*The Human Services Internship (Chapter 6) Wilbert Roberson, Jr.

Wilmington University The Human Services Internship: Getting the most from your experience. Communicating with Clients Discuss your experiences thus far in working with individuals, families, groups, and communities? My site location is the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence (DCADV). I have handled my responsibilities with care and professionalism while effectively assisting my site supervisor, specialists, and other workers in the office while gaining knowledge within the human services field. Due to the sometimes sensitive nature of the office the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, using tact and courtesy is a must. Effective communication is a basic life skill, as important as the skills by which I can make my way through school or to even earn a living. Which of these levels of intervention have you had the most experience with? From this chapter and my intern experience I have gained additional perspective on communication with clients and colleagues. As an intern with DCADV I have decided to view the DCADV staff as MY client. The level of intervention and the communication style I use the most is active listening. Listening doesnt mean sitting still with my mouth shut. A corpse can do that. Listening is an active process that requires my participation. I have found to fully understand the meaning of communication, I have to ask questions and get feedback. During the give and take Ive gone past inactively absorbing; I am now an active participant in the communication process. What observations do you make about your methods and skills in communicating have evolved over the course of your education? For me, paraphrasing is absolutely necessary to good listening. It keeps me busy trying to understand and know what my site supervisor means. I can paraphrase using some lead-ins such as What I hear you saying isIn other wordsDo you mean? I tend to paraphrase every time my site supervisor says something of importance especially when shes giving instructions for a project. Paraphrasing stops miscommunication. False assumptions, errors, and misinterpretations are corrected on the spot. My internship experience is limited with very little time for major mistakes. Also, paraphrasing helps me to remember what was said. Next, on my list is clarifying. I need to ask questions until I get more of the big picture. My intent is to fully understand whats being said, so I ask for more information, more background. Clarifying helps me to improve my listening focus so that I hear more than vague

generalizations. And I like to think that clarifying lets my site supervisor know that I am interested in what she is saying to me. Lastly, as an intern, active listing must include feedback. I have paraphrased and clarified what was said, and confidently understand it. This is the opportunity for me to find out if I understood the result of my active listening. Its another chance to correct errors and misconceptions. For me feedback has to be immediate, straightforward, and helpful.

References Kiser, P. (2012). The Human Services Internship: Getting the most from your experience. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.