This journal article describes a study that used qualitative in-depth interviews with 13 mentors in a school-based program to learn about their perceptions of the strain experienced by their mentees, and how they respond to it during sessions. The study looked at a national mentorship program implemented in two middle schools in a southeastern metropolitan area of the US. The researchers focused on emotional regulation, conflict resolution, future orientation, and active listening as positive coping strategies associated with enhanced resilience among at-risk youth. The study considers how these four positive strategies fit into the mentors’ descriptions of their approaches and the implications for intervention programming. (author abstract modified)