Teaching self‐advocacy skills to direct care staff

Abstract This study evaluated the effects of a single training on the self‐advocacy skills of five direct care staff working in a human service organization. A nonconcurrent multiple‐baseline design across participants was used to evaluate the effects of a video‐based behavioral skills training package. Participants received training on how to self‐advocate in the context of two types of supervisor responses: (1) A supervisor responds positively to an employee's issue but does not provide a solution and (2) a supervisor responds negatively to an employee's issue but provides a solution. Results showed that the training increased self‐advocacy accuracy to mastery levels during one target condition for all five participants and during both target conditions for three participants. In addition, all participants' self‐advocacy skills generalized to two untrained types of supervisor responses. Participants reported moderate to high levels of satisfaction with the training procedures.