Building strong, trusting relationships is fundamental when working with high-needs clients, whether their needs are emotional, developmental, or sociological. Through my professional and personal experiences, I have come to understand that effective communication is not simply the exchange of information, but an ongoing process of listening, observing, and responding with intention. This realization has become the foundation of my practice. I have learned that communication begins with empathy and deep listening, and that meaningful interactions require reflection, awareness, and continual adjustment.
One of the most significant lessons I’ve learned is that communication extends far beyond spoken language. In my work with children, particularly those with emotional or developmental challenges, I learned to communicate through play, silence, and non-verbal cues. When completing my Therapeutic Play Certification, I discovered the importance of mirroring a child’s actions, narrating their play with simple affirmations, and using symbolic tools to understand their internal experiences (evidence 1.1). Through creating play stations with materials such as dollhouses, colouring prompts, and Legos, I learned to “listen” to the stories children shared through their choices and behaviours rather than relying solely on verbal expression. This shifted my practice from interpreting behaviour to being curious about it.
Teaching Social Emotional Learning (SEL) deepened this understanding. Creative activities revealed emotions that children could not express directly. Through lessons like drawing places or people that make them feel safe, I learned to ask open-ended, reflective questions rather than assuming meaning. This helped me cultivate a communication style grounded in curiosity, which consistently leads to more accurate understanding and stronger rapport.
I have also learned that communication requires cultural, linguistic, and accessibility awareness. Working with students experiencing selective mutism, partial deafness, or limited English or French taught me to embed visual supports, gestures, and environmental cues into daily interactions. These practices helped ensure that all students could participate meaningfully, and taught me that effective communication is proactive, it must be flexible to diverse situations and is a part of each person’s story.
As a bilingual professional, I often supported communication between French-speaking families and English-speaking staff. Through these experiences, I learned how tone, pacing, and cultural context shape meaning as powerfully as vocabulary does. This reinforced the importance of slowing down, checking for understanding, and being attentive to how people feel during an interaction, not just what is being said.
My role as a Social Work Technician further strengthened my learning about communication as a tool for advocacy. Many families expressed fear or mistrust toward institutions such as social services or public health. Explaining processes with clarity, validating concerns, and using plain language helped families feel respected and supported. These experiences taught me that communication can alleviate fear and transform it into empowerment when delivered with transparency and empathy.
A pivotal learning moment occurred when I presented trauma-informed practices to approximately 300 school board staff members as part of the NEST Project (evidence 1.2). Preparing for this presentation taught me how to translate complex psychological concepts into accessible language. I learned the value of anchoring information in real classroom examples and using storytelling to help staff reframe “misbehaviour” as communication of unmet needs. This experience strengthened my public-speaking skills, but more importantly, it demonstrated how intentional communication can influence organizational culture and contribute to systemic change.
In collaborative settings, I learned how essential it is to establish shared goals, paraphrase for clarity, and create space for all voices before moving into problem-solving. Facilitating meetings between parents, teachers, and specialists taught me that clear communication reduces misunderstandings and increases follow-through. These lessons also helped me approach conflict with neutrality and curiosity, which consistently leads to more productive and trusting relationships.
Across all these experiences, I have learned that communication is a dynamic, evolving practice. It requires humility, consistency, and the willingness to revise my approach based on the needs of the person in front of me. Whether I am speaking with a child, collaborating with colleagues, supporting a family, or addressing a large audience, I aim to communicate with empathy, clarity, and intention. Ultimately, I have learned that effective communication fosters trust, strengthens collaboration, and builds the foundation for meaningful change in human-service work.
Evidence Relevant to Communication:
evidence 1.1 – Therapeutic Play Certificate and Examples in Practice
evidence 1.2 – Script From Speech Given at School Board Regarding NEST