One theory human service professional use in working with clients is
understanding how the environment affects the individual. In the
textbook,
An Introduction to Human Services by Marianne R. Woods,
It states, "One way to consider a client's environment is to think of it
in layers." This theory suggests, the factors closest to the individual
has the most impact. The example given in the text was in regards to
children and their primary influences. It mentions their primary
influences would be family and any other person that interacts with
he child such as school peers and teachers.
Human Services Professionals may use the theory of environmental
impact on a client in order to learn and understand their primary
influences. For instance, the Human Services Professional may ask
the client about family history and the positives and negatives a of that
history. This may include asking a child about relationships with
family members such as parents and siblings. The interactions may
have a direct impact on the development and understanding of the
world of the child. Another way a Human Services Professional may
use this theory is to understand which aspects are in the clients
control and which are not.
References
Woodside, M. R., & McClam, T. (2018).
An Introduction to Human
Services
(9th ed.). Cengage Learning US.
https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781337671262
