Introduction

Helping skills are a fundamental aspect of being a community support worker. An understanding of what helping skills are and how they are conveyed will be the foundation of this chapter. Helping skills can be understood in many varied ways; different people, professions, cultures, lived experiences, and circumstances may result in diverse perceptions of helping. Despite different perceptions of what it means to help, there are some core skills that are essential in helping relationships.

Throughout this chapter, we will look at components of interpersonal communication, including active listening, verbal and nonverbal communication, emotional intelligence, problem solving, and empathy. This will lead into questioning techniques to best support clients, such as closed and open questions, the power of language, and paraphrasing. Next, we will outline the stages of the client session, how to build rapport, attending skills, how to start a session, what is required to maintain client engagement, and how to properly terminate the session. This chapter will also outline how to write case notes, create goals, and develop an action plan. Throughout this process, we will come to understand the importance of objectivity and self-awareness in eliminating bias. The chapter will conclude with an overview of observation skills and the importance of professionalism in documentation.