Assignment 1

Linda M. Buskala

Personal Philosophy Statement of Human Services

In the world, there is good and evil. Humanity has been given the gift of free will; and, as such,

there are many choices during one’s lifetime. Every person has made a wrong choice at one time

or another. For some, the wrong choice has been of short duration, with few, if any,

ramifications. These persons, once enlightened, have self-corrected and moved on. For others,

though, the choices are more involved and self-correction is difficult, if not impossible. All

persons, regardless of their past or their present, have value and are important. Their narratives

matter - they are a part of the body of world citizens; and they deserve to be heard and to be

recognized. Some persons needing assistance and/or clarity will find their way into the human services of

their own free will, others will not; but they will come. However they arrive, there must be no

condemnation but compassion, no enmity but empathy. There can be no judgments of their past,

but only justice found for their future. Life, for some, has been a struggle and filled with

challenges. Consequently, as human service workers, there will be opportunities to model life in

a framework of possibilities and hope. Human service workers will enter into these lives through the personas of natural helpers, social

workers, counselors, pastors, physicians, nurses, and many others. These helpers will show the

way through the labyrinth, either on a familiar path they have trod, or through a calling not easily

described. They will be the facilitators in determining a course of treatment and action that will

begin the process of healing for each individual. This process can only occur through team

building with the client, and by their agreement as to the problem and their involvement in

discovering and implementing an appropriate solution. In order to facilitate the empowerment of

another human being, the human service worker must exhibit certain critical core values, which

include, but are not limited to, acceptance, tolerance, individuality, self-determination, and

confidentiality. Human service workers must create and maintain an alliance of purpose by partnering with

community-based organizations, military, industry, school systems (private and public),

institutions, and others. This alliance of purpose is the critical dovetailing of assistance providers,

who together with the human service worker, will envelope an individual in an environment and

atmosphere that is derived through respect, understanding, compassion, and empathy. Here then,

they will be provided an opportunity to heal, grow, and learn again, or for the first time, the

capacity to succeed. The human service professional will be required to be vigilant at all times to ensure that no

barriers are ever crossed that would lead to unethical or inappropriate behavior. Professional

human service workers must continually obtain and update professional competency credentials

and care for their own mental, physical, and spiritual health to ensure that at all times they are

giving only their highest and their best. It is, after all, what the human service clients need and

deserve.