How are human services professionals like and different from other professionals who
work in the same agency? How are they like and different from non-professional
helpers (e.g., volunteers) who work in the same agency? What could you do to work
collaboratively with both other professionals and non-professionals in the agency?
Those who work in human services fall into a couple of types, which are defined by their
preparation, skills, or a combination of both. The first type of human service professionals
is those who conduct typical counselling responsibilities and take on broader roles such as
advocates and mobilizers. The second type consists of "specialists", who are aids with
professional certifications, governing body licenses, and degrees from educational
institutions. Social workers, nurses, clergy, and counsellors are examples of specialists.
Peers and volunteers are a third broad category that includes both persons with little or no
experience in assisting and those with substantial experience. Training and orientation are
frequently provided to these employees to prepare them for their tasks. (Woodside &
McClam, 2018)
Human services professionals and other professions who work in the same agency are all
broadly concerned with serving families, individuals, and communities to improve quality
of life, remediate problems, and coordinate services through a multidisciplinary approach.
Naturally, having such an all-encompassing mission leads to plenty of overlap between the
roles of professionals working in the human services field. As a human services
professional, you will be working with a variety of other professional helpers who have
specialized training and experience. This category includes individuals who have graduate-
level training in helping theory and skills and who often have supervised clinical
experience; however, the training and credentials of these individuals may vary. (Woodside
& McClam, 2018) Community caretakers, natural helpers, and volunteers are examples of
nonprofessional helpers who provide essential human service functions. One example of
nonprofessional’s in human services is volunteers. They give their time and talents free of
charge, have a sense of social responsibility, and have little concern for monetary gain.
Nonprofessional helpers have the same mission as human service professionals and that is
to help the client in need.
To work collaboratively with both professionals and non-professionals, I would make sure
to acknowledge how important every position is and I would do so by always offering
whatever knowledge and experience I have. I would make sure to always ask questions to
others with more experience but also be open to the perspective of those who may not.
Human services are constantly evolving, and different perspectives and ideas of others
within the agency and maintaining good communication with them is the key to mang
anything grow and evolve and having lots of success.
Resources:
Woodside, M. R., & McClam, T. (2018). An Introduction to Human Services (9th ed.).
Cengage Learning US. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781337671262
