SERVICE VOLUNTEER’S HANDBOOK, THE Dorine Thomas and Ret Thomas Paper, $10.95 128 pages, 4¼" × 7" ISBN 0-89390-442-2 View Table of Contents Quantity:

Service work can be a wonderful experience for your students — when they feel properly prepared. The Service Volunteer’s Handbook is the perfect tool to put in their hands before they go out into the field. This little book — it even fits in a pocket planner — tells students how to get organized for service, what their roles and responsibilities are, how to behave in a helping environment, how to maintain good relationships and how to keep a positive perspective. The second half of the book covers basic skills important to service volunteers. Back matter includes client profile sheets and an address book. See also the related manual titled Looking In Reaching Out, by the same authors.

About the Authors

Dorine Thomas has worked in the Alachua County School System in Gainesville, Fla., for more than 25 years. She has taught both middle- and high-school students. She is presently an occupational specialist at Buccholz High School in Gainesville, where she also serves as an instructor and chairperson in the peer counseling department. In addition, Thomas is a certified trainer of Project T.E.A.C.H. and Teaching through Learning Channels. She is a state of Florida licensed mental health consultant. She has conducted workshops in effective communication skills, classroom discipline, student motivation, learning styles, peer helping, professional mentoring, other education services and mental health topics.

Thomas received a bachelor of arts degree in education from the University of Florida in 1971. She is certified in guidance, secondary education, English and Spanish. She earned master’s and specialist of education degrees in counselor education from the University of Florida in 1977.

Ret Thomas has worked in the Alachua County School System in Gainesville, Fla., for more than 18 years. He has been a school guidance counselor at both the middle- and high-school levels. He has 16 years of experience in peer counseling at the high school level, during which he pioneered the “Teenaider” Advanced Peer Counseling program. Thomas is a state of Florida licensed mental health counselor and a mental health consultant. He has conducted workshops related to educational and career planning, alcohol and other drug abuse, AIDS education and sexual responsibility, communication skills and student athlete responsibilities. He also has 17 years of experience as a tennis coach.

Thomas received his bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the University of Florida in 1975. He completed his master’s and specialist of education degrees in counselor education at the University of Florida in 1978.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Purpose/Use

1. Organization

Organization—Why?
What do you need to be organized?
Materials
Information
Record keeping

2. Your Role, Responsibilities, and Guidelines

Your helper role
Your helper responsibilities
When, where, how?
Limits of your role/responsibilities
Referrals for further assistance

3. Fundamentals of a Helping Environment

Tips, guidelines for a caring, healing environment
Respect

4. Ten Suggestions for Good Relations

Simple concepts that make a difference

5. The Positive Perspective

What is meant by positive attitude/positive thinking?
Tips on how to develop a positive attitude
Positive phrasing

6. The Skills

Attending Skills

Active listening
Non-verbal communication/“body language”
Positive silence
Repeating stories
Confidentiality
Gossip and group dynamics
Listening ABC’s

Questioning Skills

Open-ended questions (advantages, limitations, examples)
Closed-ended questions (advantages, limitations, examples)
Comparing questions

Restating Content and Feelings

What is helpful in facilitating a conversation?
What is not helpful in facilitating a conversation?
A powerful combination: questioning and restating

Problem-Solving and Decision-Making

Problem-solving, a model
Personal decision-making, a model

Interpersonal Feedback

What is feedback and what can it do?
Types of feedback
Fundamental steps
Modifying feedback: Issues to consider

Conflict Resolution

Purpose and goals of conflict resolution/mediation
Ground rules and steps in mediation

7. Group Leadership

Issues for group leaders

References

Appendices

Service helper sketch
Service setting sketch
Client profile
Important contacts