Client Relationships – Saint Mary’s University

Description

Working with people is at the center of criminal justice work. For criminal defense investigators, that means building effective working relationships with clients who may be scared, frustrated, distrustful, overwhelmed, or navigating trauma. They may want answers you can’t give them, push against professional boundaries, or have very different expectations about your role.

Knowing how to build trust, navigate difficult conversations, recognize the effects of trauma and bias, and maintain clear professional boundaries are critical skills for working effectively with clients. This course is designed to help you develop those skills through the lens of real-world investigative work.

Throughout the course, you’ll explore how to:

• Center the client while maintaining your professional role
• Build rapport and establish trust from the first interaction
• Communicate clearly with people who may be stressed, distrustful, overwhelmed, or experiencing trauma
• Recognize how culture, identity, assumptions, and implicit bias can affect professional interactions
• Apply trauma-informed practices without making assumptions about a person’s experiences
• Navigate difficult or emotionally charged conversations
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries
• Protect confidentiality and handle sensitive information responsibly
• Work effectively as part of a larger professional team

 

Inside the Course

• The Client at the Center
  Explore what client-centered practice actually means and how dignity, autonomy, culture, bias, and professional responsibility shape the relationship.
• First Contact
  Learn how early interactions establish expectations, build rapport, and influence the working relationship that follows.
• Trust, Trauma & Tough Conversations
  Examine practical approaches to communication, trauma-informed practice, cultural humility, and conversations that may be difficult for both the professional and the client.
• Boundaries and the Team
  Learn where professional boundaries belong, what information can and cannot be shared, and how your relationship with the client fits within the responsibilities of the larger team.