I have read many articles and publications on what A DSP/Support Worker needs to do, should know and has to learn more about. Any information is helpful and I appreciate all that I can learn from articles and journals.
I am a firm believer in life long learning and I believe that one who supports others as a profession has to learn and adapt and change all the time, it is what makes the work so rewarding.
I also believe that front line support workers are often in tough, dirty and stressful situations and often come out of those situations and be clean, happy and in control.
I want to take time to write about how brilliant front line support workers are. How much they do, how little they are rewarded and how skilled they are.
I have worked with hundreds of front line support workers, DSWs, DSPs, PSWs, RPNs, RNs, EAs, TA, Teachers, and so many more. I reflect upon all the fantastic people I have met that are kind, patient, loving and quick to laugh.
I am continually amazed that wherever I go across this country I meet people who know what they are doing, care with openness and forgiveness. Most everyone I have worked with can write novels of tips on how to support people in a natural and compassionate way.
So let this article be about something different, not about what one might need to be reminded of or know about, but what you already know.
Lets celebrate the work you do by taking time to acknowledge the skills you probably have mastered. If you are a front line support worker you probably mastered one or more of the following:
You are brilliant. Take time to pat yourself on the back. Buy yourself another coffee, tea or whatever you need. Take a minute and reflect on all you have done and know that you are appreciated by so many silent voices. Thank You for showing up everyday. Thank you for all you have taught me and all you will teach me.
I am a firm believer in life long learning and I believe that one who supports others as a profession has to learn and adapt and change all the time, it is what makes the work so rewarding.
I also believe that front line support workers are often in tough, dirty and stressful situations and often come out of those situations and be clean, happy and in control.
I want to take time to write about how brilliant front line support workers are. How much they do, how little they are rewarded and how skilled they are.
I have worked with hundreds of front line support workers, DSWs, DSPs, PSWs, RPNs, RNs, EAs, TA, Teachers, and so many more. I reflect upon all the fantastic people I have met that are kind, patient, loving and quick to laugh.
I am continually amazed that wherever I go across this country I meet people who know what they are doing, care with openness and forgiveness. Most everyone I have worked with can write novels of tips on how to support people in a natural and compassionate way.
So let this article be about something different, not about what one might need to be reminded of or know about, but what you already know.
Lets celebrate the work you do by taking time to acknowledge the skills you probably have mastered. If you are a front line support worker you probably mastered one or more of the following:
- Cooking, Cleaning, Laundry, Maintenance and more. As a front line support worker you get into the space of others. You have learned how to help others as you help yourself. You have taken time to clean up and help others clean up after themselves. You are clean and organized and skilled with a skillet. You can teach your skills and adapt them to suit the independent learning of others. Thank You
- Forgiveness. It does not take long to support someone who gets angry at you. They might do something out of frustration or accidentally or as a form of communicating that triggers you, insults you, even hurts you. You find a way to forgive and you find a way to care while being in pain, dirty or upset. You are their closest contact and see the light and shadows of their days. You become a student of forgiveness. Thank You
- Holding Space. Someone might be struggling with something; you stay back and let them figure it out themselves. Someone might be making a mistake; you wait and let them learn. You watch people fall and you help them get back on their feet. You stay close and wait and do what you can to allow someone to be the brightest person they can be. You do the most possible by interfering only when necessary. Thank You
- Showing Up. Day after day, week after week, you show up. You get up in the morning, stay up late at night, work weekends, holidays and your birthday. The alarm goes off and you get out of your warm bed to travel to the sides of others bed to help them up out of bed. You persevere with a smile and maybe a cup of coffee. Rain or shine, breakfast or dinner time you show up. Thank You
- Being Left Out of the Loop. You are continually told what to do by others. You are directed, ordered and bossed around by professionals, managers, parents, concerned parties who might not know the whole story or are not as close to the situation as you are. You listen and communicate and share and do the best you can with all the voices in the conversation. You understand that they are caring for the person you are supporting as you are. Thank You
- Groundedness. You might be tired, you might be having a terrible day, you might have your own worries or struggles, but you are present and helping another who needs you to be present in that moment. You are not perfect but you are strong and grounded in who you are and your beliefs. You are in someone else’s space and you do your best to not bring in your own life to their space. Thank You
- Political Advocacy. You are skilled in passing information onto the right person to advocate for the needs of the people you support. You have learned the language of politics and know how to play the game of politics. You have learned how to effectively communicate with professionals of all walks of life. You can ask, share, direct and yell when needed for those who can not do it for themselves. Thank You
- Laughter. You laugh and help other people laugh. I have not met a front line support worker with no sense of humor. You have a quick whit, a few good jokes and you engage in a giggle or two everyday. A kind word goes a long way, and you have many of them for the people you work with. No matter how strange the day might be, you laugh and smile you way through it. Thank You
- Intelligent. You might have the pieces of paper or the letters before or after you name but you have intelligence. You can change, adapt, grow, learn, communicate and decipher as well as anybody. You read notes, orders, recipes, signs and behaviors with accuracy. More so you take all that information and you turn it into the skill of supporting another person. Thank You
- Boundaries. You know your limits and know how to communicate them to others. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You take care of yourself and appreciate yourself. You ask for what you need and let people know when you can not do what is asked of you. You know when enough is enough and you know how to share that with care and kindness.
You are brilliant. Take time to pat yourself on the back. Buy yourself another coffee, tea or whatever you need. Take a minute and reflect on all you have done and know that you are appreciated by so many silent voices. Thank You for showing up everyday. Thank you for all you have taught me and all you will teach me.