Interaction and Communication

While I regularly interact with a wide array of clients, partners, and community members as part of my job
with the Somerset County Local Management Board, my capstone project has provided me with the opportunity to
work with a different network of individuals, families, groups, and communities who have an interest in the topic of
college and career access. Generally, I work closely with other human services and government agencies to provide
services to children, youths, and families in our county, and I able very comfortable communicating with them. An
executive director, I perform the high-level administrative functions for the SCLMB. For executive directors, “Much
of their time is spent meeting with policymakers, community leaders, and others interested in their organization and
its programs” (Occupational Outlook Quarterly, 2011).

Additionally, our organization does not provide direct services so the area with which I have the least
experience is in one-on-one interactions with individual clients and families. If we are able to create a college and
career access program as proposed in my capstone project, it would give me the opportunity to have more direct
contact with the individuals and families we serve. The National Organization of Human Services (2018) states that
human services professionals must be able to support their clients by assembling a network of resources to “promote
well-being, empowerment and community membership.” The goal of the program is to have advisors meet with
clients and their families to provide assistance in navigating the college and career pathways.

Because of my background as a journalist and public relations professional, I utilize active listening skills
in my job. "Active listening in its nonverbal aspects calls upon the communicator to be fully engaged and focused,
concentrating on the speaker" (Kiser, 2016, p. 160). As a result, I believe I am able to communicate easily with and
learn from individuals from all walks of life. My coursework for graduate education has been a reminder about how
to incorporate active listening into my work regardless of whether I am communicating with an agency
representative or an individual who participates in one of our programs.

While it is also the most challenging, the area of intervention that I find most satisfying is in working with
communities. At a recent strategic planning session at the SCLMB, we discussed how a mindset of hopelessness
exists that perpetuates a cycle of generational poverty in Somerset County. "Community practice is all about
working to create healthy systems where people can thrive, grow, and meet their needs” (Kiser, 2016, p. 194).
Through our programs, our organization is supporting individual children, youths, and families, but our ultimate
goal is to change that community mindset so fewer of those clients need services.

References

Kiser, P.M. (2016). Communicating in your internship. In The Human services internship: Getting the most from
your experience (4th ed., pp. 157-198). Boston, MA: Cenage Learning.

Moffat, C.T. (2011). Helping those in need: Human services workers. Occupational Outlook Quarterly. Retrieved
from https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2011/fall/art03.pdf

National Organization of Human Services. (2018). What is human services? Retrieved from
http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/what-is-human-services