The following article is part of an ongoing series about the NADSP Competency Areas. The NADSP Competency Areas offer DSPs the opportunity to address challenges, work on issues identified by the person they support, or assist a person in pursuing a particular goal. Each Competency Area has corresponding skill statements that describe the knowledge and skills DSPs must have to demonstrate competency in each area.

This blog is about the skill statement “The competent DSP provides support to people using a person centered approach,” within the NADSP Competency Area: “Provide Person Centered Supports.”

Inside The Competency Area

Provide Person Centered Supports

Direct support professionals are involved in people’s lives in every possible aspect that one can imagine. The direct support profession is predicated on having meaningful relationships with people who need assistance and support.

These relationships are unique and unlike friendships, therapeutic relationships or client-customer relationships. They must be rooted in the person-centered direct support professional having knowledge, skills and values that focus on that person supported. This is accomplished by providing quality support at the point of interaction. To be truly person-centered, the direct support professional is obligated to put the needs, desires and interests of the people they support ahead of all other functions and obligations.

Inside The Skill Statement

The competent DSP provides support to people using a person centered approach.

It is important for direct support professionals to be person centered. It serves as one of the NADSP Competency Areas and it also is a tenet from the NADSP Code of Ethics. A direct support professional’s first allegiance is to the person they support. Everything must flow from that loyalty, attention and allegiance. This is easier stated than actually practiced.

There are other competing interests that a direct support professional faces on a daily basis as they work with people in the community, in their homes and other venues of direct support provision. For instance, direct support professionals may be influenced by family members, guardians, relatives, co-workers, supervisors or sometimes even policies and regulations, which may be different than what the person supported wants or desires.

Putting It All Into Practice

One of the first things to be aware of, is that a person centered direct support professional must have the capacity and ability to be an active listener. Listening is more than just hearing what someone might be saying. It can include observing behavior and watching for non-verbal communication. You can also reflect back to the people supported what you believe is being communicated and conveyed.

Another important reminder is that direct support professionals should always ask questions and clarify what the objectives and needs are of people they support. This ongoing, two-way communication between the professional and the person supported, needs to be applied on a daily basis.

Questioning, clarifying and reviewing one’s actions must be constant. It can prevent direct support professionals from doing something on behalf of someone, that may not be in their interest or desire. This may sound obvious but direct support professionals can be influenced by our system and by the environments in which they operate. They need to be held accountable to be person centered. With that, direct support professionals need to be taught, reminded and receive reinforcement as to what ‘person centered’ means.

Furthermore, direct support professionals need to evaluate the outcomes that result from their daily actions. Not everything that happens in a person’s life will be exactly what they want. In fact, there will be times when being person centered is almost impossible. These are situations when risk or desire may outweigh safety. Direct support professionals need to help people make informed decisions and ensure that a person’s dignity of risk is measured appropriately.

Quick Tips

How can you help embrace this skill statement and implement it? Here are some quick tips!

• • Listen first. Speak last.
  • Discover people’s interests, hobbies and favorite things.
  • Never judge anyone’s dreams, wishes or desires.
  • Understand situations and people’s circumstances by asking questions, gathering information and listening.
  • Help people make informed decisions so they can truly own the outcomes of their choices in life.
  • Help people explore ways to move ahead with decisions based on that person’s needs and desires.

Relevant Resources

• Website – The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices
• Website – Dr. Beth Mount – One of the founders of person centered thinking
• Webinar – Becoming a Better Ally
• Webinars – Core Competencies, the Code of Ethics, and other informational webinars