An advocate is a professional that speaks and advocates for a particular category of person, such as a customer, a victim, a child or a patient. Advocates help to do what is best for the people you represent and need to be extremely empathetic to the situations involved. As an advocate, you may need to keep information confidential or know when to report certain types of information to authorities or involved people. You will also need to assist the people you represent in a crisis.
Advocates generally need to excel at communication and problem solving, in addition to being compassionate. Given that many of the people an advocate represents are vulnerable or might share sensitive information, an advocate needs to be trustworthy. Advocates also often need to collaborate with other departments or organizations to resolve issues that the people they represent encounter. Also, an advocate often needs to be prepared to recognize signs of trauma and abuse.