Standard 17

Interpersonal Skills

My inkling toward interpersonal relationships is fundamentally what geared me toward choosing the Human Services program. For as long as I’ve been communicating, it’s been something that I’ve excelled at. Interactions with people, the interpersonal part of my life is exceedingly more important than any other part. I am an extrovert to the extreme. I get all of my refueling and my energy from being around people. Connecting with people is that much better. The connections among people, and more specifically my connections with the people around me is something I’ve put a lot of thought and effort into. I believe I am a life-long learner, especially in this area. I strive to be self aware, authentic, gracious, approachable and many other very important attributes in order to maintain a deep level of connection and awareness with the relationships in my life.
A large number of my skills, insights, perspectives and approaches to my-self and my relationships have either been formulated or greatly impacted through my experiences in this program. Some of my closely held mantra’s or lessons that have come into focus are:
Sitting silently in someone else’s pain, is possibly one of the most difficult, yet vital things you can do for any struggling person.
First. Listen. Actively. Then be heard.
Take people where they are at.
Take yourself where you’re at.
The meaning of the word Gracious.
Conversational content means nothing when the process is broken.
It’s okay to believe in people, even with proof to the contrary.
There is such a thing as too intense.
Grief can be debilitating.
People tell themselves stories about other people.
Each person is responsible for their own actions and reactions. Including me.
There has been an endless pool of resources and opportunities for me to continue to improve my interpersonal skills both through program content, and the path my life has been on over the last two years. Two very poignant instances in which I wrote about my learning about interpersonal self are (Appendix E ) and (Appendix H).