an annual eight-month cycle from March-October. Applications for the 2026 Mentoring Cohort are open! Please visit: https://www.carasresearch.org/2026-mentoring-cohort

For current information, please visit https://carasresearch.org/mentoring (this page) and/or contact mentoring@carasresearch.org.

Please join the CARAS Announce List for updates about the CARAS Mentoring Program and other CARAS activities!