Building Relationships and Empowering Lives

Joanna Cepin is a dedicated professional with extensive experience in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. She started her career working with elderly individuals with intellectual disabilities and has since become an advocate for person-centered planning. With a passion for helping individuals lead fulfilling lives, Joanna has focused on fostering meaningful relationships with the people she supports to empower them to achieve their goals.

Episode Summary:

In this enlightening episode, Joanna discusses the importance of person-centered planning in therapy and support services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She emphasizes the significance of allowing the individual to lead their own planning process, highlighting the benefits of understanding what is important to each person. Through insightful conversations, Joanna explores how a person-centered approach can enhance the quality of care and support provided, ultimately leading to greater independence and fulfillment for the individuals receiving services.

Joanna also shares her personal journey in the field and reflects on the rewarding experiences she has had while supporting individuals with diverse needs. She delves into the challenges and joys of using a person-centered approach, advocating for creativity and flexibility in overcoming financial constraints and ensuring that individuals receive tailored support to achieve their goals.

Key Takeaways:

• Person-centered planning involves supporting people to lead their own life planning process.
• Understanding what is important to each person is crucial in providing effective support and fostering meaningful relationships.
• Direct support professionals play a vital role in advocating for and supporting individuals in achieving their goals.
• Person-centered Supports can lead to increased independence, goal attainment, and overall life satisfaction for individuals with disabilities.

Notable Quotes:

• "Knowing what's important to people is crucial in the process."
• “Even if you don’t have adequate funding, you can look for ways to make things happen”. 
• "Person centered planning can take place in small steps and small increments."
• "What's important to us and what's meaningful to us is the same thing that's important and meaningful to the people that we support."
• "It's been so rewarding."

Resources:

• SUS - Website 
• The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices: website 
• CQL Personal Outcome Measures Curriculum

Don't miss out on the insightful discussion with Joanna on the benefits of person-centered planning in support services. Tune in to the full episode for more valuable insights and stay tuned for upcoming episodes of the podcast/webinar/series.

---

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.