Relindis has been working at Placement Partners since January and she has made an impression on her supervisor and her clients alike. Relindis describes her role as an Independent Living Specialist as, “helping clients feel they are a part of the community and help point them in the right direction to become independent.” She does this by respecting client’s boundaries and showing she cares while being able to meet clients needs.
Relindis states that the adjustment to the job was not always easy at first. She said that dealing with client’s mood swings challenged her. She has had to work to figure out how to work around when clients are not feeling up to meeting with her. She has started to prepare clients for their work together by sending reminder texts about their upcoming meetings. If the clients express that they need to reschedule, Relindis respects that and finds a different time for them to meet.
Relindis is able to keep a nice balance between respecting what clients want and helping them reach their long-term goals. If she does not receive a text message back from a client, she does not take it personally. She will be persistent in reaching out to her clients. Once they respond, she will frame their communication in a positive way. Meeting again with a client who has missed a meeting, she will say something like “This is a good day and let’s get to work.”
The structure and support of Placement Partners has helped Relindis live up to her potential in her work. She states that “unlike some other companies, Placement Partners does everything they can to support not only their clients – but their employees too.” While Relindis was learning her role, she said she got a lot of encouragement from her supervisor, Renee, about how to deal with situations she encountered while working with clients. She stated that her supervisor would listen to her concerns with clients and help her brainstorm solutions and approaches about how to work with them.
Relindis believes she has thrived in her role and this has helped her in everyday life as well. She says she has new skills in dealing with a variety of people and their temperaments, even outside of work. She has learned not everyone acts the same. Relinidis has learned to be patient and to be ready to adapt to people with a variety of needs and in a variety of moods. Relindis has grown and is able to help clients even while they are in crisis. Thank you Relindis for your hard work at Placement Partners!
