Being a disability support worker is a rewarding position and a positive community role that you are sure to gain a lot from. If you love to help others and care about their wellbeing then this role may be perfect for you!
What’s more, Australia is alway in need of more people in this field, and here are a few awesome tips for helping you enter the industry:
Table of Contents
Remember to share your empathy
When it comes to providing care to people with a disability Melbourne providers must show their empathy. You likely chose this career path because of your caring, empathetic nature, and this is wonderful! But the main thing is to continue practising empathy as your career progresses.
After all, these people deserve kindness just like you and everyone else does, but on overwhelming days it can potentially be difficult to demonstrate this. One of the best ways you could maintain this sense of empathy is to practise loving kindness/meditation techniques that will help you better empathise with someone who may be finding a particular daily task difficult.
It’s important to manage stress levels
This role can be challenging and this can often lead to stress. You will be helping individuals who face various daily challenges, and this can often make things seem overwhelming for you.
Therefore, it’s important to take care of yourself, too, as things can at times seem a little daunting in this position. Researching stress management techniques like that of exercise and meditation are a great way to look after yourself when you’re fulfilling this important position!
Get qualified!
This role requires the right certification to begin practising. First, you have to decide what kind of role you want in the field, before undertaking the necessary study to begin. Many of these courses are now available online and can be the perfect place to learn the skills required to work in this worthwhile field!
Know when to help
It can be difficult to know exactly when to help a participant. Sometimes they may seem like they require assistance in communication or completing a task when they are, in fact, perfectly capable of doing it themselves. One of the main things is to know when you can assist and when you might be overstepping the boundaries.
A participant’s sense of independence is often very important to them – with time you will get to know your participant and where they need/do not need assistance!
Research the different roles in this field
Perhaps you want to work in providing help but in-home care isn’t necessarily for you? Well, it’s important to know that there are, of course, many roles in this field that go beyond in-home care. You could work in administration, advocacy, human resources, support coordination or something completely different – feel free to start searching for your perfect place in this important industry!
Be sure to practise self-care
Coming back to stress management, it is important to look out for yourself wherever you see necessary. If you notice that the work is becoming too stressful then it is important to practise self-care to avoid the risk of burnout.
Whether that be through some of those stress management techniques, heading out for social events, playing your favourite sport/instrument – it’s always important to remember that there are other elements in your life that help you look out for yourself, too!