Integrity:  Author C.S. Lewis can do the heavy lifting here, “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.”  As a health and human service provider, we will inevitably encounter moral and ethical issues.  These issues will span the continuum of our responsibilities from clinical care, fiscal responsibility, our interactions with other professionals, and within ourselves.  How we respond and react in these situations, no matter how small, will define us as individuals and as a company. 

The Power of Empathy: Empathy is the ability to feel someone else’s experience, hear what isn’t being said, and offer care that’s as human as it is clinical. It’s the intangible and immeasurable difference that turns our “technical brains” into “a healing touch.” We listen, observe, and interact with all the people we serve and their support systems.  Most importantly, we have a desire to reach out and touch them.  This connection is the difference that allows us to break down invisible barriers and make a tangible impact on a person’s life.  

Be Present:  The foundation of our service model is we go to the people who need our help.  In order to do this, we have to be present – physically and mentally.  Our work is rooted in serving people, and we can’t do this from behind a computer.  To use the advice given to an 18-year-old college freshman, “If you just show up (to class) and pay attention for the hour you are there, you’ll pass (the classes).”  The moral of the story?  The foundation of succeeding is being present – physically and mentally.