Wk1Assgn_Strombom_E HUMN-2007
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Walden University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
2007
Subject
Communications
Date
Jun 3, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
4
Uploaded by AgentUniverseJellyfish271
Helping Skills
1
Helping Skills and Their Importance to Human Services
Professional Practitioners
Elizabeth Strombom
Walden University
HUMN-2007 Developing the Helping Relationship
Jennifer Jean Beggs Weber
April 14, 2024
Helping Skills
2
Roles in the Helping Process
When individuals and families seek help, they first go to an agency or organization
based on what type of help they need. Whether public or private, these agencies and organizations aim to help them become more self-sufficient and provide resources that their community has available. Human services cover a variety of services, such as employment services, food and nutrition agencies, housing and shelter organizations, legal and victims' assistance organizations, public safety and disaster relief organizations, youth development organizations, and multipurpose human service organizations. (Moffat, 2011) Most of these agencies and organizations operate by state/local government, but there are also many private non-profit organizations and a few for-profit organizations. The roles of human service workers all perform the same basic needs to be able to help, and they are just as varied as the clients they support. Colleen Moffat stated that "The type of assistance they offer varies by client group, the type of organization that employs these workers, and their role in the organization." (Moffat, 2011) Human service workers act as liaisons between clients and care providers. (Moffat, 2011) The prominent roles that human service workers perform are meeting with the clients to
evaluate their needs, create an effective plan, and implement it. With this, they can steer their clients in the right direction to becoming self-sufficient. Helping skills contribute to being an effective human services professional practitioner. Suppose you do not exhibit helpful skills such as communication skills, the ability to ask others for help, and cultural humility, to name a few. In that case, the effectiveness of your help will be extraordinarily little or none—for example, communication skills. If you lack communication skills and cannot effectively verbalize your compassion and empathy, the client may not trust you enough to share personal information that may be sensitive. Lack of communication could also lead to miscommunication between co-workers, others who work with the client, and care providers, leading to an ineffective plan. Another example is cultural humility. Cultural humility is vital to understanding your clients across the globe. Human service professionals interact with individuals
and families from all social classes; learning and respecting their customs, beliefs, and values is crucial to becoming an effective human service professional practitioner.
Helping Skills
3
Human service workers need to see "the whole picture" when creating an effective plan to implement. One incident comes to mind when thinking back a few years ago. This service worker who worked for the Department of Children Services entered an apartment and did not see through what was on the surface. It looked terrible because there was popcorn everywhere, the dishes were dirty, and THC-
Hemp was growing in the closet. If she had taken the time to sit and listen to their story instead of walking in, taking pictures, throwing a booklet at the parents, and shuffling their children away, she might have seen a different side of the story and shown some empathy. If she had asked the right questions and taken the time, she would have learned that the parents were struggling financially, exhausted from the
night before, the parents had a valid license to grow THC-Hemp, and they were trying their best despite having two children with severe ASD. The parents fought for six months to get their children back, fighting against the court and taking the necessary classes. But that did not stop the mother and father from developing depression, anxiety, and PTSD, and their children from separation anxiety and other mental health issues that they are still healing from. The situation could have been avoided if she had taken the time to listen, ask questions, and have empathy. In all, the human service professional practitioner helps individuals and families in their time of need by assisting them in receiving resources and connecting them to agencies and organizations. The human service worker must have practical communication skills, the ability to ask for help, and cultural humility, to name a few. These helping skills will ensure that the human service worker is effectively helping those in need. Resources
Moffat, C. (2011). Helping those in need: Human Service Workers. Occupational Outlook Quarterly. Pearce, E. B. (2024). 1.5 characteristics, skills, and knowledge areas needed for human services work
. Introduction to Human Services 2e.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
Helping Skills
4
https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/introhumanservices2e/chapter/1-5-
characteristics-skills-and-knowledge-areas-needed-for-human-services-work/