Writing Assignment
Genesis1098
CapstonePaperSetUp-1.docxCommunity Services and Networking 1
Community Services and Networking 1
PARTICIPATION EMPOWERMENT 1
Quinsigamond Community College
Place your name here
HUS 101 Introduction to Human Services
May 5, 2021
Abstract
The Capstone paper is a requirement for the Human Services Practicum I class, and is to reflect the understanding and knowledge that the student knows the 12 Community Support Skill Standards. These skills are applied to the Human Services degree in almost everything that the job requires a person to do. The twelve skill standards include participant empowerment, communication, assessment, community and service networking, facilitation of services, community living skills and support, education, training and self-development, and advocacy. There also includes vocational, education and career support, crisis intervention, organizational participation, and documentation. The student will provide specific case examples as well as examples from the student's practicum site which will demonstrate the applied knowledge of each standard.
Participation Empowerment
The definition according to The Community Support Skill Standards is: “the competent community support human service practitioner (CSHSP) enhances the ability of the participant to lead a self-determining life by providing the support and information necessary to build self-esteem and assertiveness; to make decisions.” (Taylor, 1996) Pathways for Change Inc. is an organization that’s purpose is to empower individuals by allowing them to decide what is best for themselves and supporting them through the voyage of their decisions.
Participant Empowerment is the process in which encourages participants to be assertive in their life decisions, and supplies resources that will benefit their needs and allows the individual the freedom to choose rather than someone choosing for them what path is best fitting. Participant Empowerment (P.E.) allows one to be the captain of their life journey wherever life takes them. According to Bailey (1992), “how we precisely define empowerment within our projects and programs will depend upon the specific people and context involved. Just as every individual is diverse every survivor has a distinct, experiences of their own. Even if the survivors share the same culture or trauma as another individual, you would take a different approach when dealing with them, because their experience would be different.”
Rapport (1984) has noted, “that it is easy to define empowerment by its absence but difficult to define in action as it takes on different forms in different people and contexts. To one-person empowerment might be the ability to find a strength, while to another empowerment could be the ability to self-advocate. It is easy to spot the complexity amongst the two, but empowerment permits growth in all aspects of uplifting and self-motivation.”
It is the Human Service Practitioner’s duty is to find information to give to the client so they can have options in seeking the help they are inquiring. It is where Human Service workers look for the client’s strengths and elevates the strength, they already attain that they may or may not be aware of. When dealing with survivors, Pathways likes to show the strengths of the survivor when it they appear hopeless and not seeing the positive side. If a survivor is feeling depressed it is because they feel like they should have gotten over their trauma. Pathways reminds them that healing from trauma isn’t a process that happens overnight, but it is a process that takes time. In the process of healing, Pathways looks for strengths that the client has accomplished that they might haven’t even noticed prior. Some clients suffer with depression and struggle with getting out of bed. Sometimes getting out of bed of 20 minutes is an accomplishment. This is where the use of the empowerment model is used to uplift the client and praise their accomplishments.
At Pathways for Change there is a curriculum that includes empowerment. It is called the empowerment model, and its objective is to empower others by finding their control over situations where they feel they have been stripped from that right of becoming stronger and more confident (Pathways 2019). Their anthem is to never give advice but to empower by presenting options and allowing the client to choose which path is right for them. Pathways then supports their decisions, even if it goes against your own personal beliefs because it’s always what is in the best interest of the client and allowing the client to possess their power by encouraging them to be the driver of their destiny.
As a final point, participant empowerment is what Human Service Workers strive to
show all individuals in every aspect. It’s the encouragement an individual need to keep pushing and supporting themselves. It's uncovering of self-love. Participant Empowerment is the process in which encourages participants to be assertive in their life decisions and supplies resources that will benefit their needs and allows the individual the freedom to choose rather than someone choosing for them which path is best fitting.
References
Bailey, D. (1992). Using participatory research in community consortia development and
evaluation: lessons from the beginning of a story. American Sociologist, 23 (4), 71-82.
Pathways for Change (2019)., Sexual Assault Training Curriculum for New Counselors and Advocates. Worcester, MA September 22, 2019
Czuba, C. E. (1999). Empowerment: What Is It? Journal of Extension (volume 37).
Pathways for Change (2019)., Sexual Assault Training Curriculum for New Counselors and
Advocates. Worcester, MA September 22, 2019
Rapport, J. (1984). Studies in empowerment: Introduction to the issue. Prevention in Human
Services, 3, 1-7
Taylor, M., Bradley, V. J., & Warren, R. (1996). The Community Support Skill Standards
: Tools for Managing Change and Achieving Outcomes: Skill Standards for Direct
Service Workers in the Human Services. MA: HSRI.
