The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to investigate how novice rural principals in the Southwest United States describe mentorship as providing career and psychosocial support that influences their work as leaders. This study used Kram's mentor theory as its foundation. Two research questions regarding how novice rural principals describe mentorship as providing (1) career support and (2) psychosocial support that influences their work as leaders guided this study. The sample was made up of 49 novice rural school principals. The sampling strategy was purposeful. Data sources included an open-ended questionnaire (n = 49), semi-structured interviews (n=15), and focus groups (n=7). Thematic analysis was used to produce ten themes for this study including: (a) serving diverse communities and schools, (b) prepared in different ways, (c) challenging roles, (d) a love for their jobs, (e) taking and remaining in leadership roles, (f) knowledge and skill development, (g) thinking like a principal, (h) acceptance and confirmation, (i) emotional support, and (j) feeling of safety. Findings revealed that principals described the career functions of mentorship as providing them with sponsorship and coaching. The findings also showed that principals described the psychosocial function of mentorship as providing them with acceptance, counseling, and a trusting space. The implications of these findings were that rural districts should leverage mentorship to support novice rural principals dealing with needs specific to the rural context. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]