Running head: WHAT IS HUMAN SERVICES?

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What is Human Services? Jacque Engel BSHS 301 August 31, 2011 Reina Menasche

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What is Human Services? Taking a walk through four chapters of Introduction to Human Services by Martin (2007), we begin to grasp the wide variety of skills involved in the Human Services field. There are hospice agents spending time with the terminally ill and activists lobbing in the prevention of child abuse, each having the ultimate passion to help others in need. As the range is large where each human service agent may affect, the result is clear that from the beginning of time Human Service agents in one form or another have been around, and the field has changed as our world has changed, although the goal of helping those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged has remained the same.

The Goal of Human Services: Martin (2007) describes “the chief goal of the human service professional is to support individuals as well as communities function at their maximum potential, overcoming personal and social barriers as effectively as possible in the major domains of living”(para.12). As mentioned earlier, the human service field has a broad range of careers involved which is essential for the wide variety of populations that are served. With each social worker, hospice agent, or public school counselor, needs are being met in a wide variety of populations. The goal is to reach people in their time of need to allow each individual to receive fair and knowledgeable guidance through crisis and life circumstances to reach the ultimate goal of self sufficiency. Through building on strengths rather than weaknesses, this goal will be met.

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The History of Human Services: Martin (2007) explains that “the practice of helping others in need has been around from the beginning of time” (para.1). As our world’s population grew the need for human services grew with it. England’s Middle Ages brought forth a system called feudalism which in turn was the first attempt to care for the poor (Martin 2007). With this system those that were under privileged were able to have a small portion of land to support themselves and their families, in exchange for complete obedience of the property owner. Although appearing harsh at times these “serfs” as they were called were owned and considered the legal property of the property owner (Martin 2007), this was an attempt at a solution to the poverty issues that were arising as the populations were rising. Over time through various world events such as natural disasters, and the Industrial Revolution for example, the feudal system was in need of an overhaul. The issue of poverty was taken out of the church and was taken to a governmental level. Laws were passed that certain types of people would or would not be deemed true poverty stricken, and with this certain punishments and requirements were expected. Over time the outlook of poverty changed from familiar faces to faces of a different color, voices of a different languages, and homes of different countries. Martin (2007) describes that in 1601 the Elizabeth Poor Laws were established and became the foundation for American social welfare policy. Life in America as Martin (2007) writes came with opportunities but also significant hardships for immigrants. Through population growth and America’s desire to be independent, a social welfare policy was adopted from the legislation of England (Martin 2007). “The practice of Human Services is wholly influenced by social welfare policy in the United States, and to be truly effective in helping the poor and indigent, it is essential that all human service providers gain a level of

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social and cultural objectivity so that they can more fully understand both how social welfare policy and legislation has evolved over the years” (Martin 2007, para.19). Theoretical Frameworks: “Any theory of human behavior one considers using in relation to understanding the behavior of clients should include framework addressing many systems such as culture, historical era, ethnicity, and gender as well as other systems within which the individual operates”(Martin 2007, para.30). Having the ability to perform a thorough initial assessment is vital in considering all the various systems that may be involved in an individual’s environment. Beyond the visual observations will lay the substance that will determine the one or more theoretical frameworks that a human service professional will apply. A wide knowledge base is essential for human service professionals with a diverse population of clientele; this is known as “generalists” (Martin 2007, para. 33). The fact that each client has a different life story, different culture, different race, and at times different language it is and has become imperative for human service professionals to be trained in different areas of specialization. Being that the field of human services is so broad with the different ranges of people and issues, “the conceptual framework that is most commonly associated with human services generalist practice is one that views clients in the context of their environment, specifically focusing on the transaction or relationship between the two” (Martin 2007, para. 33). The importance of a person and their environment has above else allowed a human service professional to distinguish each environmental element and consider how each of these elements has affected the client. This transactional exchange is what distinguishes the field of human services from other fields such as psychology and psychiatry (Martin 2007).

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With the generalists practice we find a wide variety of skills to accommodate a diverse population and the intervention strategies are “general enough to be applied to a variety of situations and clients” (Martin 2007). Along with a human service professional the importance of empathy and compassion are essential and powerful in the intervention process. These last personality traits build trust and safety for the client. Martin mentioned, although someone is empathetic and a good listener most of the time, it is imperative that these skills be sharpened and more fully developed. An intervention strategy known as Task-Centered Approach works well with clients who get overwhelmed to the point of feeling paralyzed due to life’s challenges, challenges that to some may be every day happenings but to others seem like the end of the world. This approach breaks the stressful issue down into different parts so the initial challenge seems smaller in size due to the possibility of achieving the smaller and more easily manageable tasks at hand (Martin 2007). With an outcome that will involve achieving, succeeding, and empowerment for the client. Ethical Considerations: Martin writes, “ethical principles in the human service profession are foundational to the continued development of a helping profession that strives to objectively, professionally, and compassionately meet the complex needs of the most vulnerable members of our society, and without such guidelines we are at risk of exposing clients to potential re-victimization”(para.24). The importance of knowing ethical standards for the human service profession, and then applying ethical boundaries that measure up to those standards is imperative and must be a commitment to oneself, the profession, and most importantly the client/society. Although there are many, many different situations that will challenge one’s values, beliefs, and morals and as a human service professional the duty lies within each of us to provide a voice for those who are

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poverty stricken, unemployed, discriminated against, and any other social injustice that a person may face with a voice that has moral reasoning in order to provide safe and effective services. Having an ethical code to provide a structured guiding philosophy for the human service professional allows for no misunderstanding of correct and expected behavior in any given situation. Having the ability and willingness to develop a professional code of ethics is important and sometimes begins with guidance. Martin states, “[m]any professionals begin with some stated set of values or underlying guiding assumptions, oftentimes found reflected in their mission statement” (para.13). Martin also mentioned a very important aspect when evaluating the rightness or wrongness of behavior and making ethical decisions, this is culture considerations (Martin 2007). Being sensitive to cultures in the ethical decision making is highly important, for different cultures such as gender, age, or ethnicity will bring different norms of that population and must be considered. In closing, being part of the solution to society’s most broken, guiding and providing a for basic and social needs, empowering, encouraging and helping them become complete and functional perhaps for the very first time in their lives is where I want to be.

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References Martin, M.E. (2007). Introduction to Human Services: Through the eyes of Practice Settings. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.