PART OF THE AWARD BADGE Onboarding with Philosophy of Client Interactions The best resource you have in caring for and helping clients is well-trained client advocates. Onboarding is critical to equip your new advocates to serve in your center. Onboarding: The Philosophy of Client Interactions teaches how best to help those involved in unplanned pregnancies and challenging life circumstances. Lesson 1 touches on understanding your role and purpose as an advocate, Lesson 2 speak of being a good listener, Lesson 3 shows how to love the client, Lesson 4 discusses understanding your client’s greatest need, and Lesson 5 teaches on how to discern between goals and desires. Good training impacts client engagement, staff performance, and helps you retain staff and volunteers within your center. Lesson 1: Discovering Our Role and Purpose As Christ-followers, we understand that God’s heart is for women, children, and families to thrive during and after an unplanned pregnancy. When you serve as a client advocate, you are a powerful partner with the Lord! You will learn to meet each client at her point of need and develop the necessary tools to guide her through decision-making while sharing the love of Jesus. This training lesson will cover the qualities and characteristics of an exemplary client advocate, your role and purpose in the pregnancy center, and the difference between goals and desires. Lesson 2: Being a Good Listener - What Are You Hearing? Being a good listener is imperative to understanding a client’s needs. In this lesson, we discuss the importance of being a good and effective listener by observing both verbal and non-verbal cues and actively listening without bias or agenda. Clients often struggle with sharing feelings and emotions surrounding an unplanned pregnancy. As advocates, we need to develop these skills to better understand what a client is trying to communicate. This helps us to be more empathetic which will help your client feel heard and understood. Good listening will also allow you to ask effective questions that get to the heart of a client’s fears and needs. Lesson 3: What Does It Mean To Love Your Client? Advocates are the hands and feet of Jesus. 1John: 4:19 says, “We love because He first loved us.” It should be His love that compels us to serve in pregnancy center ministry. Taking a position of love means displaying the characteristics and patterns of Christ that we have seen in scripture and experienced in our own lives. In this lesson, we define what it means to love a client through our professionalism, by respecting their boundaries, by first developing a trusting relationship, by healing from our past hurts so that we can better minister to others, and by sharing truth in love. Lesson 4: Touching On Your Clients Greatest Needs It’s easy to become overwhelmed in pregnancy center work because clients’ needs are great—spiritually, emotionally, and physically. You will feel the tension of desiring to meet their every need; however, that is impossible. In this lesson, we talk about serving your client with excellence by knowing your center’s scope of services well and offering them confidently, by slowing down the need to act on her crisis, by weeding through the layers of complexity in a client’s situation, and by defining her greatest needs.We will also share some common situations you may face in the counseling room so you can more confidently care for your clients. Lesson 5: Goals vs. Desires For ThoseWe Serve Understanding the difference between having goals and desires for your clients can make all the difference in how you respond to the ups and downs of pregnancy center ministry. We desire every client we serve to choose life for their babies; however, we know that will not always happen. Your role as a client advocate will come with both deep disappointments and great joys because you have a front-row seat in people’s stories. No doubt, you will witness many miracles and heartaches along the way. In this lesson, you will learn how to discern between a goal and desire and why it matters and how to handle spiritual warfare so that you can serve with greater freedom and joy no matter what situations you encounter. Taught by Elisa Medina Elisa Medina was the Executive Director at Hands of Hope Tucson. Elisa’s compassion for women in crisis comes from personal life experience which compelled her to get involved in pro-life, or as she likes to say, “pro-love”ministry in 2004. She believes that grace and love can turn the tide of abortion, and she envisions a culture where women and children can thrive during and after an unplanned pregnancy. Elisa participates in statewide, national, and international pro-life initiatives. She is a motivational speaker who loves sharing her passion for Christ with others, encouraging them to live out their God-given purpose. Free with BrightCourse subscriptions. www.BrightCourse.com (800) 767-7258 Br ightTraining: Courses to create strong and heal thy center-envi ronments .
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