Working Across Differences

Level: Advanced Practice – Lineworker, Supervisor

Credits: 3

Intended Audience: This course is intended for CPS line-workers and supervisors

Description of Course: This course will address the interpersonal difficulties we sometimes encounter when working with others. The training highlights compassionate ways to understand the other and ourselves, and provides concrete skills for reaching across our differences to work successfully together. The course includes lecture, discussion and role-play as learning modalities.

Intended Objectives:

• Describe the behaviors that can make collaboration with clients and colleagues difficult
• List 8 skills for engaging compassionately with clients and colleagues
• Practice beginning proficiency in the 8 skills through role-play

Topics Include:

• What’s going on inside the challenging person we want to work with?
• What’s going on inside of US that makes it challenging to work with the other?
• The seven kinds of people we have difficulty engaging with
• The interpersonal skills needed for engaging with clients and colleagues
• Engaging across cultures
• Simple self-care