Helping Skills for Human Service Workers: Building Relationships and Encouraging Productive Change

If building relationships and encouraging productive change are enterprises you wish to learn, this book is for you. In this new edition, previously titled SUPPORTIVE INTERVIEWING IN HUMAN SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS, all of the material has been updated with regard to supporting research. The basic system that is presented is simple and straightforward, enabling the reader to keep in mind the fundamental concepts and allowing for the freedom to be flexible, spontaneous, creative, and natural. To increase the reader’s understanding, the chapters have been arranged in the following order: Chapter 1 discusses several basic issues regarding the development and use of helping skills. Chapter 2 explores common modes of response. In Chapter 3, several ingredients are provided that foster positive relationships. Chapter 4 presents a step-by-step approach to problem solving. Chapter 5 examines responses that can detract from your efforts. In Chapter 6, a straightforward approach is presented to establishing goals, objectives, and plans. Chapter 7 describes channels of nonverbal information and commonly encountered nonverbal messages. Chapter 8 highlights endeavors that take center stage before, during, and after scheduled appointments. And Chapter 9 considers the needs of several groups: children, older persons, clients having low socioeconomic status, psychotic individuals, and persons experiencing long-standing issues. It will be appropriate for use by human service workers such as social workers, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, counselors and others. Performance in any of these arenas, and a host of others, can be enhanced by the communication skills taught in this book.