ANUBHAV- A ten week Workshop on Interpersonal Skills for Helping Professionals

CENTRE FOR LIFELONG LEARNING

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Anubhav

TEN WEEK WORKSHOP ON INTERPERSONAL SKILLS FOR HELPING PROFESSIONALS

February 23 to May 4, 2011

About the Programme

All people need to use interpersonal skills in the course of every day living to be able to experience enriching lives. The territory is already familiar. The range of what constitutes interpersonal skills is vast. A short list of such skills would include at least the following: counselling, group membership skills, assertiveness, and social skills, interviewing skills of various sorts, writing skills, using the telephone and group facilitation skills. Examples of how such skills are used in a range of settings are also numerous and would include the following among many others:



• Counselling skills: counselling colleagues, friends, clients and customers;

• Assertiveness skills: returning faulty goods, saying ‘no’, keeping to contracts and agreements;

• Social skills: introducing yourself, attending meetings, working with the general public, with customers and clients;

• Facilitation skills: running meetings and groups, chairing discussions and organizing planning meetings.



All professional people need and use a variety of interpersonal skills in every aspect of their work. The difficult thing, however, is to teach these skills to other people. Very often, they are learned through the process known as ‘setting with Nellie’; the new professional is supposed to pick up various skills through observing older and more experienced colleagues at work. The problem arises when those colleagues demonstrate that they do not have particular interpersonal skills! Arguably, this situation has arisen because those colleagues were given no formal training either and so the cycle of events is continued.

However, skills alone will not suffice. Behind and alongside the practice of interpersonal skills must be a set of values, a series of attitudes, all of which contribute to the ‘human’ element of interpersonal behaviour. We cannot afford to train ourselves and others in a range of skills alone. While the skills are being used, there must be a reflection of the human being that lies behind them. In fact it can be stated more strongly: the interpersonally skilled person is one who demonstrates humane, caring qualities. A basic cluster of such necessary qualities may be identified as: warmth, genuineness, empathy, and unconditional positive regard (Rogers 1967).

Interpersonal Skills Training as an enabling and resilience-building process has tremendous significance in the context of the modern day world. In this nexus, the existing geo-socio-cultural situation and subsequent changes occurring in and around us have implications on the day-to-day functioning of individuals. Consequently, human relationships and life patterns are becoming increasingly complex and challenging. As a result, pressures and demands of living place tremendous strain on our ability to cope effectively. Incidences of stress-related breakdowns are on the rise. Thus, Interpersonal Skills Training as a helping tool to aid individuals to deal effectively with adversities is gaining momentum. Application of Interpersonal Skills Training is becoming a central feature of the work of all human service professionals. In fact, a heavy demand is placed on such professionals in different settings (health, education, welfare, industrial and so on) to be effective in their interpersonal relationships at the work place. Additionally, administrators and managers of programmes/schemes also are resorting to training in interpersonal effectiveness at different levels in their organizations. As a result, such training is imperative for enhancing quality of the work etc.

In response to this training need, the Centre for Lifelong Learning proposes to offer a short term programme in “Interpersonal Skills Training for Human Service Professionals”.



This programme offers grounding in practical interpersonal skills training. Additionally, participants of the programme will be facilitated to explore their personal qualities, develop appropriate qualities for interpersonal effectiveness and identify directions for their self-growth and development. Hence, it will be beneficial for any one working in a caring/helping profession and also to those in a managerial/supervisory professional role.



Objectives of the Programme



After completing the Course, the learners would be able to:

• Explore and develop the essential qualities for enhanced personal and professional development

• Understand the importance, nature and types of Interpersonal Skills: counselling and interviewing, communication and assertiveness, exploration and effective management of emotions, problem solving, facilitation and social skills

• Develop competencies for interpersonal effectiveness





Programme Content



I. Interpersonal Skills Training



• Importance and meaning of Interpersonal Skills.

• Scope and types of Interpersonal Skills.

• Personal qualities essential for interpersonal effectiveness



II. Practice Skills



• Inter-personal Communication

• Counselling :

 Nature, Scope, Types and Models of Counselling: Psycho-analytic, Behavioral, Gestalt, Humanistic, RET and Egan’s Model of Helping

 Counselling Plan and Process

 Counseling for HIV and chronic diseases.

 Cognitive approaches to counseling.

 Skills for supportive counselling early identification of problems and timely referrals

 Creative arts as facilitative tools in counselling (dance and movement, dramatics and storytelling, art, recreation and games)

 Dealing effectively with stress and burnout.

 Eastern Approaches to counseling.



• Exploration and Management of Emotions

• Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution.

• Assertiveness Training

• Group Facilitation Skills



III. Personal and Professional Growth

• Self-awareness in the context of thoughts, feelings, behaviour towards becoming an effective professional

• Developing proficiency in practicing Interpersonal Skills

• Effective coping, stress management and self-renewal

• Ethical responsibilities and issues





Programme Details

Key Information on the Course Proposed from February 23 to May 4, 2011



Mode Part-time Evening Course

(Monday – Friday: 6.00 p.m. – 09 p.m.)

Location TISS

Duration February 23 to May 4, 2011

Medium of Instruction English

Fees: 5000

Eligibility Requirement Graduate in any discipline with minimum two years of experience in any helping/teaching/medical/or healthcare profession.

Selection Procedure Applications will be screened to ascertain one’s suitability. If required, candidates will be called for an interview.(Work experience will be the critical factor for selection)

Contact Person Mr.Sandip Ravindra

Assistant Professor

Centre for Lifelong Learning

Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Deonar,

Mumbai – 400 088. Tel. 25525682 / 25525681

Email :cll.tiss@tiss.edu



Application Forms Available with the Centre’s Secretary from

10.30 a.m. – 05.00 p.m. (Monday – Friday)

Last Date for Receipt for Applications 17 February 2011



The Application Form and further information can be obtained from the Centre for Lifelong Learning, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Deonar, Mumbai – 400088

Sandip Ravindra 25525681, (Ms. Bhargavi) 25525682. Also the Application Form may be downloaded from the TISS website: www.tiss.edu

Walking faster key to survival among elderly

Walking faster key to survival among elderly



IANS
Posted on Jan 05, 2011 at 07:45pm IST


Washington: A higher walking speed could be the key to older adults surviving for longer, a study suggests.



Stephanie Studenski of the University of Pittsburgh in the US and her colleagues conducted a study to co-relate gait speed with survival in older adults.


The study analysed nine studies between 1986 and 2000 using individual data from 34,485 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or above, reports the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Participants had an average age of 73.5 years, while 59.6 percent were women and 79.8 percent were white, according to a Pittsburgh statement.

Walking speed was calculated for each participant using distance in metres and time in seconds.

Researchers said slower walking speed indicated weak organ systems and higher energy cost of walking, thus indicating poor survival rate.

During the course of the study, there were 17,528 deaths. The overall five-year survival rate was 84.8 percent while the 10-year survival rate was 59.7 percent.


The researchers found that walking speed was associated with differences in the probability of survival at all ages in both sexes, but was especially notable after 75 years of age.