The Human Services Worker
Burger & Youkeles, (2003) Chapter 5
Overview
The chapter highlights the aspects of the human services worker that enhances or increases how helpful one may be. It begins with a brief view of the helping relationship according to major theoretical perspective, then underscores that with the importance of the helper’s characteristics. Specific skills, and the factors that impact those skills are discussed. Finally the chapter concludes with human rights, and the worker in different contexts, like group and community.
Helping Relationship & Theory
Each major school of theory sees the helping relationship differently in what the purpose of the helping is to be and the role of the helper in achieving that role.
Psycho-analytic theory strives to ______and the helper is non-directive.
What do the humanists and behaviorists do and how?
Characteristics of Effective Helping
Research has indicated that people’s perception of effective counseling (therapy) has little to do with the theory chosen and much more to do with the characteristics of effective helping.
Be able to define:
Empathy, Genuiness, Objective/subjective Balance, Self-awareness, Acceptance, Desire to Help and Patience
Which characteristics are easier for you do demonstrate and which will be challenging?
Basic Helping Skills
Helping begins with the personhood of the helper, but is conducted through the use of skillful communication.
There are seven basic helping skills:
Again, be sure that you understand the base definition for each term and examine which of these seem natural for you and which you will need to practice.
Basic Change
Being (how the helper is) + Support (the client’s feeling of being understood) must precede Challenge (push to change).
Factors That Influence Use of Skills
Values: Why you want to help, How you see the role of helper, and how you define the character of those seeking help are three values. There are others……
Professional Codes of Ethics can be seen as______, that represent the collective value system of various kinds of professional helping. What code of ethics guides the discipline of helping you are pursuing?
More Factors
Ethics codes define minimal standards of professional conduct and attempt to ensure that workers meet various standards, requirements, or levels of competency.
Confidentiality is one examples of a very important standard that seem universal to all helping profession’s codes.
More Factors
Good self-care: Human service workers must address their well-being and that of co-workers.
Environmental Factors: The setting of service delivery is important. Think of how many special education classrooms, used to be open space or even closets….
Multi-cultural Awareness: One’s cultural greatly impacts how you see the world. When working with people of varying races, gender, socio-economic status, it is very important to understand your own view as well as the client's view before making judgments or deciding what course of action to pursue.
Even More….
Prior training: Competent helpers examine whether the training they have has adequately prepared them to help. IF a new client comes and needs something beyond the range of training or knowledge, the helper is obligate to seek consultation and support before trying to intervene.
Crisis Intervention
Crisis intervention is all about stabilizing and short term problem-solving. It serves to facilitate the client’s regaining balance to that they can better deal with the stressors that have provoked the crisis.
Crisis can be understood as dangerous opportunity. (Risk and Growth)
Types of Crisis
Developmental:
Situational:
Situational crises are usually sudden, unexpected, emergent, and have impact.
Crisis symptoms can be physical, cognitive, behavioral, affective or spiritual.
Crisis Intervention Strategies
Attend to the person
Evaluate how to stabilize
Follow-up (referral)
Human Rights, The Law and HS
Laws of society affect all areas of human behavior.
Understanding of the causes of human behavior has impacted how laws are enacted and carried out. (Insanity defense)
State can intervene and reduce freedom of choice when risk of harm is due to mental disorder.
Four Mental Health & The Law Issues
Voluntary vs. Involuntary admission to services
Least Restrictive Environment
Group Work
Groups are defined as ______.
Important Elements of groupwork include
Leadership SkillsSelecting group members
Establishing goals Establishing norms
InterveningPromoting Interaction
Appraising/Evaluating
Terminating the group
Community Work
Community settings have become a vital aspect of human service work. There are many roles the human services worker can fill in the community. These include advocacy, negotiating, organizing, coordinating, educating, planning, consulting, gathering information, acting as liaison, lobbying, and reaching out.
Coordinating = Case Management
Case management entails focusing on the whole person, and what is takes to assist that person to reach their goal of self-sufficiency.
Page 231 lists these duties: assessment, treatment planning, service implementation, counseling, advocating, coordinating, record keeping, evaluating and monitoring.
Summary
More than theory, the person of the helper affects the perceived helpfulness. What characteristics will you bring into your efforts to help. What will be your greatest challenges. What factors in your life will impact how and to whom you give help?
When should the law make decisions for services certain ages, certain diagnosis, certain risks?
Finally, helping can mean more than one to one interactions. When will you be willing to advocate and when should the person in need help themselves?