Roadworthy skills

There are benefits in mastering ‘Roadworthy skills’ for general application, for personal growth, for professional counsellors, teachers, and those in support and leadership roles.

General applications

The broad day-to-day benefit of applying ‘Roadworthy skills’ is that people can interact with others more effectively because they can:

• ‘read’ what is happening around them accurately;
• respond to what is happening effectively;
• apply the appropriate communication skill or behaviour confidently;
• engage with, or disengage from, others decently.

Personal growth

The benefit of mastering ‘Roadworthy skills’ for oneself is that one can manage oneself with increasing confidence, effectiveness, fulfilment, and sense of well being, because one can better:

• maintain equilibrium between one’s personal values, personal resources and skills repertoire— and thus minimise personal stress;
• sustain a balanced lifestyle between home, work, community and personal activities — and thus ‘burn’ without burning out;
• discern where to apply one’s energies for the greatest benefit for others and for oneself —and thus be able to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ without self-reproach;
• concede to others who are more knowing than oneself — and so learn;
• choose not to concede to those who are less knowing than oneself (regardless of the other’s status) — and so maintain authenticity and integrity;
• balance the tension between being empathic and assertive.

Professional counsellors, and other helpers

The benefits of mastering ‘Roadworthy skills’ for professional helpers is that they can work more effectively, efficiently, confidently, and successfully in helping others resolve issues that constrain, limit, restrict, or impede their personhood-without being burdened by the circumstances of the person being helped-because they, the helper, can:

• personally connect with others with nurturing care, respectful intimacy, and gentle strength;
• navigate the helping (counselling) process confidently and safely to:
  • create a climate where others feel safe and free to talk through their issue;
  • enable others to work out where they really stand in relation to their issue;
  • help others make sense of their reflections and enable them to assume responsibility for doing whatever is necessary to deal with the issue constructively;
  • help others spell out what is needed and plan relevant action that works.