Comments on: Weathering the Storm: How Service Coordinators Manage Difficult Situations

By: Preeti Reddy

Preeti Reddy — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 20:27:50 +0000

Hello! I am taking a course in Early Childhood Interventions and we completed a unit on service coordination and the tasks, demands, and training required of this profession. From what I have learned about the job, it is very challenging and high reward. If I were a service coordinator, I would try and de-escalate conversations that begin to lose productivity by suggesting breaks and pushing the conversation back to the child. I would make sure to speak to the parent separately and develop a better understanding of the issues they may have to help them. If there were disagreements between providers for care for the child, I would host a meeting with the providers separately and make a pros and cons list to help the providers come to an agreement before speaking to the parents. I believe this would prevent future conflict.

By: Hannah Ramsey

Hannah Ramsey — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 18:23:13 +0000

If I was a service coordinator I would work to actively listen to the family and try to validate how each side is feeling whenever possible. Being a mediator does not mean you have the complete ability to resolve the conflict alone, but you can play a huge part in finding the solution. In order to positively help it is important to maintain a calm environment. Letting the situation elevate to a point of tension too high can do more harm to the conflict. It is ok to suggest they reschedule a meeting or provide space for cooling down. Each side deserves to have their voice be heard.

By: Stacey A.

Stacey A. — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 21:05:56 +0000

What strategies do you use when facing conflicts?
–> When facing conflicts, I find it important to get an outsider perspective on the situation. Perhaps there was a miscommunication that’s not clear to me in the moment, but easier to perceive by my friends/family/coworkers. I also find it very important to truly listen to the other party with whom you’re disagreeing, rather than focusing on your response. Often during arguments, we are only waiting to make our next point while the other person is expressing their feelings, without actually listening to them. Lastly, it’s important to remember the common goal despite the disagreement. More often than not, both parties want the same thing, but are disagreeing on how to achieve it.

How might you implement one of the above strategies when faced with a conflict or difficult situation?
–> I thought one of the key strategies was discussing with the family any changes in priorities or routines that may have given rise to the conflict in the first place. If there was some change but the service providers continue their services using an old plan, there may be friction and inefficiency. For example, if a parent starts disagreeing on how the service provider is supporting their child, the team (including the parent) should review the family’s objectives and make necessary adjustments to the service plan.

By: Emily Galo

Emily Galo — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 04:33:29 +0000

When facing conflicts communication is the most key step to ensure a smoother outcome. Being an active listener as opposed to talking over one another can really make all the difference when facing conflict. When faced with a conflict or tricky situation It is best to communicate with the family and try to find a positive resolution, this can be done by actively listening to the family’s questions and concerns. I also find the taking space strategy to be helpful, sometimes people have bad days, and allowing people the space to have a bad day can make a big difference in resolvinng a conflict.

By: my

my — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 04:31:07 +0000

When facing conflict, I think it’s best to allow for everyone to express themselves and voice their opinion of how to solve the issue. Then, take a democracy vote after talking it out to see what would be beneficial for everyone and be fair. Giving everyone a safe space to feel like they’re being involved and heard is important.

By: Yesica Pineda

Yesica Pineda — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 02:25:07 +0000

I definitely agree that confronting the situation or addressing it is the right way to deal with a hard conflict, but I also think it is important to take into consideration what everyone else is saying. This is part of being a team member and agreeing to what is best not for them, but the child. The parent has the upmost right and responsibility for his/her child. Therefore communicating with them and addressing their concerns should be priority. Within different evaluations and assessments in the process, other workers who are working together to find solutions to the child’s need, must come into agreement for the best possibility for that child. They are the focus. No matter what the service coordinator thinks or has an opinion on, the child’s need should not be left out. I agree maybe there should be a break in between to calm everyone’s behavior or attitude toward the situation. I do not agree in that the IFSP meeting should end, because there has not been a solution or agreement found to what has been said. Scheduling another IFSP meeting would cause another day of work and everyone’s schedule might be busy. Taking all of these things into consideration I believe we can solve conflicts & will prepare us for other difficult times in our daily lives.

By: Richard T Tran

Richard T Tran — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 01:40:34 +0000

What strategies do you use when facing conflicts? – When facing conflicts, I like to recalibrate the problem to being separate from the person I am having a conflict with. That way, we can move forward with the issue as if we were tackling it together. This also prevents professional and goal-oriented conflicts from becoming personal.
How might you implement one of the above strategies when faced with a conflict or difficult situation? – I think that we think best after we have had time to process information. Using the strategy of ending the IFSP meeting when no one is in agreement with each other is a great strategy as it allows people to mentally reset and remind themselves about what the issue really is. That way, everyone can go back to the issue with clear minds and better ideas handle to the situation.

By: Natalia Martinez

Natalia Martinez — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 21:31:37 +0000

When facing a conflict, I mainly focus on remaining level-headed and trying my best to be objective when evaluating each perspective on an issue. I believe this is one of the most important ways to open up communication and finding a beneficial solution, because it is avoiding letting any confrontational emotions from hindering what is best for the situation. It is best to communicate with everyone in a calm way and that is taking in each side equally. Therefore, if facing a difficult situation as a service coordinator, I would mostly implement the strategy of “make sure you understand what the issue or concern really is.” I believe this is important because sometimes things can be easily misinterpreted or misunderstood, and is met to foremost understand what is occurring in order to address it appropriately

By: Joey E Lopez

Joey E Lopez — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 19:10:31 +0000

When faced with a conflict, some strategies I use to facilitate myself is to take a moment and try to view the other person’s perspective. This allows me to take into account their feelings (parent, child, provider) and ideas before saying something rash. Another strategy I utilize is understanding alternate solutions to the one I have already come up with in my head. It is easy to view your own solution as the only option; however, it is important to see which solutions would work best for everyone involved, not just yourself. One way to implement one of these strategies when faced with a conflict is by listening. When you are able to understand the other person’s feelings and how something is affecting them, you can look up resources and find solutions on how best to help them.

By: Alexa Castro

Alexa Castro — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 03:26:32 +0000

Hi Kimberly! Thank you for writing an informative blog post on how to deal with difficult situations. If I were in these situations of facing conflict, I would speak to the family member directly and ask questions of concern. Although direct, I would calm them about the situation and remind them what priorities are set. Priorities involve the child and the goals of the family. I like how you pointed out taking a break. Sometimes, a family member can just be having a bad day and lash out at a team member. It is important to have space and come back to address the problem on a different day.