Most people who land on this page have already tried the obvious things. Talked to friends. Read the books. Asked the family members who would understand. Maybe even tried therapy. There is still the private suspicion that everyone else has it figured out and you are the one running behind.
Mentor Counseling® is not therapy.
Therapists treat mental illness. They diagnose, they apply clinical labels, and they often work with medication. That work matters and saves lives. It is not what we do.
Mentor Counseling® is for teens and young adults who are overwhelmed, not mentally ill. The work focuses on building character, competence, and direction. There are no diagnoses, no clinical labels, and no treatment of mental illness. For most of our clients, this is the next step after therapy — or alongside it. It is rarely a replacement for it.
If a young adult is in crisis, our first step is always to refer to clinical care.
What Young Adult Life Coaching Is
Life coaching for young adults is professional guidance that helps people in their late teens and twenties build clarity, direction, and momentum during the years between school and a settled adult life. Also called young adult coaching, the work focuses on character, competence, and direction — not on diagnosing or treating mental illness.
At Evolution Mentoring and Life Coaching, this happens through a proprietary methodology developed by Jeffrey Leiken, MA, in 1998. Sessions are virtual, last 50 to 60 minutes, and usually run weekly for the first three to six months.
How It Works?
Mentor Counseling combines life coaching, leadership development, and deep listening. Jeffrey Leiken developed the methodology in 1998 to address what psychologist Jeffrey Jensen Arnett later named “emerging adulthood” — the developmental period between 18 and the late twenties when identity work is still active but the structural supports of school, parents, and peer groups have receded.
The work is direction-focused. Sessions help clients name what they want, identify what is blocking it, and build the small consistent actions that move it forward. The methodology has been refined across more than 25 years of practice with clients in 17 countries.
What We Address
Most of our young-adult clients come to us during one of these moments — or several of them at once:
- Stalled momentum after college — when the structure that organized sixteen years of life ends and the next chapter doesn’t appear on its own.
- A job that doesn’t fit — taken because it was offered, kept because the alternative isn’t yet clear.
- Decision paralysis — too many defensible options, none of them yours yet. Grad school versus work, this coast versus that one, this relationship versus waiting.
- Identity work between roles — figuring out who you are now that you are not a student, and not yet whatever comes next.
- Communication with parents who still parent — renegotiating the relationship after you have moved out, started earning, and started making decisions they don’t agree with.
- Direction for the early-career years — what you want the next three to five years to build toward, even if you can’t yet name the destination.
Why Evolution Mentoring and Life Coaching
The early-career years compound faster than they look. Time spent in the wrong role, the wrong city, or the wrong relationship sets patterns that carry into your thirties. Figuring it out alone is not the same as figuring it out well — the people who get traction in this window usually have a trusted adult outside their existing life who has worked through it with others before.
Jeffrey Leiken has worked as a life coach for young adults since 1998. Over more than 25 years of practice, the work has reached clients across 17 countries.
He holds an MA in Educational Counseling. He serves as adjunct faculty at the University of San Francisco. He has guest-lectured at Stanford. His TEDx talk on adolescent leadership and his book on the same subject both remain in circulation.
What Young Adults Commonly Report
Across three to six months of work, young-adult clients commonly report shifts like these — observed, not promised:
- Saying yes to opportunities you would have second-guessed, and saying no to ones you would have taken out of obligation.
- Bringing up a hard conversation with a parent, partner, or boss instead of avoiding it for another week.
- Closing the laptop at the end of the workday because the work is done, not because the day ran out.
- A clearer sense of what the next three to five years are for.
- Trust in your own judgment when the answer isn’t obvious.
The Process
Each engagement follows the same path:
- A 30-minute consultation to determine fit and recommend a plan.
- Weekly virtual sessions of 50 to 60 minutes for the first three to six months.
- Between-session access — you can reach out when the moment is hard, not only when the calendar says so.
- Quarterly review to recalibrate goals and adjust cadence as the work matures.
There is no obligation to continue if the first session is not the right fit.
If you are not ready to schedule yet, two no-friction next steps-
Read the Book
Jeff’s book distills 25+ years of practice into a framework for raising capable, grounded young adults.
Watch the TEDx Talk
Jeff’s TEDx talk on what it actually takes to mentor adolescents into capable adults.
About Jeffrey Leiken, MA
Jeffrey Leiken, MA, is the founder of Evolution Mentoring and Life Coaching and the creator of Mentor Counseling® — a methodology developed since 1998 across more than 25 years of practice with teens and young adults.
He holds an MA in Educational Counseling, serves as adjunct faculty at the University of San Francisco, has guest-lectured at Stanford, delivered a TEDx talk on adolescent leadership, and published a book on the same subject. His work has reached clients across 17 countries. Sessions are virtual and available worldwide from his Marin County, California base.
What Young Adults say
“I met Jeff when he was brought in as a mentor at my summer camp, and have had the great fortune of being able to stay in touch with him for the last eight years. Each interaction leaves me feeling more alive…Jeff is one of the few sources of this most valuable kind of influence that I get. Jeff is one of those people who has the keys to unlock all of the power and potential buried so deep in others that we didn’t even know they were there. He has the unique ability to articulate complex issues in a way that makes a client feel that he or she is figuring out the answers for himself or herself.”
— Erec,22, UC Berkeley Student
“I met Jeff when I was 15, struggling in school, was socially shy and so unsure of myself… He quickly led me from being an insecure, directionless teen, to becoming a secure, confident young adult.
I’ve put myself through college, traveled the world, am professionally successful, living in New York City, have amazing relationships.. and I owe so much of it to what Jeff taught me about how to live life to make it be this way. There are so many things I know that my peers don’t, and situations I can easily handle that stress others out. I recommend him to anyone who knows there must be more and refuses to live a life without it.”
— Mark, 26, Sunny Buffalo Student
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is this the same as therapy?
No. Therapists treat mental illness — they diagnose, apply clinical labels, and sometimes prescribe. Mentor Counseling is character, competence, and direction work for young adults who are overwhelmed, not mentally ill. For most clients, this is the next step after therapy or alongside it. If clinical care is what you need, Jeff will say so directly and refer you to a clinician.
What makes Mentor Counseling different from a generic life coach or career coach?
Three things. First, it is a trademarked methodology built on three named disciplines — life coaching, leadership development, and deep listening. Second, it was built specifically for the emerging-adulthood window, not adapted from corporate or executive coaching. Third, Jeffrey Leiken has been doing this work since 1998 across 17 countries. A career coach helps you find a job. This helps you figure out what kind of life you are building.
How long are sessions, and how often do we meet?
Sessions are 50 to 60 minutes and held virtually. Most young adults meet weekly for the first three to six months, then move to a cadence that holds momentum without owning the calendar. The cadence is collaboratively decided, not prescribed. There is no minimum commitment beyond the first session.
Are sessions virtual or in-person?
Sessions are virtual and available worldwide. Jeff’s practice is based in Marin County, California, and clients work with him from across the United States, Europe, and Asia. The work has reached people in 17 countries. Virtual delivery is the default; there is no in-person option at this time.
How do I get started?
Schedule a 30-minute consultation with Jeffrey Leiken using the button above. The consultation produces a specific recommendation. If ongoing work is the right fit, you’ll start sessions on a cadence that matches your schedule. If it isn’t, Jeff will say so directly. There is no obligation to continue beyond the first session.
Neighbourhoods we serve in California-
Neighbourhoods we serve in other US states-
- Chicago Teen Coaching
- Dallas Teen Coaching
- Houston Teen Coaching
- Jacksonville Teen Coaching
- Los Angeles Teen Coaching
- New York City Teen Coaching
- Philadelphia Teen Coaching
- Phoenix Teen Coaching
- San Antonio Teen Coaching
- San Diego Teen Coaching
- Austin Teen Coaching
- Fort Worth Teen Coaching
- San Jose Teen Coaching
- Columbus Teen Coaching
- Charlotte Teen Coaching
- Indianapolis Teen Coaching
- San Francisco Teen Coaching
- Seattle Teen Coaching
- Denver Teen Coaching
- Oklahoma City Teen Coaching
Schedule a Consultation for Young Adult Coaching
Jeff offers a consultation to learn about your family’s situation and determine whether this mentoring relationship is the right fit. There’s no pressure—just a chance to get real answers and explore a different path forward.