Strengths

I redid the strengths assessment form, and I was not surprised at what I found to be my strengths.  As interesting as it would be to have them always changing, I've found that the strengths I have and the skills I am most comfortable are thus far very consistent.  This is likely due to the fact that I have not had the opportunity to go into the field and practice them, which could potentially lend itself to the development of different strong points.  For now, I am comfortable with the strengths I have, and am confident they will be sufficient to get me started as a group facilitator while I'm still learning new ones.
One strength I know I have is empathizing.  I think this skill is part instinct and part learned behavior, but I think that anyone could be taught empathy.  As a social worker, I've had multiple opportunities to respond to life situations with empathy, which makes me very comfortable in this ability.
The next skill is Clarifying.  It can sometimes be intimidating to stop someome when they are talking to clarify something they said, but I can appreciate how extremely important it is.  It's much better to stop and clarify than to not know what they are really trying to say.
Active Listening is extremely important to make the patient feel cared about and attended to.  If you do not do this, they will likely think you aren't paying attention and will be hesitant to continue telling you important details or emotions.
Lastly, I think I'm very effective at summarizing.  If you are a good listener and are engaged in the conversation, then you can attest to this by summarizing with your client.  This, again, will show that you are giving them 100% of your attention and care about what they are saying.  It also helps to clarify for the clinician.  I have found that I am very comfortable summarizing, and use this skill all the time.