Episode 6: Ryan Dowd
Empathy-Driven Practice with library patrons
Ryan Dowd is Chief Empathy Officer at HomelessTraining.com. As someone with decades of experience working with people experiencing homelessness, Ryan brings a great deal of energy and passion for helping public libraries (and now corporate spaces) navigate the “problematic behaviors associated with human vulnerability.” In this episode Ryan outlines the similarities and differences between empathy-driven and trauma informed approaches, three subgroups of the unhoused, a quick guide to conflict prevention, and the power of “pennies in a cup.” Even if your library isn’t facing challenges associated with homelessness, this episode contains worthwhile content for everyone.
Topics
0:00 Intro
2:25 Ryan’s background
4:32 His trainings: Origin and expansion
7:13 Empathy Driven Approach: Similarities and differences to trauma-informed
9:31 Acknowledging real differences between people
13:21 Types of homelessness
19:11 Challenges for libraries: “Problematic behaviors associated with human vulnerability”
23:38 Conflict prevention vs de-escalation
25:23 Quick guide to conflict prevention
29:11 Library security
33:18 Legitimacy of authority and the importance of consistency
37:20 Anti-homeless bias and dehumanization
40:48 Positive sentiment override
47:51 Fossils for fun
49:31 Outro and Substack link
Links
Ryan’s website: https://www.homelesstraining.com/
Dowd, Ryan J. (2018). The librarian’s guide to homelessness: An empathy-driven approach to solving problems, preventing conflict, and serving everyone. ALA Editions.
US Definitions of homelessness:
US Dept of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): 4 categories
Harris, L. T., & Fiske, S. T. (2006). Dehumanizing the lowest of the low: Neuroimaging responses to extreme out-groups. Psychological Science, 17(10), 847–853. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01793.x
Snow-Hill, N. L. (2019). The Survey of Attitudes Toward Homeless People: The Validation of a New Instrument Assessing Negative Attitudes Toward Homeless People [University of South Carolina]. https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/5394
For a list of additional resources, check out the Bibliography page