One theory that human services professionals use in working with clients.
Human Service Professional
Cultural Background
Attitudes
Values
Feelings
Experience
Knowledge
Training
Skill
Human Service Client
Cultural Background
Attitudes
Values
Feelings
Experiences
Strengths
Needs
Problems
Expectations
The Helping process creates helping relationships between the helper and the client. First, the goal is
to recognize and agree upon a purpose which helps the client. "Second, a helping relationship is time
bound which means it occurs over several sessions". (p.159) Third, the helping relationship carries
authority. The knowledge and skill that helps him or her to properly assist the client to resolving
his/her issue.
An example of a human services profession that will use the helping process, would be a Case
manager that provides help with Transitional Employment Assistant (TEA). Providing childcare
vouchers and researching temporary jobs for families who needs this service, also help with
transportation rather it's a check to help with the current vehicle or arrangements with local
transportation to get to the destination. While there is a time period to use these benefits, the case
worker and client also be working together to find permanent jobs for secure income.
Psychosocial development theory can influence social workers, who can look at what stage of
development their clients are going through and use the theory to better understand the challenges
their clients are experiencing during certain stages of psychosocial development. Psychosocial
development theory is a product of the ongoing interactions between individuals and their social
environments. The psychosocial development theory holds that individuals are shaped by and react to
their environment. Psychosocial development theory can influence social workers, who can look at
what stage of development their clients are going through and use the theory to better understand the
challenges their clients are experiencing during certain stages of psychosocial development. Social
work theories are general explanations that are supported by evidence obtained through the scientific
method. A theory may explain human behaviour, for example, by describing how humans interact or
how humans react to certain stimuli.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:
A charted set of human requirements that are important for an individual to achieve complete
development and self-actualization.
Physiological: food, air, shelter
Safety: personal safety, employment
Love and Belonging Needs: friendship, family
Esteem: self-esteem, freedom
Self-Actualization: the realization or fulfilment of one's talents and potentialities
Some examples of how a human services professional would apply this theory in their work with a
client:
A school social worker can find food delivery programs for students who do not have access to food at
home. They can also keep signup sheets for different clubs so their clients can make friends as well as
acknowledging their achievements. School social workers can also create positive affirmations for
their client to boost their self-esteem and make them feel loved.
One of the theories that human service professionals use while working with a client is Abraham
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. This theory is a pyramid of the needs of individuals that identifies
lower-order needs such as food, clothes, safety and the higher-order needs such as social relationships
and self-esteem. One example of how a human service professional might use this theory would be in
a situation such as domestic abuse and neglect. In this case, many of an individual's needs are
threatened including your physical needs, safety, social and self-esteem. While treating a client, they
would address the self-esteem needs first by giving the client recognition for getting out of the
situation, then addressing the social needs, then the safety and physical needs.
One theory that human service professionals use in working with clients is the social learning theory.
This theory was developed by Albert Bandura psychologist from Alberta Canada. From what I
understood social learning is when the person watching (the client) must want to watch another
individual and copy their actions. My example is going to be from ABA therapy, skills I use every day
working with children with autism. Teaching fine motor skills to a client can look like the client
imitating what you are doing. The prompt used may be “do this” holding the tips of your pointer
fingers together. It can also be modeling a task such as how to complete a math problem with carry-
over addition.
Resources:
Tadayon Nabavi, Razieh. (2012). Bandura's Social Learning Theory & Social Cognitive Learning
Theory.
Haynes, K. (2022, February 3). Maslow's hierarchy of needs in schools. CSA Education. Retrieved
December 1, 2022, from https://csaedu.com/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-in-schools/
Woodside M. R., & Mcclam T. (2018). An Introduction to Human Services. [MBS Direct]. Retrieved
from https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781337671262/
Woodside, M. R., & McClam, T. (2018). An Introduction to Human Services (9th ed.). Cengage
Learning US. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781337671262
VitalSource Bookshelf: An Introduction to Human Services
