Erika Orman

Advising & Helping

 

Category: Exemplary

 

Description: "The Advising and Helping competency area addresses the knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to providing counseling and advising support, direction, feedback, critique, referral, and guidance to individuals and groups” (p. 8). 

           

        In this competency area, I have demonstrated the following:

• “Exhibit active listening skills” (p. 8)

• “Establish rapport with students, groups, colleagues, and others” (p. 8)

• “Facilitate reflection to make meaning from experience” (p. 8)

• “Understand and use appropriate nonverbal communication” (p. 8)

• “Facilitate problem-solving” (p. 8)

• “Facilitate individual decision making and goal setting” (p. 8)

• “Know and use referral sources and exhibit referral skills in seeking expert assistance”  (p. 8)

• “Recognize the strengths and limitations of one’s own worldview on communication with others” (p. 8)

 

Advising and Helping is the primary competency area in which I have developed.  My internship is in academic advising and I have advised two student organizations and two fraternities at Bowling Green State University.  In an effort to be the best advisor I can possibly be, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on the effectiveness of my advising style. 

 

The one specific aspect of advising in which I have most improved is active listening.  I am an external processor by nature, so I struggled initially in giving more introspective folks the time they need to process.  However, I made a concerted effort to listen more and ask open-ended questions to help students reflect on their experiences or make decisions.  When facilitating group activities with the student leaders I advise, I often use the think-pair-share method to give all people a chance to process in the way that works best for them.  I employed this technique in the retreat I facilitated for World Student Association (WSA), which one WSA member reflected upon as an activity that “left a big impact on our organization and enhanced our team building.” 

 

In academic advising, it is critical to build rapport with students quickly.  I typically have 30-minute appointments to get to know students, identify their concerns, and make a plan to address them.  In the midst of such a busy appointments, I make a concerted effort to connect with the students on a personal level.  I always strive to prioritize students and make them feel comfortable through my verbal and nonverbal communication.  For example, to ensure that technology does not become a distraction in an appointment, I make eye contact with students as much as possible and have them look at the computer screen along with me, when appropriate.  Several students mentioned in their testimonials that I made them feel at ease and that they felt comfortable talking to me.  One student said, “Whenever I met with Erika I felt she genuinely cared about me succeeding in school and always asked how I was doing. Erika did anything to make me feel comfortable or to help me with anything I needed. She is a great academic advisor over the time that I have spent with her.”

 

Another important aspect of advising that has become more salient this year is holding students accountable, which I do in academic advising and in advising student leaders.  Although these students are not directly accountable to me, it is my responsibility as an advisor to help keep them on track.  Often, moments when students are struggling can provide the most opportunity for growth.  In a situation where I need to hold a student accountable, my goal is to have a constructive conversation where a student leaves feeling positive and with a plan for improvement. 

 

Additionally, it has been important for me to learn how to individualize my approach to advising students.  I take into account students’ identities and personalities, as well as their needs, strengths, and areas for improvement when I advise them.  For example, the way I advise a White, upperclassman fraternity man is much different from how I interact with a first-year woman of color.  Even two students in the same major with similar identities can benefit from two totally different academic plans.  It has been crucial to listen carefully to understand each students’ unique concerns so that I can provide them with the best possible guidance.  I have also learned that the approach I take in academic advising does not necessarily translate to advising organizations.  In my experience, advising organizations requires a more relational, personal advising style than academic advising.  Employing these different approaches will undoubtedly help me as I continue working with students and staff throughout my career.  

 

Much of advising is really about problem solving.  This year I worked with a student who plans to complete the Honors program, double-major, spend a year studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, and study abroad for a semester.  This was perhaps the most complicated academic plan I have ever helped a student create.  I talked with the student about prioritizing to make sure that she truly wanted to complete all these activities.  Once I was confident that she was committed and capable of meeting the demands of such an arrangement, I helped her set it in motion.  After several meetings of careful planning, a referral to the Education Abroad office, and communicating with her other advisors, we came up with a plan with which both of us felt comfortable.  In the testimonial this student wrote about me, she cited how I helped her determine which classes to take and how I supported her through the process of choosing a study abroad program.  The student said I was “very patient and supportive throughout the entire process” and that my “advising style is very effective because she is always very willing to help those who need her assistance.”  This example demonstrates my ability to establish rapport with students, help them problem-solve, and facilitate goal-setting and decision-making.  

 

Reference

ACPA & NASPA (2010).  Professional competency areas for student affairs

               practitioners.  Washington, DC: Authors.