Episode 13: DSP Recognition Week: It Takes a Village

I feel that both of you are in the field long enough to be able to share, I think, some more about the challenges of being a direct support professional and then a supervisor of direct support professionals to kind of flesh that out a little bit and maybe some of the wins, some of the victories too, some of the personal experiences that you have that fortify you and keep you going.

Well, you know,

I've got like a ping pong thing going, don't I? That's okay, though.

So, Maritza, why don't you take that, okay?

I think one of the biggest challenges is understanding that each person has a need.

The service that we provide is person-centered.

It's very specific.

So what you've learned doesn't always apply to everybody.

So it's very important that you take the time to connect with each person.

and understand what their needs are in order to better support them.

So that's what I think is a challenge.

And once you're able to do that, then, you know, it's continuous because we get to support people throughout our careers.

So we're meeting new people all the time.

And, you know, our experiences certainly helps do the job, but it's important to invest the time to understand each person's needs.

Nicely put.

And I'm so glad that you brought up that theme of supports being person-centered.

In fact, I think you guys know that's one of the first points of discussion that we offer our very new staff at the new higher orientation.

Jean-Bernard, when I say that word, when we say that word, what are you thinking of when you think person-centered?

Person-centered means the needs of Robert is not the need of Angie.

Angie, for example, she might need someone to understand her needs in terms of when she wants to take a shower, she feels like she needs some privacy.

Robert may need someone that probably, that can just encourage him to just go take a shower.

But you as a DSP, you must know exactly how to approach those two people to ensure that they're being treated with respect and dignity.

Yeah, I like the way you put that too.

And to the extent that, you know, the supports that we provide are tailored.

Just as you said, we're not fitting people into a template.