Running Head: HUMAN SERVICE PROFESSIONAL
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2-2 Journal: Populations in Need
HSE 101
SNHU
HUMAN SERVICE PROFESSIONAL
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The individuals and groups that may meet with a human service professional are the ones
who wish to seek help because of their vulnerable state. Human service professionals are mainly
responsible for extending help and support to people so that their fundamental needs can be met.
Some of the key stakeholders that get in touch with human service professionals are children,
elderly people, homeless people, and people with diverse health and social care needs. A key
element that can be identified in these individuals and groups is that they are in a vulnerable state
and their main intention of meeting human service professionals is to seek help so that their
quality of life can be improved (Dodge & Duke, 1976).
The individuals may seek help so that they can have access to services that can improve
their current state and help them to lead a better life. As human service professionals offer a
diverse range of services and solutions in society, by reaching out to these professionals,
individuals can get an opportunity to improve the quality of their lives by making sure that their
basic needs are addressed in an effective manner.
In order to create value for vulnerable individuals who are in need of human services, it is
extremely critical to make sure that a strong and professional relationship is established. Some of
the key skills that human service professionals need to use so that they can build a value-driven
association with the service providers include effective communication, including active
listening, empathy, critical thinking, cultural competence, etc. According to Johnson, ethics can
play an instrumental role in influencing the quality of the interaction that takes place between
human service professionals and the service users (Johnson et al., 2017). Some of the key ethical
principles that need to be integrated by the professionals while delivering human service services
to vulnerable members of the society include transparency, respect, dignity, honesty and integrity
and fairness. It is essential to adopt an ethical and accountable approach while interacting and
HUMAN SERVICE PROFESSIONAL
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engaging with people who reach out to the professionals so that their vulnerability can be reduced
or addressed. By making sure that the key ethical principles are adopted and identified skills are
used, it is possible to establish a trust-based relationship with the service users. Developing a
sense of trust is of paramount importance in the human service professional setting as it can
encourage the service users to share their problems and issues and seek necessary help and
assistance. e
Empathy is one of the most critical skills that human service professionals need to possess
so that they can identify as well as govern their own emotions and understand the emotions of
others. According to Eriksson & Englander (2017), in the human service and social work setting,
empathy is an indispensable component (Eriksson & Englander, 2017). It can complement the
communication and interpersonal skills of the professionals and help them to establish a
therapeutic relationship with the service users. Such a relationship can ultimately help to
strengthen the connection between the service provider and the service user in the human service
setting.
References
Dodge, R., & Duke, P. (1976). Human Services--A New Direction. Parks and Recreation, 11(6),
19-21.
Eriksson, K., & Englander, M. (2017). Empathy in social work. Journal of Social Work
Education, 53(4), 607-621.
Johnson, K. F., Sparkman-Key, N., & Kalkbrenner, M. T. (2017). Human service students' and
professionals' knowledge and experiences of interprofessionalism: Implications for
education. Journal of Human Services, 37(1).
