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Supplement Two-A2

Human Services and Client Relationships HUSR 108S- Introduction to Human Services

Human Services- Origins, Development Basics

Human services is a vast sector that includes a broad range of disciplines, knowledge and skills

focused toward enhancing human well-being, both individually and collectively.

Brief History of Human Service Education

"During the late 1950s and 1960s, there were dramatic changes in the area of helping those in need.

Populations like the poor, the unemployed, children in need, the elderly, the disabled, the substance

abuser and others began to be recognized as needing social and rehabilitation services. About this

time, new legislation mandated that those formerly served in state mental hospitals would now be

deinstitutionalized and would henceforth be seen in the communities in which they lived. It was not

long before it became obvious that the traditional human resources would not meet the needs of the

helping services being offered.

The community based mental health system necessitated that professionals be trained in a different

manner. While the provision of mental health services was undergoing these changes, the civil rights

movement brought attention to social justice and equity issues. Consumers of social services became

more involved in advocating for themselves and in creating services that would meet their own needs.

Thus "grass roots" (started by the clients) level activism created opportunities for new approaches to

human services. Amidst all these changes, a new class of workers was born.

Originally called paraprofessionals, these workers were often those who had been served by the

helping system and had a better sense of the qualities and skills that were important for helpers to

possess. Thus, what had begun as an informal orientation to helping would soon become formalized

as competency based mental health/human services training.

To meet the demand for and the availability of educational programs based on the development of

competencies, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in 1956, provided the resources to

establish the first associate degree program in mental health at Purdue University. This would be the

forerunner of human services programs across the country.

It was not long before two-year colleges were offering human services (sometimes called mental

health) degrees. Four year colleges were not far behind in developing and offering bachelors degrees

in human services.

Today the number of certificate, associate, baccalaureate and more recently graduate degrees in

human services has grown to more than five hundred academic programs. Associate level human

service degrees continue to be the majority of degrees awarded for human services." (NOHS)

The pioneers of human services training and education programs felt that the answer to the workforce

shortage was not to train another group of specialized professionals but to develop an entirely new

kind of worker, the "generalist".

Generalists are trained in a wide variety of helping interventions so that they may provide direct

services to individuals or groups with a diversity of needs. These generalists also work in many

different service settings integrating and coordinating the efforts of specialized professionals.

Although graduates may vary from program to program in response to local needs, human service

generalists are trained in basic helping skills essential to the helping relationship.

These skills include:

o interviewing

o observing and recording pertinent information

o conducting groups

o implementing treatment plans

o consulting with other workers & agencies

o mobilizing and utilizing community resources

o problem solving

o advocating for clients

o direct support

o social skill training

A major component of all human service education is experiential learning or learning-by-doing.

Programs provide extensive field-based experiences or practicum (internships) in a variety of

community agencies. Such practicum allow the student to integrate knowledge and skill and thereby

demonstrate competency.

Five Human Service Values

Respecting the dignity and welfare of all people. Promoting self-determination. Honoring cultural diversity. Advocating for social justice. Acting with integrity, honesty, genuineness and objectivity.

Human services job titles with a Master’s Degree. Marriage and Family Therapist Human Services Educator Higher Education Counselor Student Affairs Administrator College Instructor in Human Services Drug and Alcohol Counselor Director of Human Services Agency Geriatric Social Worker.

What is the purpose of human services?

The field of Human Services is broadly defined, uniquely approaching the objective of meeting human

needs through an interdisciplinary knowledge base, focusing on prevention as well as remediation of

problems, and maintaining a commitment to improving the overall quality of life of service populations.

The Human Services profession is one which promotes improved service delivery systems by

addressing not only the quality of direct services, but also by seeking to improve accessibility,

accountability, and coordination among professionals and agencies in service delivery.

The role of a human service worker is to assist individuals, families, communities, and organizations

in overcoming obstacles and performing at their optimum level. ... Assisting individuals, families, and

communities in overcoming their problems and helping them improve their quality of life.

Essential Skills and Traits for Social Workers

Empathy - the ability to identify with and understand another person's experience and point of view. ...

Communication - both verbal and non-verbal – is a vital skill for social workers. ...

Organization

Critical thinking- the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment.

Active listening - a way of listening and responding to another person that improves mutual understanding. It

is an important first step to defuse the situation and seek solutions to problems.

Self-care- Cultural competence - having the capacity to function effectively as an individual and an organization within the context of the cultural beliefs, behaviors and needs presented by consumers and their communities.

Patience.

Human services serves three distinct functions: social care, social control, and rehabilitation

(Neugeboren, 1991). Social care is assisting clients in meeting their social needs, with the focus on

those who cannot care for themselves. The elderly, children, people with mental disabilities or mental

illness, and victims of crime, disasters, or crises are populations who might need social care. Social

control differs from social care in two fundamental ways: who receives the services and under what

conditions they receive them. Social care is given to those who cannot provide for themselves (either

temporarily or in the long term).

In contrast, most recipients of social control are able to care for themselves but have either failed to

do so or have done so in a manner that violates society’s norms for appropriate behavior. Often

society, rather than the individual, determines who receives services that represent social control.

The purpose of such services is to restrict or monitor clients’ independence for a time because the

clients have violated laws of the community. Children, youth, and adults in the criminal justice system

are examples of clients of social control.

Rehabilitation is the task of returning an individual to a prior level of functioning. What creates the

need for rehabilitation? An individual who was once able to live independently becomes unable to

function socially, physically, or psychologically. The inability to function can be caused by a crisis, a

reversal of economic or social circumstances, an accident, or other circumstances. Rehabilitative

services, which are designed to enable the individual to function near or at a prior level of

independence, can have a short- or long-term focus. Veterans, people with physical disabilities, and

victims of psychological trauma are among those who receive rehabilitative human services. In

actuality, separating these three functions of human services is often difficult. Many clients have

multiple problems, so social care, social control, and rehabilitation may be occurring at the same time.

The Interdisciplinary Nature of Human Services

The study of human service delivery, an understanding of the professionals who deliver services, and

familiarity with the clients who are recipients of services requires the integration of knowledge from a

wide variety of academic disciplines. These disciplines include but are not limited to sociology,

psychology, and anthropology. Each discipline brings a unique perspective to the understanding of

the nature of the individual, families, and groups of people. In addition, they focus upon the context of

the environment in which ‘‘daily living’’ occurs and the interaction between the two.

In order to understand the complexities of human behavior within the social environment, the study of

sociology, psychology, and anthropology is helpful. Sociology, as a discipline, examines the ways in

which human societies influence the people who live in these societies. In other words, sociology

assesses the individual and the broader culture, and tries to account for and understand the

differences within human culture. Sociology helps human service professionals understand elements

of life that affect living, such as family structure, family roles, gender, race, and poverty.

According to the American Psychological Association, ‘‘Psychology is the study of the mind and

behavior. The discipline embraces all aspects of the human experience—from the functions of the

brain to the actions of nations, from child development to care for the aged. In every conceivable

setting from scientific research centers to mental health care services, ‘the understanding of behavior’

is the enterprise of psychologists’’ (American Psychological Association, 2006). Many individuals

believe that psychology helps explain ‘‘what makes people tick.’’ Numerous theories examine how

people think, feel, and behave and explores why they think, feel, and behave in the ways in which

they do. These theories analyze behavior and mental processes from the physiological, behavioral,

cognitive, and psychodynamic perspectives. As they study psychology, students use these theories to

develop a better understanding of people.

Anthropology studies the cultural, physical, and social development of humans and the variation in

their customs and beliefs. A critical component of the study of anthropology is fieldwork.

Anthropologists often live at the site they are studying as they try to learn about human groups and

the role of culture in the lives of the individuals within these groups.

Networking

Human services is not a single service delivery system but a complex web of helping agencies and

organizations whose primary goal is to assist people in need. It encompasses a variety of services

that include but are not limited to child, youth, and family services; corrections; mental health; public

health; crisis intervention; and education. A founding scholar in human service education, notes that

‘‘human services is often called the umbrella for our society’s professions which are involved either

directly or indirectly in promoting and reinforcing satisfying, healthy living and community

cohesiveness’’. Going beyond the metaphor of the umbrella, Eriksen describes human services as a

‘‘bridge’’ between people and systems. One function of bridging is to narrow the gap between the

services being offered and the needs of the individuals who are receiving those services. Another

bridging responsibility is to link human service agencies. Agencies and organizations share the

common goal of assisting people in need. In the past there has been little coordination, and the result

has been overlapping professional responsibilities and competition for resources. Today, as service

delivery philosophy changes and resources become scarce, agencies are limiting services, tightening

eligibility criteria, and focusing on short-term interventions. Only increased communication,

cooperation, and collaboration among helpers and agencies can promote effective service delivery.

Networking is one way that service providers work together to serve clients.

Partnerships are also emerging as a way that organizations in the human service delivery system can

work together to serve their clients more completely. These partnerships are formed when two or

more human service organizations agree to work together toward common goals. In addition,

partnerships form with corporations, businesses, and government entities as those organizations

outside the human service delivery system see benefits in supporting the social service sector.

Partnering requires many of the same qualities as teaming: a high degree of cooperation, a

commitment of time, and a high level of trust. When partnering is successful, there is mutual gain for

each of the parties involved. The concept of partnership has emerged as a way for human service

organizations to relate to each other for several reasons. Many of them are financial. As the cost of

service provision increases and available financial resources decrease, many organizations are

finding that they can provide services more cost effectively when they work with other agencies.

Partnerships have also been encouraged by the increasing pressure to be accountable for resources

expended. Agencies find that combining their resources and expertise enables them to provide better

services to their clients.

Terms to Know

Social policy - refers to principles, guidelines and concepts. guides society's actions toward its

members ( formalized as governmental laws, regulations and rules ) Advocate - a human service worker who champions and defends clients' causes and rights.

Caregiver- a human services professional who offers direct support, encouragement, and hope to

clients. Empathy - the ability to understand and appreciate another person's feelings and situation in the

world. Involuntary clients- Individuals who do not freely choose the services they are receiving. (Ex.

Alcohol Class for DUI, that was Court Ordered).