Student motivation and engagement are linked to the quality of relationships they have with adults at school. An advisory program is one site for developing warm, caring relationships between students and teachers. Effective advisory programs have two-fold benefits: they enhance students’ feelings of belonging and build teachers’ ability to understand their professional role beyond that of curriculum instruction. Teachers with explicit professional expectations to develop relationships with students and provide social and emotional support are more effective across multiple domains. The purpose of this qualitative, ethnographic case study was to understand how the structure of an established advisory program in a small, secondary school serves as a space to support teachers, as advisors, in building relationships with their advisees to provide them with academic, social, and emotional guidance. Interviews with advisors and administrators point to the advisory program as a central structure for cultivating trust-based relationships. Within this structure advisors and administrators collaborate to enhance student success in achieving goals through advocacy. Findings indicate that advisors feel supported within this structure to navigate their expanded role, build strong relationships with their students, and advocate for their advisees’ needs. They point to key functions of the advisory program structure, including the meeting system and administrative support, as factors that enable them to grow strong relationships with their students to nurture self-advocacy.