In human services, Direct Support Professionals, or DSPs, are a big part of making a positive difference. They’re front-line team members who make our clients smile, progress, and thrive.

While the job can be challenging, it can also be truly rewarding. When DSPs put their heart into their job, the returns are amazing.

What are DSPs?

My company, Community Integrated Services (CIS), offers community care for people with developmental disabilities and a history of challenging behavior. These folks are our clients.

DSPs, or Direct Support Professionals, work directly with our clients, helping them learn to take care of themselves and their homes, working to manage behavioral issues, helping them shop, and in many cases, even supporting them with a job.

While it may sound low-key, before anyone can work with people with developmental disabilities, our DSPs undergo on-the-job training. In addition, DSPs are held to a high, nationally validated Code of Ethics and a set of Core Competencies.

Finding Joy and Success in a Job Well Done

In this employment market, many people can find a range of openings with relatively good starting pay. Running a cash register, working in a warehouse, or driving an Uber are relatively easy jobs. But for many people, those situations also become dull or boring. Easy, low-stress positions sound attractive to some, but these occupations work against human nature. Humans need challenges. We find the most satisfaction when we tackle jobs that clearly matter.

DSPs are working to help people who society often ignores. Our teams find joy in addressing complex situations and in helping the “less fortunate” among us – those that others won’t.

Experiencing challenging situations helps our team members to be genuinely grateful for our individual blessings. I often say that many of us come into the world with precious advantages: intelligence, basic education, a reliable family, friends, and reasonable health.

It can become easy to forget how lucky we are to have these things. But when DSPs work with our clients, it’s hard to ignore the fact that having seemingly small advantages can make significant differences. Many clients come to us with a history of abuse, incarceration, homelessness, or other challenging circumstances that may contribute to behavioral issues. They may also have physical and psychiatric conditions that require medication, monitoring, and professional medical attention.

Care Through Coaching

DSPs are more than personal caregivers. They don’t do things for the clients. Instead, DSPs help clients learn how to do things for themselves. In a way, they are coaches. For example, DSPs don’t shop for clients but may take clients to a store and coach them during the shopping process. They don’t make food for clients, but they may teach them how to operate a microwave, fry an egg, or prepare pasta. The idea is to help an individual be as independent as possible. We may have someone that is non-verbal and considered significantly delayed, but we can still help them learn to sort the dark clothes from the light clothes, how to scoop the laundry soap into the washer dispenser, and to press the button to start the washer. Even the completion of the seemingly minutest chore can become a huge boost to someone’s sense of self. And, of course, we celebrate such moments with the individual. A “woo-hoo” here and there can brighten anyone’s day.

All community care at CIS is based on individual instruction and support plans (IISP) and positive behavior support plans (PBSP). Care specialists create these plans for each client. DSPs follow these plans closely to meet clients’ emotional, practical, and medical needs.

These plans are used as a life planning process. They’re designed to enable people with developmental disabilities to live their best life. DSPs play a pivotal role in these plans, and that can be immensely rewarding.

Becoming a DSP is a Great Way to Start a New Career

Finding joy in work is vital. But it’s even better if a rewarding job is a stepping stone to a meaningful career. Becoming a Direct Support Professional is a great way to begin a career in human services, community care, and related fields.

At CIS, we offer fully paid DSP training and even cover certain certification costs (NAR if working with a delegated client). We also offer very competitive starting wages. Candidates do not need to have prior experience. Full-time employees receive generous benefits, and we often promote from within. So, at CIS, DSPs are often surrounded by managers and support teams who also started as DSPs within these very walls.

If a job as a DSP sounds appealing to you, I strongly encourage you to apply at CIS for positions in South King County and Spokane. We keep job listings current on career page. We’re hiring at both locations and would love to meet you!

To get this vision, higher-ed students must understand the role human services and social work play in creating a solid community and a strong nation. While it’s common for universities to mandate classes in the sciences, political science, history, or literature, it’s much less common to require students to understand social policy challenges in our country.

Americans are Misinformed About Social Issues

A lack of understanding of human services and social work has serious consequences. Without the ability to look at the world in a fully dimensional way, college graduates may instead rely on pundits, political parties, or intentional misinformation to form opinions. The resulting issues are easy to spot in almost every aspect of social work. For example:

• One in four Americans believes poverty is the result of laziness.
• Americans have widely varying views on prison sentencing that are often linked to political party affiliations.
• 59% of U.S. men say single women raising children harms society.
• 44% of Americans believe government aid to the poor does more harm than good. 
• 30% believe that a weak personality causes depression.
• Roughly 30% believe that recovery from either mental illness or drug addiction is impossible.
• Although people with disabilities represent 12.6% of the population, only 41% of doctors are very confident they can provide adequate care to this population, despite federal laws requiring the delivery of such care.

My point is not to criticize opinions on these issues but to give students the tools to seek out multiple sources of information on social issues to inform their points of view. Most social policy professionals agree that individuals in need of support face multiple issues which hold them back from achieving their life goals. Social policy education will help more people understand how small problems can cascade into larger, life-altering consequences quickly.

Mandated Classes in Social Policy Offer a Range of Benefits

Making social policy a college requirement could mitigate many of these misconceptions. By asking students to study the history of social issues in America, the successes and failures of past and current programs, and the benefits of addressing social issues, we arm our future leaders with foundational skills that improve their ability to assess social issues throughout their careers.

Presenting a series of case studies and exercises allows students to critically evaluate all the factors that contribute to the existence of a range of social issues. We can demonstrate that people from all walks of life might rise and fall within a lifetime and show how human services may help people rebound from challenging situations. We can also explain that while poverty can be a trap, it is not necessarily the result of a bad work ethic or a lack of determination. And finally, we can emphasize that how Americans approach poverty, crime, abuse, disabilities, and homelessness has an enormous impact on the scope of each issue.

Demonstrate the Benefits of Sound Social Policy

 As someone who has worked in social services and education with a doctorate in educational psychology, it’s easy for me to see how social policy affects society. I spent years studying social policy and a lifetime practicing it. So, it’s frustrating to encounter smart people from good colleges who are not only uninformed but uninterested in learning more.

If we can reach college students in their formative years when they’re willing and able to learn and absorb new information, we can teach them a range of valuable lessons, including;

• The ability of social policy to reduce crime and incarceration rates
• How vulnerable populations become homeless
• How the desperation of homelessness can accelerate crime, drug use, and abuse
• The societal effects of overcrowded prisons and the impact of sending more people to prison
• The ability of social work to support law enforcement by addressing mental health crises, allowing police departments to concentrate on other issues that can reduce crime
• The power of social policy to build a better workforce
• The positive impact of mental health assistance
• The role of mothers in our society and the importance of fostering stable environments for children
• The critical role of the social safety net for people with developmental disabilities

How Does Your University Handle Social Policy Requirements?

I’ve connected with hundreds of university educators in the past few months. I’m interested to learn what you think about making social policy classes a requirement for education. Is it possible to create a movement to add social policy education to university requirements? What are the barriers? Is any university currently doing this?

I’d love your feedback. Together, we can ensure our future leaders have the tools they need to make the best decisions.

Social services careers also offer an exceptional degree of flexibility. Unlike many other fields, experience in social work is often a valuable stepping stone to a wide range of careers. Because social services focus on human interaction and social problem solving, they provide practical experience for future jobs in other fields.

Even people without prior experience may find that entry-level positions offer them the opportunity to build a rewarding career. But that doesn’t mean social services are simple. Social work requires an open mind and a caring attitude at every level. Here are a few of the strategies our employees use to help our clients live their best lives.

Don’t Generalize

Generalizations are a way for humans to navigate through the world efficiently. For example, we may learn that we work well with one type of person. Or we may find that we have much in common with people from a particular culture or background. These types of generalizations are usually based on personal experience and help the average person navigate through life without having to start fresh with each situation.

However, most of these generalizations are not helpful in social work. When we work with our clients, we must meet each person without prejudices. Each individual is different. Even if they seem to be similar to other clients, we never assume that they will interact or react in the same ways.

Letting go of generalizations is difficult. It requires each of us to work harder, observe more closely, and take more time to really learn how each client is unique.  But this approach helps us serve them more effectively and prevents us from employing the wrong treatment.

Don’t Cling to One Version of a Fulfilling Life

Most of us have some parts of our lives that we consider essential to our happiness. Home, families, pets, experiences, and jobs are often part of one’s definition of a fulfilling life. But each client at Community Integrated Service comes to us with limitations. Sometimes these limitations are minor, but often they are significant. For some people, these limitations would seem to preclude a fulfilling life.

That’s why our team keeps an open mind when developing each client’s version of a fulfilling life. For some of them, it’s as simple as having a friend and being around kind people. Others want or need more. Everyone has their own definition and expectations.

Every CIS team member must come to the situation with an open mind. We must all continually re-evaluate the meaning of a happy life. By focusing on each client’s needs and setting aside our own definitions or expectations, we are much better equipped to help them grow and thrive.

Be Reliable. Trust Isn’t Possible Without It.

Anyone in social services must build trust. First, they must build trust with their employer, but they must also build trust with co-workers and especially with clients. But it isn’t possible without reliability and consistency.

Reliability is at the foundation of every meaningful relationship. Our team must create routines, schedules, and plans. Inconsistent, unreliable, erratic, or unpredictable behavior is unacceptable. Each employee must be committed to following through.

While unreliable employees are inconvenient to an employer, they can be psychologically damaging to a client. Our clients with developmental disabilities are often unable to rationalize or understand inconsistency. It makes them feel unsettled and even unsafe. That’s why every one of our employees must be dependable and reliable.

Be Patient. It Takes Time to Trust.

Many social workers and direct support professionals are surprised to discover that it can take weeks, even months, for their clients to trust them. Even when the employee is patient, kind, consistent, and caring, some clients will continue to push them away.

As a social services professional, this is one of the most complex parts of the job. We reach out to help again and again but are ignored, rebuffed, or even pushed away.

Working with developmentally disabled people is demanding. Combined with a history of behavioral and medical issues, it becomes even more challenging. That’s why it’s so important to keep working with your team, adjusting care plans, and staying optimistic. Kindness, consistency, and caring will eventually help the client to trust the employee.

Don’t Give Up

Sometimes, even when it seems that we’re doing everything right, we don’t see progress with a client. Perhaps they have suffered extraordinary challenges or are emerging from exceptionally painful situations. In some cases, we begin to wonder if progress is even possible.

The hard truth is that progress isn’t guaranteed. But that’s no reason to give up. As social service providers and caregivers, we must keep trying. When we are charged with helping clients, we must continue to observe and record behavior. Over time, these observations will help us adjust our care plans to provide the best life possible. We don’t stop trying.

Ways to Get Started in Social Work

Some people go to college to get a social work degree. Others come to the field from psychology or medicine. But many people begin as direct support professionals or DSPs. Training as a DSP provides a relatively fast way to begin gaining experience in caregiving. At CIS, DSPs can be hired without experience in the field. We spend weeks in training and ensure that each new hire meets agency and state requirements. Some client needs require additional training and certification, which CIS will support and pay for if required.

This means that people of all ages can start a career in social services without investing in years of education. Instead, CIS offers paid training. We also promote from within, which is another way we help our employees grow in their careers.

If you’re interested in starting a social services career, visit our career page and see if any of our listings are right for you.