Helping or Hindering ?

1. Helping orHindering? Sharon Doner-Feldman President, Training for You

2. EXERCISE: (Yes, But)&(Yes, And) Describe to your partner your dream vacation. Your partner will interrupt you when they want with (Yes, But) . Then after a two minutes, your partner will interrupt you with (Yes, And). Then we will switch off!!

3. Thoughts of Others about Empowerment • I think education is power. I think that being able to communicate with people is power. One of my main goals on the planet is to encourage people to empower themselves. Oprah Winfrey • Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Chinese Proverb

4. Definitions According to AIRS Standards EMPOWERING • Helping inquirers understand the steps that need to be taken to obtain needed services so that they can advocate on their own behalf.

5. Definitions According to AIRS Standards ADVOCACY • Advocating can be doing for someone things they could & should be doing for themselves. • Advocating should only be used in special situations.

6. Enabling Enabling creates an atmosphere in which the individual: • Can contribute to his/her behavior continuing • Evade responsibility for their actions • Miss the opportunity to learn how to take care of themselves

7. Advocating Behaviors When we practice advocating behaviors inappropriately we: • Prevent or interfere with the ability of our clients to learn new skills • Reduce our clients’ sense of control over life events and their self-worth • Reinforce old or maladaptive (ineffective) behavior such as passivity and ongoing procrastination

8. Empowering Behaviors However, when we practice empowering behaviors, we may: • Promote personal growth and increased competencies • Increase our client's sense of control overlife events • Encourage new coping abilities to replace maladaptive (ineffective) behavior

9. Key Concepts of Empowerment • Relationship is cornerstone—build trust • Reinforces the idea that the consumer is capable • Develops problem-solving skills for the future • Acknowledges the consumer’s right to self-determination • Helps avoid awkward situations regarding requests we consider unreasonable • Shows respect and dignity • Puts you out of business, one caller at a time!

10. How to Empower Our Callers Help your inquirer decide NOW: • what is their Need or goal • what Options are available to fulfill their need • what consequences they should they be Waryof

11. How to Establish Relationships &Empower Our Callers • Talk about what’s available in the community • Educate - explain how the system works • Inform the caller about his or her rights • If necessary, work on “asking skills” • Work on affect-use supportive confrontation • Role play-model appropriate behavior

12. The I&R/A Specialist’s Behavior • Engages in help-giving acts in which the decision-making clearly rests with the caller. • Offers aid and assistance that is consistent with the client’s own culture • Bolsters the self-esteem of the client by using his or her strengths as a basis for solving small problems • Promotes the use of natural support systems

13. The I&R/A Specialist’s Behavior (con’t) • Conveys a sense of cooperation and joint responsibility for meeting needs and solving problems • Promotes and reinforces attempts at effective behavior that decrease the need for help • Helps the inquirer not only see that problems have been solved or needs met but that the individual was able to play a significant role in their own life

14. Clarifying Requests • What is the main problem/desire/need? • Why is this important or a priority? • What has been tried to resolve this problem/need? • What has happened as a result of those efforts? • What specifically would be most helpful for the professional to do?

15. What it Boils Down To CHOICES &CONSEQUENSES What are the CONSEQUENCES of each CHOICE? The formula: If you do Choice Athen this is what could happen If you do Choice Bthen this is what could happen If you do Choice Cthen this is what could happen

16. When Is It Necessary To Advocate? Advocacy - a process wherein an I&R worker takes an active role on behalf of the caller to assure that needed services are obtained in an appropriate and timely manner • Advocate when a consumer is unable to state their own case, when you can smooth the way for them calling, intervene when a consumer’s request for assistance has been denied when there is endangerment • Advocacy at the agency/network level – misinterpretation, unwritten practices, should there be a different agency involved

17. Situationsof Advocacy • Language is a barrier • Developmentally disabled caller who may have difficulty asking for help • Senior who may be confused about whom they have been calling and just can’t make one more phone call

18. L e v e l s of Advocacy • Make the initial contact • Listen as the consumer attempts self-advocacy • Represent a consumer who is unable to state his or her own case • Intervene when a consumer has been denied assistance • Escalate the intervention by going to a higher level within the other organization • Create system pressure by reporting concerns to your own supervisor for action at the management or network level

19. Steps in Advocating • Get permission of the caller to advocate • Make the initial contact • Listen in on a call or sit on an interview while the consumer attempts to explain the situation • Represent a consumer who is unable to state his own case • Intervene when a consumer’s request for assistance have been denied • If needed, escalate the intervention to the management or networks levels

20. Advocacy that is a • Do not promise something if you can’t deliver • Do not go to someone’s house to help out • Don’t offer to buy groceries • Don’t offer to drive your caller anywhere • Do not lie on behalf of your caller • Don’t promise to meet them somewhere We should not be super heroes – we are super teachers!

21. The Fork in the Road Which Way Do I Go? Empower Advocate Trust the Caller to Follow Through Frustrated With Caller Is Caller Capable Difficulty Talking With Caller such as Hearing Impaired Trust the Agency Being Referred To Your State Of Mind When You Answer The Phone Pressure To Perform

22. What Are These Road Signs? Difficulty of talking with caller ex: hearing impairment of caller Frustrated with the caller ex: such as being disrespectful Pressure to perform – lines are ringing Trust of agency—intervene when denied service or as needed with supervisors

23. What Are These Road Signs? Trust of the caller to follow through—assess abilities; offer basic suggestions if needed (Do you have pen & paper ready?) Your state of mind when you answer the phone Is caller capable?—Assume capability first. It is disrespectful to do otherwise.

24. What Are My Road Signs? Enabling Empowering The Fork in the Road

25. Which of these is what you want to accomplish? Listen and help caller prioritize their needs Find the answers right away Teach the caller how to help themselves Get the call finished ASAP What Is Your Role & Your Goal for That Next Call?

26. Your Goal for That Next Call (con’t) • Understand their needs to find resources • Tell the caller you are tired of hearing from them and that you have someone else that they can call and bother • Show them the consequences of each choice they have • Indicate that no matter what you give them you know they won’t follow through

27. Providing information Demonstrating Explaining Observing and giving feedback Problem solving with client Exploring Assessing Mentoring Listening Facilitating Framing Reality Ways I&R Professionals Help

28. Urgentvs. Emergency Urgent Pressing, imperative, critical Must be done quickly Emergency Crisis, disaster, tragedy Must be done immediately Possibly life-threatening

29. Your of the Trade • How do you not absorb the panic in the caller but stay connected? • What are some confrontations you have found appropriate when the consumer demanded you help them? • How do you reinforce that the consumer is capable? • How have you handled awkward situations?

30. Empowerment Adding to Your Consumer’s Toolkit Empowerment add skills or “tools” To assess their own problem To research resources To brainstorm To network To ask questions To advocate for themselves

31. Advocacy Assistance for Special Occasions • Helping out only when the situation calls for help • Advocate once and assist caller in learning how to advocate next time • Read your road signs so you don’t quickly jump to advocating

32. Role Play • 75 year old woman-needs a flu shot; has a 3-year-old grandson who needs to picked up at day care at 4:00; flu shots are offered at 4:00 at the senior center, which is in the opposite direction of the day care center; she doesn’t drive.

33. Role Play • Woman calls. Her husband is on active duty with the National Guard. She just had a baby four weeks ago and she is going crazy. She likes to paint and she signed up for a beginners watercolor class at the community center (which by the way you just finished with the same teacher.) She is desperate for a babysitter, but doesn’t know where to find one or how to interview and screen a potential babysitter.

34. Our Business is to Give CHOICES with CONSEQUENCES balanced withHelping orHindering