That’s why I thought it might be a good idea to talk about what a DSP is, why they’re vital to our agency, and what a DSP might do on any given day. 

The Official Definition

A Direct Support Professional, or DSP, works directly with people who have intellectual or developmental disabilities. The people DSPs serve are called “clients.” DSPs are held to a high, nationally validated Code of Ethics and set of Core Competencies.

DSPs were trained as caregivers in the past, but now they are more like “care coaches.” DSPs don’t usually do things for their clients. Instead, DSPs help clients learn how to do things for themselves. For example, DSPs don’t buy groceries for clients, but they may drive clients to the grocery store and coach them during the shopping process, explaining how to compare products, keep track of spending, and make healthy choices.

Every day brings new challenges and opportunities, so the job is a little different every day.

If Every Day is Different, how do DSPs Know What to Do?

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 must follow these plans closely to meet their 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.

At CIS, we work with individuals with a history of behavioral issues, which can include violence. That’s why our plans will factor in histories of abuse, incarceration, homelessness, or other challenging circumstances that may contribute to behavioral issues. Plans also map out strategies to help DSPs stay safe at work. For example, they will highlight recommended actions in a challenging situation, provide strategies to mitigate violence, and include instructions to look for clues of self-harm or harm to others. 

Many CIS clients also have physical and psychiatric conditions that require medication, monitoring, and professional medical attention. Therefore, medication requirements, doctor appointments, and medical updates are also included in the plans.

Although CIS plans include references to the need for personal boundaries and “rules”, they’re ultimately developed to help the client recover, grow, and even thrive. Each plan also factors in the client’s vision for a meaningful life, including goals for self-care, relationships, recreation, education, employment, and housing.

The care our company provides includes a means to track progress, needing follow-up meetings, and adjusting the plans as the client grows and evolves. 

Our plans are a map of sorts – identifying the path for DSPs to follow to best meet the client’s needs in the least intrusive manner.  Such tasks will rarely take a full day to complete, so DSPs will find they have “free time”. Now, this doesn’t mean DSPs pick up their cell phone, take a nap or turn on the TV to zone out. This “free time” allows for relationship building with the clients, which means they can begin to understand what is needed to help the individual feel more comfortable, safer, or more confident. For example, DSPs may use this time with a client to do an art project, go for a walk, or teach how to play a musical instrument. Other DSPs may bake with their clients, plant and tend to a garden, or attend Zumba classes together.

DSPs Wear Many Hats

Direct Support Professionals complete various duties, and many of these responsibilities will expose the DSP to interaction with other professionals, such as medical clinicians, psychiatric providers, client employers, state social service case managers, probation officers, therapists, attorneys, and more.

At CIS, we often tell employees that their experience in community care can be a valuable stepping stone. It can provide experience in a range of fields, helping some employees identify new careers. For others, being trained as a DSP in community care is the starting point for a career path in social work, medicine, public policy, law enforcement, criminal justice, or education.

A DSP Position is a Launchpad to a Rewarding Career

Want to jumpstart a new career? Becoming a Direct Support Professional is a great way to learn about community care and related fields. At CIS, we pay you to train to become a DSP and even cover certification costs.

We also offer very competitive starting wages. DSP positions may be especially appealing to people who;

• have no experience in the field
• want to leave jobs in food service or retail
• want well-paid work with benefits
• want to start a career after high school and/or before college
• want to find more meaningful work that improves lives

If a job as a DSP sounds appealing to you, I strongly encourage you to apply for a DSP position at CIS in Spokane or South King County. We’re hiring at both locations, and we’d love to meet you!

Not only does our industry need the considerable skills that undergraduates offer, but it also offers a range of teaching and preparatory skills that enables students to understand their field in a more rounded way. And work in a community care facility also allows students to gain valuable experience that can be used to obtain jobs in their field of study.

Let’s start with a definition. A community care facility is any place or building maintained and operated to provide nonmedical residential care. At Community Integrated Services (CIS), our community care program is designed to serve the developmentally disabled, focusing on caring for individuals who also have a history of serious behavioral issues.

Why has the Community Care Approach Become More Prevalent?

CIS has expanded by 1800% since its founding 18 years ago. Our agency is growing quickly for a few different reasons. First, Americans are getting better at recognizing the need for places like CIS. In the past, developmentally disabled people with behavioral issues were often sent to asylums. Mismanagement and mistreatment led to the dissolution of these institutions, but they were not immediately replaced with better options. Instead, developmentally disabled individuals with social or behavioral issues were often sent to prison. Correctional facilities were overcrowded and poorly equipped to deal with disabilities, resulting in more mistreatment and high recidivism rates.

Secondly, many states now support agencies like CIS. Instead of incarceration, Washington state courts send some developmentally disabled offenders to CIS’s safe, supportive living environment. Many come to us with a history of severe abuse or homelessness. While some of our clients will always need very close supervision, many thrive in community care. We focus on teaching life skills and helping our clients find better ways to deal with stress and frustration. Clients learn to cook, clean, care for themselves, manage money, and interact positively with others. Many eventually get jobs and earn their own money.

Finally, the kind of community care offered by CIS has become a substantial part of the social safety net. Almost 3 million Americans currently work in community care facilities, and that number is expected to grow by about 11% over the next eight years. Not all community care facilities serve developmentally disabled individuals. Some care for veterans with mental health issues. Others focus on providing care to the elderly experiencing deteriorating mobility, memory, or cognitive abilities. All community care facilities are charged with providing a nurturing and caring living environment, monitoring physical and mental health, and rehabilitation when possible.

Community Care Can Be a Springboard to Other Careers

Community care needs more people. Facilities usually provide training. In fact, CIS offers fully-paid training and professional certification. But many college students avoid these types of jobs because they may be perceived as short-term or not analogous to their long-term career goals. But that’s not always a fair assessment.

Even entry-level positions allow employees to gain experience that is valuable in a wide range of careers. For example, working with disadvantaged populations can be foundational to a successful career in social work, non-profits, government, or public policy.

Transitioning people into community care as an alternative to incarceration often requires interaction with law enforcement, courts, and the penal system. This provides valuable experience for anyone interested in police work, criminal justice, or corrections.

Community care organizations spend a lot of time keeping abreast of government guidelines and social policy. This kind of attention to compliance is good preparation for any job in healthcare or healthcare resources. Community care employees also learn about care plans and bedside manner, which are also necessary for jobs in health.

Finally, working in a community care facility brings employees face to face with educational theory, teaching clients a range of skills and behaviors, and even budgeting. These skills will help anyone considering a career in education or finance.

Doing Well While Doing Good

One of the most attractive aspects of a career in community care is that employees are helping people. It’s easy to see how vital direct report professionals are to clients. And each day reminds employees how much they matter to people in need.

Jobs in community care can provide great emotional rewards. Employees are contributing to the greater social good while also making a difference in the lives of individuals. People who take jobs in community care may find that every day is a little different, but each day reminds them that their work matters and that they are making a difference.

If you’re a Spokane or South King County college student, contact us to explore your job options. It may just be the perfect starting point for your career.

Like it or not, employers can still pick and choose employees. Most good jobs get several applications, and great jobs are still highly coveted. At CIS, we train people for many positions, so lack of experience is not a deal-breaker. Once we ensure each applicant meets some basic requirements, we assess the less tangible qualities.

CIS has been on a growth trajectory for a while (Is 18 years “a while”? Because that’s how long we’ve been growing). So, we’re always looking for new employees to add to the team. Our agency offers community care for individuals with developmental disabilities who also have serious behavioral issues.

Since we’re a social services agency, we may have different requirements than, say, a fishing crew. Still, when it comes to organizations that are working or interacting with people such as medical field, sales, manufacturing, customer service, etc., people skills are essential, so there is a lot of overlap in desirable staff qualities.

We train our employees and pay for them for it and to get the necessary state certification(s). Some simple requirements right up front – at least 18 years of age, valid driver’s license, and pass a background check, but after that, it’s up to us to figure out who to hire and who will be a good fit with our community care agency.

There are a couple of qualities that are especially important to us and likely to a lot of other companies as well.

Empathy

I often say that most people have a leg up in the world. Many have education, intelligence, health, friends, and a good family. Most of us were dealt a pretty good hand. But the clients we support have been battling against disadvantages their entire life. All of our clients have developmental disabilities. Many also have mental health or medical issues. Some have been significantly abused. Others have been homeless at one time or another and lack a supportive family and good friends. In short, they don’t have a leg up.

It’s imperative that each of our employees is empathetic. They need to be able to understand the feelings of a client, even if those emotions are very different from their own. We often talk about meeting people where they are. Meeting people where they are is about acceptance without judgment. Because our staff will work with clients with developmental disabilities and a history of behavioral issues, empathy is critical.

Confidence

When I train new employees, I consistently come up against one big challenge: lack of confidence. It’s not a lack of confidence in their professional abilities (they’re learning, after all). It’s a lack of confidence in their ability to learn.

Yes, many people make the leap and believe they will eventually get it. But some people have a hard time envisioning themselves as fully-trained. Their lack of confidence starts chipping away at their motivation and their ability to learn new skills. 

While everyone has value, people without an innate sense of confidence may have genuine difficulties fitting in at CIS. Our employees must be able to provide care for others, make daily decisions, and help our clients succeed. Without good self-confidence, that’s very difficult.

Desire to do Meaningful Work

Many of our employees come to us from different fields. We have people from healthcare, retail, banking, military, and the lumber industry – to name a few. The people who do best at CIS are those who love their work. I like to think that is because it has real meaning. Some folks come to us after they retire, looking for a way to give back. Others are burnt out by running cashiers or managing restaurants.

No matter what their previous job was, if they do their job at CIS well, it’s work that feeds the soul.  Many find that they wake up knowing they are needed and valued. They go to bed knowing they did their part to make the world a little better today for someone who otherwise might not have had that positive experience.

While every job might not offer spiritual fulfillment, businesses can create an environment where employees see their purpose in making the world a better place for others.

Friendliness

I’m sure there are jobs in which friendliness is not always an asset, but I don’t know if there are jobs in which friendliness is never an asset. Being kind, pleasant, and acknowledging others unbegrudgingly is a good way to go through life. And it’s also an important trait for our employees.

 I believe that you get what you give in life. If you want to be treated kindly, you must be kind. If you want to have a pleasant day, you must be pleasant. If you want the world to treat you with dignity, you must treat others with dignity.

 Conversely, anyone lacking these qualities cannot interact with our clients productively. They can’t contribute to a thriving milieu, won’t help build office morale, and won’t be a good fit in our systems or processes. So, we don’t hire them.

Positive Attitude

Nobody wins all the time. No one has a good day every day. But it’s essential for our team to believe that the world can get better, that good outcomes are possible, and that a few setbacks are not the end of the world. Tomorrow is another day after all… 

In any job, a positive attitude improves the work environment. The belief that good work will eventually produce positive results is essential to employee motivation. Conversely, people with uncertain or negative outlooks can pull a team down, chip away at confidence, and generally wreck morale.

Our team is staffed with people who believe the cup is half full. Our collective positive attitude is one of our strongest assets. Our team members face real challenges, but they don’t let it get them down for long. Collectively, we shore people up, work on challenges, and reward successes. 

Creativity

At CIS, creativity isn’t about painting or music or art – although it can be (we do have a monthly art class for the clients).  It’s about the ability to solve problems in new ways. It’s about questioning the process and developing better ways to get the job done.

Creative thinkers look at new ways to meet any challenge. They’re also more willing to learn additional skills, fill in for other employees, explore other positions, and grow professionally in new and unplanned ways.

We love creativity at CIS and look for it in every new employee.

Curiosity

I have always disliked the saying, “Curiosity kills that cat.” I think that curiosity doesn’t kill the cat; it gets the cat what it needs.

Curiosity and creativity are admittedly two sides of the same coin. Curiosity enables employees to explore all angles, learn new skills, and try different approaches.

For example, one employee spent extra time trying to figure out why a client hated her new microwave. Finally, after many questions and observations, she saw that it worked quite differently than the old microwave, and her client was too embarrassed to admit she didn’t know how to work it.

 Curiosity enables our staff to see, watch, experiment, and explore. Each client is very different, so one size rarely fits all. Curiosity also drives employees forward. Instead of shrugging their shoulders and thinking, “that’s the way it is,” they search for an answer, look for the reason why, and seek out the story behind the story.  

What Skills are Important to Your Organization?

Now that you know what’s important to CIS, I’d love to hear from you. Which skills are critical to your firm’s success? What do you look for in employees? Every company is different, but I suspect we’re all more alike than we know.

In a 2021 report, the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that almost 1 in 4 inmates surveyed reported having a cognitive disability, such as difficulty remembering or making decisions.

Other reports note that correctional facilities have become the largest provider of mental health services in the country.

Why Are so Many Developmentally and Intellectually Disabled People Behind Bars?

In the past, individuals with intellectual disabilities or mental health conditions were committed to asylums or institutions. Civil rights movements resulted in the dissolution of these institutions in favor of including disabled individuals in schools and communities. For many people, this was a tremendous improvement.

While some welcomed this approach, studies also revealed that developmentally disabled individuals were now more likely to experience a range of conditions that significantly increased their likelihood of committing a crime, including homelessness, poverty, and abuse. And troubled individuals with intellectual disabilities were often sentenced to time behind bars, in part because no other alternatives existed.

Ill-Equipped for Institutional Incarceration

When people with intellectual or developmental disabilities are sentenced to conventional prisons, it compounds existing issues. They may be ill-equipped to defend themselves against violent inmates or can be exceptionally vulnerable to exploitation.

And because these folks don’t have the skills to integrate into society at large, recidivism is common. Many have never learned appropriate coping mechanisms. They may not know how to make good decisions or understand how to interact responsibly. Lacking critical social and reasoning skills, developmentally disabled inmates are challenging to safely manage and require more resources.

New Approaches Offer New Solutions

Some states, including Washington State, have begun community-based living approaches that offer long-term payoffs for offenders, correctional facilities, and society at large. The Washington State Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) Community Protection Program (CPP) was established to provide a structured, therapeutic environment for developmentally disabled offenders or clients with community protection issues. CPPs are a way to allow clients to live safely and successfully in the community without re-offending while minimizing the risk to public safety.

As a state CPP, CIS works in concert with corrections, Developmental Disabilities Administration, and treatment providers to identify risk levels. While some clients transform in our supportive environment, others continue to struggle with violence and are provided additional structure and support. But each CIS client lives in a safe environment, free from the threat of violence, intimidation, or exploitation.

With coaching, counseling, teaching, and constant supervision, many of our clients thrive. They learn how to cope with situations productively. They have a home, learn how to take care of themselves, live in a safe and supportive environment, develop healthy relationships, and are able to become gainfully employed.

Agencies like Community Integrated Services may play a significant role in the future of prison reform – providing a safe alternative to incarceration with a focus on protecting the community. Not only do CPPs take intellectually disabled people out of harm’s way (and protect others from being harmed), but organizations like CIS also teach life skills the individual has yet to master. As a result, these programs can help reduce the threat of repeat offenses or recidivism.

I hope that the twenty-first century provides a better path forward, with organizations like CIS working with the state and correctional institutions to offer compassionate care for some of our nation’s most troubled populations. As other states study and emulate the successes of Washington State, the future looks bright.

In social work, employees often talk about serving humanity and contributing to the greater good. I mean, it’s right there in the name: social.  We are here to help and serve people. But thinking about how a job positively impacts other people doesn’t need to be limited to my line of work. If we’ve learned anything from the pandemic, it’s that so many jobs matter. Really matter. When times get tough, we quickly realize the vital role grocery store employees play. We find a new appreciation for truckers and dock workers, garbage/refuse workers and janitors, and internet and cell phone customer service workers. Can you imagine the past two years without HULU, Netflix, etc.?!  These people showed up and continue to show up to keep the world functioning. Never has the value of every kind of work been so apparent.

All Work has Purpose and Higher Meaning

Defining the purpose of our jobs and identifying the good it brings to us, those around us, and the world is a vital part of staying motivated, joyful, and driven. Understanding and appreciating the importance and purpose of an occupation is a big part of loving a job and doing it well. When we’re unsure what role we play in making lives better, it helps to ask these questions.

How do I Help People?

Whether you work with customers or work alone at home, your job is part of a bigger story. What you do helps people. But who are you helping? Ask, how am I making other people’s lives better? Will my end customer, whether that’s a social work client, a patient, a new home buyer, or a customer at a grocery store, get more, have a better experience, or find something that they or their family needs because I helped make it happen in some way?

Will my Efforts Help Co-Workers?

Many employees are part of a team. In a team, each person’s performance affects the success of those around them. Will your best efforts help make your team, supervisor, or division also become more successful? Are you doing your best to support others? Are you helping to achieve common, greater good goals?

How Does My Company Make the World Work Better?

It’s not always easy to see why any single company makes the world a better place. But all companies exist to serve a need. Does your employer make the world more safe, efficient, warm, clean, etc.? What would happen if your company just disappeared? Would that cause hardships for suppliers, customers, clients, or coworkers? How many families depend on your company’s success to; buy food, clothe families, and keep a roof over their heads?

Do I Find Rewarding Relationships at Work?

Some find lifelong friends at work. Others are just happy to get a friendly greeting in the morning. Either way, we form relationships and bonds at work, which is good for our mood and mental health. So, even if your job description does not inspire you per se, appreciate the people around you and lean into the social nature of working. Look for friends. Seek out mentors. Or be a mentor and help others succeed.

Can I use my Skills to Help Others?

Any position requires some learning. Maybe you learned how to bake bread, clean windows, or use Excel. How are you able to share that knowledge or use those skills to make the lives of others better? Could you help clean the local rec center? Could you cook some food and deliver it to a shelter? Could you teach computer skills to seniors? Most of the skills learned at any job can also be utilized to make your home, neighborhood, and community a better place.

Embrace Your Higher Purpose

Sure, you could go to a job and get through the day with your head down, doing just what is needed to get by. Or you could reevaluate your work and think about how your job helps others. We can all enjoy the camaraderie of coworkers and actively participate in making work more enjoyable, more productive, and even more fun. Smile. Laugh. Maybe bake some of that bread and bring it to the office to share. You’d be mighty appreciated…

Every job has value, and all work has dignity. What you bring to your work is the cherry on top. When we find the higher purpose in our work, that new perspective creates a positive ripple effect that keeps on giving.

One: Share Your Intent to Create a Happy Workplace

This is an easy first step, but it comes with real consequences. When you tell team members that you want a happy workplace, it instantly becomes a goal. Your staff may make proactive suggestions on ways to improve morale. Or they may complain about demoralizing elements. Employee input is essential and should be encouraged (even if you can’t fulfill every request.) Conversely, anything you do to demotivate hires will make them doubly resentful. So, make sure you’re 100% sincere and committed when you share your intent to make your business a happy workplace, or it will backfire.

Two: Include the Purpose Behind Requests

The “just do it” approach does not make workers happy. Instead, help your employees feel valued by sharing the corporate purpose behind initiatives. Of course, staff members need direction on personal duties and responsibilities, but it helps them feel vested if you share the rationale behind those tasks.

By sharing the bigger picture when explaining duties or new procedures, a person no longer feels they are just a “do-er.” For example, instead of sending a memo about new requirements, explain that additional steps are being implemented to protect against potential lawsuits. In another instance, requiring cleared hallways is not as effective as telling your team to keep hallways clear to make it safer for people with disabilities to move through. 

Three: Praise Publicly, Correct Privately

When an employee does their job well, praise them. Even if, especially if, they always do it well. Don’t stop, even if you’re constantly saying, “great job” or always giving high fives. Feeling appreciated and noticed is a key element of a happy workplace.

When things go wrong, discuss it in private. Be kind. Be empathetic. And provide steps or suggestions to correct the behavior.  

Four: Encourage Social Behavior

Gallup research has repeatedly reported that having a best friend at work is a strong motivation for staying at a job. While many managers dislike office chatter, experts agree that friendships improve the quality of work and the likelihood of staying on even when other factors are not ideal. Having good friends at work increases feelings of trust and inclusion. In addition, friendship makes work more emotionally satisfying.

That doesn’t mean that the manager has to become a best friend. However, encouraging social behavior, including traditional “timewasters” such as chatting in the breakroom, birthday celebrations, and going out to lunch with coworkers, is actually a sound investment in employee satisfaction

Five: Be Transparent

Some managers believe that restricting access to corporate vision, career paths, or workplace challenges is a professional expectation. However, when managers are open about strategy, rationales, corporate initiatives, and even personal failings, they increase trust, encourage team-building, and build company loyalty.

The more company information supervisors share with their teams, the more involved and engaged their reports become. So instead of gatekeeping, share as much as possible. While it’s not smart to share information marked “confidential,” when possible, share data, P&L statements, business reports, marketing materials, and other business information with your entire team.

Six: Eliminate “Gotcha” Management

A friend once told me about the reaction she received to a 21-page report. It was a significant document, full of research, charts, and hard-to-find insights that represented about two weeks of work. When she submitted the report, the supervisor started reading, eventually found two minor typos, and then rejected the report angrily. That friend quit three weeks later.

That’s what happens when supervisors insist on total perfection. They actively search for any excuse to call out missteps. But the truth is that no matter who you are or how well you do your job, mistakes are inevitable. And that means any team will make errors. Eagerly looking for any issue, big or small, and unkindly reprimanding your staff is a foolproof way to lose employees.

So how do you eliminate a “gotcha” environment safely? When the stakes are high, assume some mistakes will happen and proactively put proofreaders, fact-checkers, reviews, or inspections in place. When the stakes are low, gently point out issues without reprimand. Finally, when the error is of no consequence (a small typo in a text about cake in the breakroom), ignore it.

And remember that using humor to point out mistakes does not soften the blow. Always position corrections as evaluation tools designed to promote professional growth.

Seven: Promote From Within

At CIS, we have always believed in promoting from within. We are committed to training our teams, and when we see talent, we try to cultivate it. As a result, we rarely hire outsiders for management positions. This approach has all kinds of benefits.

Many of our employees stay with us for years, even decades. They know that we are always looking to promote staff. An entry-level hire can be promoted repeatedly, eventually landing in a top-level position, and examples of this are all around them.

Employees who can see a future at your company are more likely to stay. The promise of future rewards motivates them to excel at their current job and to be vocal about their skills, ambitions, and preferences. 

Skilled Managers Result in Lower Turnover Rates

If your company is having issues with high turnover rates, remember that improving supervision skills is one of the most effective ways to increase employee satisfaction. By creating a more employee-friendly management style, you will also increase productivity, amplify engagement, and improve retention rates.

Of course, that’s total nonsense. People change all the time. In fact, people rarely stay the same in their opinions, their behavior, or their life. Humans actually have wildly elastic minds and hearts that can and do shift all the time.

I see it in my work. In addition to being a professional trainer, I’m also a social worker. I currently work with people with developmental disabilities and behavioral issues. When our clients come to us, many other people have given up on them. Some may seem like lost causes. But our teams know that if we meet people where they are and understand who our clients are, what they have endured, and what they are capable of, we can often change their lives. We can help them transform from self-destructive into productive citizens who actually make positive contributions to society.

As a professional trainer, I often work with employees who come to us with little experience in the human services field. Through thorough training, we help these new hires transform into skilled social workers to help developmentally disabled adults grow and thrive. I like to hope that my training also provides some useful tips to help our employees in their lives outside of work.

The employee training techniques we use can be applied to a range of situations in other fields and even at home. If you want to change the behavior of someone around you, try these strategies.

Consistent Message

What are you trying to say? How are you trying to say it? Start by carefully defining your message and creating a language that expresses it precisely. Once you have a well-expressed message, stick with it. Avoid changing it or adding to it. For example, if you want your team to plan for extra-long days on Tuesdays, stick with it. Heavy up your Tuesday workloads. Limit long hours to Tuesdays only. Avoid switching it to Wednesdays or Fridays – ever. And avoid adding duties or conditions on top of the long hours mandate. For example, avoid adding that you want them to be quieter or work faster on Tuesdays.

The same applies to the personal behaviors of those in your life. If you want your teenager to do the dishes on Tuesday nights, have them do them every Tuesday. Keep away from switching it around when it’s more convenient or adding duties like making beds or emptying trash. The best way to get your child to complete a chore consistently is to assign the same task over and over, without variation from you or them.

Share Information in Steps or Stages

When we’re training staff, we break out all information into steps or stages. We intentionally break the data up into easy-to-learn nuggets. Dividing complicated work into a series of simple tasks increases confidence and improves the chances of success.

And this strategy also works well in helping people change behaviors outside of a training environment. If you want a co-worker to start closing up the office, start by making a checklist. Break the process down into a set of small, easy-to-accomplish tasks. Walk them through each step individually, even if it seems small and simple. “The key goes here” and “Shut off the bathroom lights” may seem like no-brainers to you, but writing them down makes the process easier for your co-worker and increases the chances that they’ll complete every step correctly.

The same process can be used if you want your friend to take care of your home or dog while you’re gone. Creating a checklist of things to do and when to do them makes it easier for someone else to feel comfortable caring for your home or pup in your absence.

Avoid Overload

Breaking tasks into steps and stages is one way to avoid overload, but it’s also wise to avoid assigning too many new tasks in a short period. Even if each task is simple, asking people to change behavior too quickly is a recipe for failure. In my training sessions, we teach employees a few lessons at a time, adding skills and information in a series of classes over a period of several hours. We practice the skill in class, ask people to demonstrate, and make it fun while we do it. Mastering one skill before adding another is a smart way to increase confidence and competence without overwhelming.

For example, once your co-worker has successfully closed up the office, you can add the task of inventorying and ordering office supplies. Once they understand how office supplies work, you can add building maintenance duties to their roster.

The same technique applies to the teenager doing dishes. Once they show mastery of doing dishes one night a week, you can add a load of laundry to the mix. Allowing them to get used to completing one task consistently before adding another reduces the perceived time burden.

The Teacher is at Fault, not the Student

Sometimes we try to teach a new behavior or skill, and it doesn’t stick. At this point, our instincts tell us that our trainee is stubborn, dumb, not paying attention, or careless. But the truth is that if your trainee is capable of learning, this is the time to analyze your methods. What are you, as the teacher or trainer, doing? How can you approach this problem differently? What learning method would be simpler, more enjoyable, or easier for the student to internalize?

Common barriers to learning include:

I always assess the room to find the person or persons who appear to have strong self-confidence and will sometimes be playful with them to get the shy attendees to become more comfortable with class participation. It’s worked for 30 years, and I have had full participation in my training sessions every time. If a participant is struggling, I will ask the class if anyone can provide a suggestion. Once the suggestion has been made, I might go back to the struggling attendee with a different scenario and ask them to answer. I might sit close and say to them, “You can do it. I believe in you. We all do.” The power of group support is amazing. In every scenario, I ask the class, did you think to answer the same way? Do you understand why that is not the correct response in this situation? I let attendees know that the problem or scenario was created as a trick question so they don’t feel bad for “getting it wrong.” We use every moment as a chance to learn. 

Bonus Tip: Celebrate Victories

Want to get your trainees (or your co-worker or your family) to learn faster and perform more consistently? Then embrace the power of positive reinforcement. Always, always, celebrate good performance. Recognize exceptional mastery. Thank people for a job well done.

When people know they are doing a great job, they are more likely to repeat it. When they see that you appreciate their efforts, they are more likely to continue to strive to perform. At the end of the day, training is about teaching and rewarding. So don’t hold back on praise. 

However, people outside my industry don’t always understand what I do or why I do it. To outsiders, my job can appear futile, hopeless, or even depressing. But of course, I disagree with all of those misconceptions. As someone specializing in working with people with developmental disabilities, I deal in hope, incremental progress, and compassion. When I look around at other industries, I sometimes wish they could borrow a few moves from our playbook. Here are some tried and true strategies from the social services world that can help people increase their emotional intelligence and succeed in any industry.

Meet People Where They Are

I say this a lot. It’s kind of my professional mantra because it is one of the most useful tools I have. Meeting people where they are means that I don’t wish they were someone or something else. It’s about acceptance without judgment. As someone who works with people with developmental disabilities and a history of behavioral issues, I have to keep my professional mantra top of mind at all times.

The only thing my clients have in common is that they struggled in their past situations. Some of our clients are verbally abusive. Some want to be physically abusive. Some have serious health issues. Many have come to us from poverty, abusive homes, or even prison. In fact, when they arrive at CIS, some clients don’t have a clear understanding of basic boundaries or social expectations. It can be overwhelming at times.

When I “meet people where they are,” I let go of my wishes and focus on their reality. I know that if these troubled people could behave another way right now, they would. It’s up to me to reset my expectations. When I meet them where they are, I can figure out what they need right now to help them get through the next few hours. I don’t focus on what they’ve done or why I should or shouldn’t like them. Instead, I meet them as a person with needs at this moment. I accept that life made them as they are. It’s my job to initiate plans that can help them change and grow into their next stage.

Understand That It Takes Time to Trust

It’s hard to make progress without trust. However, all humans withdraw confidence as a defense against tough times. My clients often come to CIS after living extraordinarily challenging lives, so their guards are up. While CIS works very hard to provide safe, predictable environments for our clients, these people are unable to simply shift gears and trust. Instead, we must give each client who comes to CIS the time they need to build their confidence in us. And that can take months, even years.

The hardest thing about waiting for trust is to withhold impatience. We must internalize the fact that if we are doing our part by being compassionate and consistent, our clients are moving as fast as they can. And many can’t trust us quickly. That’s not their fault. They’re not being stubborn or intentionally shutting us out. One of the biggest lessons any person can learn is that it takes time to trust, and a failure to trust is not intentional or controllable.

Don’t Generalize

It is so tempting to evaluate a client and think, “This one is just like the one who came in a few months ago. Let’s treat them the same.” However, the combination of human personalities, traumas, and disorders is almost infinite, which means that people are almost never the same. What works to help one person may actually make another person regress. So it’s essential to take the time to analyze and understand each person as a genuine individual.

Think About What People Need for a Fulfilling Life

Outside of my job, my friends and family have a wide range of definitions of a fulfilling life. So it’s not surprising that our clients with developmental disabilities also have different hopes and dreams. For some of our clients, fulfillment comes when they can go to a paying job each day. For others, fulfillment is as simple as learning how to fry an egg. Fulfillment is individualized as each person, so we take a lot of time with our clients to find out what their goals are, what their abilities are, and map out a path where the two meet.

Celebrate Small Victories

Whether you are an individual with a developmental disability at CIS or a wildly successful CEO, my advice is to take note of the small victories and celebrate them wholeheartedly. In my experience, life unfolds in inches, not yards. Really big accomplishments are few and far between.

Be Reliable

Show up. Do what you say you will, on time. Tell a reasonably polite version of the truth. Don’t make promises you may or may not be able to keep. When you do these things, you will find that the smallest and the biggest tasks become much more manageable.

Stop Looking for the Best Way

If there were one sure way to fix something, we’d all do it. If there were one straight path to success, we’d all take it. If there were one right way to do any given task, we’d all be doing it. But there isn’t one best way. There is the best way for you. Or the best strategy for now. Or the best course considering what you’ve got or haven’t got. Stop focusing on efficiency or perfection and stay flexible.

Progress Isn’t Guaranteed, But That’s No Reason to Give Up

No matter how much we want to help people, we’ll always encounter those who don’t seem to improve. Maybe they continue to lash out. Or they seem much better, and then they lapse. Or perhaps you’ve tried ten different approaches, and they don’t respond to any. In social services (and in life), progress is not guaranteed. But that doesn’t mean we get to give up. Even when someone seems beyond our help, we never stop trying, searching, and continuing to strive. Maybe we can’t help everyone, but we can never stop trying.

In social services, meeting people where they are, and the other strategies listed here are second natures. But I have found that they’re not always common in other industries. That’s too bad. With a little extra empathy, compassion, and patience, you may find your attitude shifts, and your effectiveness increases.

Switching occupations may seem drastic, but it’s not uncommon. A 2019 Indeed report revealed that about half of all people surveyed made a dramatic career shift at some point in their life.

Why do so many people change professions? Some find they aren’t using their strongest skills. Others discover that their co-workers don’t share the same values. Many employees want to do more meaningful work. Some just want to get “unstuck.” I often hear about people who never really “chose” a career but instead took a short-term job that somehow lasted for years.

Who Switches Careers?

The same 2019 Indeed survey noted that 39 is the average age for a switch. A more recent Indeed survey reported that many people now quit because they no longer feel challenged or satisfied. 

Employees don’t make these decisions lightly. On average, they spend 11 months deliberating before making a move. Recent world events inspired a lot of people to make a change.  92% of career switchers said the pandemic made them realize that life is too short to stay in a job they weren’t passionate about. 

 Career switching is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. At CIS, many of our people come to us as entry-level employees. We pay for them to become trained, certified, and then (ta-da!) they start a new profession with us. In fact, most of our senior people worked their way up through our ranks. They joined us from other industries, including government, retail, and even the shipping industry.

Our current director of operations came to CIS from retail management at a high-end department store. She started with CIS as a direct support professional in our Spokane location, was promoted to program manager, then program director, and now oversees the entire company. I bet her 30-year-old self could not have imagined doing what she is doing now.   

Another staff member is a retired ship captain who was looking for something rewarding for his next job. He joined CIS as a senior direct support professional and worked ten years in that role before retiring – again. He said his work with our clients was the most rewarding he had ever done and that he wished he had found such love-filled work much earlier in his life.

I made my own career shift about 25 years ago. I moved from victim counseling to working with perpetrators. While I remained in the social work realm, my perspective and goals changed completely. I care very deeply about victims, and I realized that if I could change the behavior of perpetrators, there would be fewer victims. The power of that idea hit me hard, and I knew that I needed to be doing that.

I began working with an organization that helped the victims by eliminating the threats by rehabilitating the perpetrators, neutralizing the danger, and reducing the number of victims by preventing the crime before it even happened. I soon partnered with Charles Morton to start our own community protection program, Community Integrated Services, or CIS.

The career I have today is much different from the one I started in my twenties. Yes, it’s still social work, but in a different capacity, from a different angle, using different skills.

Why Do People Switch to Social Services?

I’ve worked in social work for decades. Even though my career path has shifted a few times, I’ve never stopped thinking that I am right where I belong.  And I know it’s a good place for a lot of other people as well.

One of the best aspects of social services is that the industry truly celebrates diversity. The people in this field enthusiastically welcome all kinds of people into our ranks. There are many places for people of all ages, ethnicities, and gender orientations. I am constantly surrounded by all sorts of people from a variety of backgrounds, who come to the job with a broad spectrum of personal experiences, and I really love that.

It’s also an industry with plenty of openings and continued growth. Not only will you be able to find a great entry position, but if this is your “forever career,” you’ll be in high demand for decades to come. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Overall employment of social workers is projected to grow 12 percent from 2020 to 2030, faster than the average for all occupations. About 78,300 openings for social workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.”

Training and Education

Social work is often monitored by government agencies, which requires a lot of training and certification. However, many positions (including those at CIS) offer paid training and even cover the cost of certification and exams. This means that people who have no prior experience can get on-the-job training. In fact, many of CIS’s best employees came to us from unrelated fields and took advantage of paid training to acquire the needed skills.

We often tell our applicants that this is an excellent job for people who are unsure of their exact career path. Becoming a direct support professional at CIS is a good first step in exploring the fields of caregiver, social work, psychology, healthcare, residential care, education, and working with special needs individuals.

People who want to move into more senior positions in social services often rely on on-the-job training. Many of our supervisors and senior staff have built their careers this way. For example, we have a Lead Manager that has been with CIS for nearly 20 years. He started as a direct support professional, was promoted to live-in, then program manager, and now oversees the managers in the Federal Way program. We had an employee who started with CIS nearly 15 years ago as a direct support professional; she was promoted to live-in, then she became the client financial administrator, then the trainer/recruiter, then the payroll administrator, finally the Director of Operations – to which she recently resigned to start her own business.  

One of the CIS legacies I am most proud of is an employee’s ability to take what they learned here and use those skills to embark on a new career. We have folks that have gone on to become therapists, authors, run women’s shelters, run peer agencies, work with the state as case managers, and start their own businesses. I can’t tell you the number of times I have heard from ex-employees who reach out saying “thank you” for some seemingly mundane tidbit they learned when they worked for CIS and expressing how helpful it has been in their new role. 

Don’t Be Afraid to Switch!

I know from experience that switching professions can be scary. And it can be hard to leave years of experience behind. But embracing a new direction, reaching new goals, and mapping out a career that fits your beliefs and lifestyle can be one of the most rewarding decisions of your life.

 If you’re not happy in your field, look around. Think about what you need from your ideal job, reset your career goals, and make a plan. There’s never been a better time to reimagine the rest of your life.

While some people assume that we stop “learning” once school is completed, that is rarely the case. My background in educational psychology informs almost every part of what I do when working with adults with DD (Developmental Disabilities.) Previous learning may not have occurred methodically or consistently for the DD adults that come to CIS. As each new client arrives, we uncover new challenges. The CIS team must determine what these clients have learned, identify details of their previous care, and assess both their educational and emotional situations. To make matters more complicated, many clients come to us with incomplete or even non-existent records of care.

What Happens After the K-12 Experience

Many DD adults do not thrive after leaving the structure and oversight of a K-12 experience. While graduating from high school and moving into adulthood is a challenge for anyone, this transition can be particularly difficult for those with developmental disabilities. Individuals that have been served in a special education program may have participated in years of structured, individually paced learning following consistent federal guidelines. The graduation age can go up to age 22 for an individual receiving special education services.

After leaving K-12 school, without careful oversight, many DD adults fall prey to the effects of poverty, neglect, or even abuse. While K-12 educators are taught to expect a wide range of abilities for special education students, adult caregivers must be even more comprehensive in our client analyses.

That’s why having a solid understanding of behavioral and cognitive psychology is so important. Disabilities and abilities are dramatically affected by the environment. Negative histories result in present-day issues. Accepting this and planning for it is key to success. For example, one recent arrival had been living with her elderly parents for the last 30 years. Records were understandably incomplete. A doctorate in educational psychology gave me the tools I needed to put together an interim plan. At the same time, the CIS team began gathering data on the client’s current activity to help us identify needs, track success, and modify the plan based on how this individual adapts.

The Focus Shifts to Teaching Life Skills

When DD adults arrive at the CIS adult care community, we rarely spend a lot of time teaching reading or math. Instead, we focus on life skills like cooking, cleaning, and doing one’s own laundry. We often spend time teaching them concepts like food safety and home budgeting. At the same time, the CIS team creates plans that account for the client’s understandable frustration along the way, as well as accommodating more serious behavioral issues that may have resulted from past trauma.

An educational psychology approach helps. Understanding developmental psychology, behavioral psychology, and cognitive psychology inform the development of different approaches for each client based on ability, interests, and behavioral issues.

Regardless of developmental progress, each person’s personality and disposition are a product of nature AND nurture. Everyone inherits “good” and “bad” genes, and the environment and way we are raised can accentuate the positive or the negative. So, instead of developing a “one-size-fits-all” program, we spend time analyzing each client in order to determine what approach has the best chance of success.

Whether you’re working to help adults or children learn new behaviors, patience, listening, observing, and dedication are critical. The CIS team rarely meets all objectives on the first try. Instead, we continually work to adjust, refine, adapt, and improve our approaches using a combination of developmental psychology, behavioral psychology, and cognitive psychology.

Changing Government Regulations Add Complexity

As anyone in education or adult care knows, state and federal laws and regulations change all the time. Staying on top of compliance is both important and time-consuming, so we keep dedicated experts on staff. As regulations change, we internalize shifts and look for a straightforward way to bridge previous policies or procedures with new expectations. 

Keeping up with policies and streamlining paperwork is critical to the success of any agency. Over the years, CIS has taken many clients from other struggling agencies.  It’s common to see that other agencies create multiple systems to meet similar needs. Instead of streamlining paperwork, they simply added paperwork with each policy change. During a takeover of an agency several years ago, I was training a staff member on CIS’ behavioral data collection system, and the staff said, “Is this all there is? What am I going to do each day to keep myself busy?” I asked what she meant, and she said that in her previous position, there was so much duplication of documentation and data collection that it took the entire shift just to keep up with the paperwork. That system failed because they lost track of the intent of the paperwork and became buried in duplication.

Optimism Rules the Day

Any person in human service occasionally feels overwhelmed. The problems are big. There are no easy answers. Even as we help individuals one at a time, it’s hard to forget all the people we can’t personally help.

But in my work with special education and adults with developmental disabilities, I see progress. Over time, we’re getting much better at identifying issues, assessing the complexity of each individual, and understanding the value of documentation and analysis. That means that we now know how to successfully help more types of people with broader ranges of backgrounds and a wider range of behavioral issues.

Educational psychology has supplied me with so many vital skill sets. And the research and techniques in the field are improving every day. This area of study has helped me do so much in my life and my career, and I know it will continue to help me work on a range of challenges in the future.