There are numerous skills that case managers will use to accomplish what is needed for a client, and each case manager will develop his or her own personal style of performing those skills. Some case management skills are learned informally through life experiences while others are learned theoretically and developed through formal training.
Some will be easier to master than others. In addition to a set of skills, the case manager needs to put into practice some basic values of the helping relationship. These values help the case manager ensure that actions taken demonstrate respect for those with whom the case manager works. It is often quoted that “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” The development of a helping relationship with clients and referral sources is strongly influenced by the case manager’s projection of attitudes of respect, empathy and cultural sensitivity toward others. This idea is supported by Brammer (1993) who reviewed numerous studies and concluded that the worker’s personal skill in self awareness, dedication to personal congruence and the projection of positive attitudes is as significant in helping clients as the methods that are used.1[1] When the basic case management skills and values are demonstrated, case managers are able to accomplish the tasks needed to be successful.
The essential case management skills and values that will be addressed in this training are as follows:
•
Interviewing Skills
•
Communication
•
Teaching
•
Critical Thinking
•
Negotiation and Collaboration
•
Advocacy
•
Termination of Case Management Services
•
Choice and Self-determination
•
Cultural Diversity
•
Quality of Life
•
Quality of Care
1.
Interviewing Skills:
Case managers frequently conduct interviews to obtain and provide information needed to carry out the case management process. Interviews may be conducted