Is a mentor the same as a sponsor?

No, although there are similarities in the type of non-clinical ongoing support a mentor and a sponsor can provide to a recovering individual. MentorCONNECT is not designed to be a substitute or replacement for a Twelve Step program, where a sponsor and sponsee work through the Twelve Steps together in a voluntary partnership. MentorCONNECT mentors do share their personal strength, experience and hope with their mentees on a volunteer, requested-only basis, but we do not allow our mentors to work through the Twelve Steps with a mentee unless the mentee requests it AND the mentor has prior experience serving as a sponsor in a Twelve Step community.