Henry has made an impact on his client’s lives over his four years at Placement Partners. He says that he was surprised when he started just how enjoyable and meaningful it has been to see clients grow in their jobs. He says it has been amazing to see clients get past barriers to work when it can be hard to overcome transportation problems and scheduling issues. He has enjoyed seeing people progress from not being able to work a full shift, to being able to handle it no problem. This enjoyment of his role and energetic attitude has made relationship building with clients and ID team members a breeze.
Henry emphasizes his rapport building skills as being essential to building relationships with clients and helping them succeed. He stated that listening can be the most important thing you do in the moment while interacting with someone. While of course there are times when feedback is necessary, it is not always needed. Sometimes all people want is to be heard.
After developing relationships with clients, Henry has helped clients be able to help develop their own communication skills. He has been thrilled to be able to help clients open up to their supervisors about concerns they have at work. Henry stated that, “Oftentimes clients do not want to be seen as vulnerable,” and that can get in the way of ensuring clients live up to their full potential at work.
However, not only has Henry helped his client’s growth, he has felt impacts on his own development. He previously worked at a job with back-and-forth verbal interaction with clients. In his role as a Job Coach and now as a Placement Specialist, interaction with clients is frequent and essential. He stated, “it has been interesting to work with older clients who have more insight about their disabilities.” Henry has learned a lot about how even if people may be living with similar disabilities, everyone is different and has unique needs in order to thrive.
Henry has thrived in his Job Coach role and states he is now excited to be a Placement Specialist. He realizes that there may be more complex challenges in this role, for example, finding times that employers, clients and himself can meet, but he is ready to face these challenges. He says that coworkers have been helping him to adjust to the new role and have offered helpful advice. Henry is looking forward to using his connections with workplaces where he previously had clients hired and looking forward to building even more relationships with other employers. Congratulations on your new role Henry, Placement Partners is honored to have you!
