friday january 22, 2010. human services worker" is a generic term for people who hold...

Friday January 22, 2010

Human services worker" is a generic term for people who hold professional and paraprofessional jobs in such diverse settings as group homes and halfway houses; correctional, mental retardation, and community mental health centers; family, child, and youth service agencies, and programs concerned with alcoholism, drug abuse, family violence, and aging.

Depending on the employment setting and the kinds of clients served there, job titles and duties vary a great deal.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos059.htm

The roots of the Department of Health and Human Services go back to the earliest days of the nation as early as 1798 with the passage of an act for the relief of sick and disabled seamen, which established a federal network of hospitals for the care of merchant seamen, forerunner of today's U.S. Public Health Service.

http://www.hhs.gov/about/hhshist.html

The primary purpose of the human service worker is to assist individual and communities to function as effectively as possible in the major domains of living.

Social and human service assistants provide services to clients to help them improve their quality of life.

They assess clients' needs, investigate their eligibility for benefits and services such as food stamps, Medicaid and welfare, and help clients obtain them.


They also arrange for transportation, if necessary, and provide emotional support.

They monitor and keep case records on clients and report progress to supervisors and case managers

They may organize and lead group activities, assist clients in need of counseling or crisis intervention, or administer food banks or emergency fuel programs.


In halfway houses, group homes, and government-supported housing programs, they assist adults who need supervision with personal hygiene and daily living tasks.

They review clients' records, ensure that they take prescribed medication, talk with family members, and confer with medical personnel and other caregivers to provide insight into clients' needs.

Assistants also give emotional support and help clients become involved in community recreation programs and other activities


A strong desire to help others is an important consideration for a job as a human services worker.

Individuals who show patience, understanding, and caring in their dealings with others are highly valued by employers.

Other important personal traits include communication skills, a strong sense of responsibility, and the ability to manage time effectively.


Human services workers in community-based settings move around a great deal in the course of a workweek.

They may be inside one day and outdoors on a field visit the next.

They, too, work a standard 40-hour week. Human services workers in residential

settings generally work in shifts. Because residents of group homes need

supervision in the evening and at night, 7 days a week, evening and weekend hours are required.


Working conditions of social and human service assistants vary.

Some work in offices, clinics, and hospitals, while others work in group homes, shelters, and day programs.

Traveling to see clients is required for some jobs.

Sometimes working with clients can be dangerous, even though most agencies do everything they can to ensure their workers' safety.

Some work in the evening and on weekendshttp://www.bls.gov/oco/

ocos059.htm

Despite differences in what they are called and what they do, human services workers generally perform under the direction of professional staff.

Those employed in mental health settings, for example, may be assigned to assist a treatment team made up of social workers, psychologists, and other human services professionals.

The amount of responsibility these workers assume and the degree of supervision they receive vary a great deal.

Some workers are on their own most of the time and have little direct supervision; others work under close direction


Human services workers in community, residential care, or institutional settings provide direct services such as leading a group, organizing an activity, or offering individual counseling.

They may handle some administrative support tasks, too.

Specific job duties reflect organizational policy and staffing patterns, as well as the worker's educational preparation and experience


Case Worker Family Support Worker Youth Workers Social Services Liaison Community Outreach Worker

Residential Counselor Behavioral Management Aide Case Management Aide Social Work Assistant

Eligibility Counselor Alcohol Counselor Adult Day Care Worker Drug Abuse Counselor Community Action Worker

Life Skills Instructor Client Advocate Neighborhood Worker Social Service Aide Psychological Aide

Group Activities Aide Social Services Technician Therapeutic Assistant Probation Officer Halfway House Counselor

Case Monitor Parole Officer Child Advocate Gerontology Aide Assistant Case Manager

Juvenile Court Liaison Home Health Aide Group Home Worker Child Abuse Worker Rehabilitation Case Worker

Crisis Intervention Counselor Mental Health Aide Community Organizer Intake Interviewer Residential Manager

http://www.edgecombe.edu/academics/service/hmnserv/humanities/Human%20Services%20Workers.htm#Difference

1. Understanding the nature of human systems: individual, group, organization, community and society, and their major interactions.

All workers will have preparation, which helps them to understand human development, group dynamics, organizational structure, how communities are organized, how national policy is set, and how social systems interact in producing human problemshttp://www.edgecombe.edu/academics/service/hmnserv/humanities/Human%20Services

%20Workers.htm#Difference

2. Understanding the conditions that promote or limit optimal functioning and classes of deviations from desired functioning in the major human systems.

Workers will have understanding of the major models of causation that are concerned with both the promotion of healthy functioning and with treatment-rehabilitation.

This includes medically oriented, socially oriented, psychologically-behavioral oriented, and educationally oriented models. http://www.edgecombe.edu/academics/service/hmnserv/humanities/Human%20Services


3. Skill in identifying and selecting interventions which promote growth and goal attainment.

The worker will be able to conduct a competent problem analysis and to select those strategies, services or interventions that are appropriate to helping clients attain a desired outcome.

Interventions may include assistance, referral, advocacy, or direct counseling.


4. Skill in planning, implementing and evaluating interventions.

The worker will be able to design a plan of action for an identified problem and implement the plan in a systematic way.

This requires an understanding of problem analysis, decision-analysis, and design of work plans.

This generic skill can be used with all social systems and adapted for use with individual clients or organizations. Skill in evaluating the interventions is essentialhttp://www.edgecombe.edu/academics/service/hmnserv/humanities/Human%20Services


5. Consistent behavior in selecting interventions that are congruent with the values of one's self, clients, the employing organization and the Human Service profession.

This cluster requires awareness of one's own value orientation, an understanding of organizational values as expressed in the mandate or goal statement of the organization, human service ethics and an appreciation of the client's values, life style and goals


6. Process skills that are required to plan and implement services.

This cluster is based on the assumption that the worker uses himself as the main tool for responding to service needs.

The worker must be skillful in verbal and oral communication; interpersonal relationships and other related personal skills, such as self-discipline and time management.

It requires that the worker be interested in and motivated to conduct the role that he has agreed to fulfill and to apply himself to all aspects of the work that the role requires.http://www.edgecombe.edu/academics/service/hmnserv/humanities/Human%20Services


What is the significance of a human service worker in today's society?

When you think of things like what has happened in Haiti and hurricane Katrina, what is the significance of a HSW?

Write one page answering the question above.

I would also like to know what kind of human service worker you are.

What is the Helping Process? Constructive helping is a

collaborative process through which an experienced helper (counselor) empowers a person seeking help (client) to define, strategize, and implement meaningful change.

The counselor-client relationship is grounded in trust and respect

What are the stages in the Helping Process?

1. Active listening2. Problem identification3. Problem solving4. Follow through

Active Listening

The counselor listens carefully and empathically to the client's story to 1) gain an understanding of the client's problem, 2) learn how the client thinks, feels and acts, 3) discover the client's strengths, assets and personal power, and 4) build rapport with the client

Problem identification

The counselor, using such techniques as open-ended questioning, reflecting and paraphrasing, assists the client to identify and clarify the problem

Problem solving

The counselor assists the client to 1) define goals (what the client wants, how the client would like things to be), 2) generate strategies to accomplish these goals (how the client may attain these wants and make things be the way the client would like), 3) examine each strategy for potential problems and outcomes, 4) review support, strengths and resources, and 5) decide on a plan of action

Follow through

The counselor provides the client with ongoing support and encouragement and opportunities to 1) examine actions taken for what did and did not work, 2) restrategize actions based on this examination, and 3) recognize and own personal strengths and assets

History of recreational therapyThe recreational therapy profession can be traced

back to the 1850's when Florence Nightingale proposed that recreation experiences could be drawn upon to improve the human condition.

In 1931 the American Red Cross began hiring recreation hospital workers.

The term "recreational therapy" was first coined by the Menninger brothers who were enthusiastic for the inclusion of recreational therapy as a treatment of persons with mental health disorders.

Since the 1940's, recreational therapists have served as active members of the interdisciplinary treatment team addressing the psychosocial and physical rehabilitation needs of the consumer

http://www.healthpronet.org/ahp_month/07_04.html

What is Recreation TherapyRecreational therapy, also referred to as

recreation therapy and therapeutic recreation, contributes to the broad spectrum of health care through treatment, education, and the provision of adapted recreational opportunities — all of which aid in improving and maintaining physical, cognitive, emotional, and social functioning, preventing secondary health conditions, enhancing independent living skills and overall quality of life.

Participation is the ultimate goal of Therapeutic Recreation and is the inclusion of the client into the least restrictive setting for recreation and leisure opportunities


What do they do?RT provide treatment services and recreation

activities for individuals with disabilities or illnesses. They use a variety of techniques, including arts and

crafts, animals, sports, games, dance and movement, drama, music, and community outings, therapists improve and maintain the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of their clients.

Therapists help individuals reduce depression, stress, and anxiety; recover basic motor functioning and reasoning abilities; build confidence; and socialize effectively so that they can enjoy greater independence and reduce or eliminate the effects of their illness or disability


What do they do? (cont.)In addition, therapists help people with

disabilities integrate into the community by teaching them how to use community resources and recreational activities.

Recreational therapists are different from recreation workers, who organize recreational activities primarily for enjoyment.


Where can you find a RTRecreational Therapists may work with a wide range

of individuals requiring health services including geriatric, mental health, addictions, general medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation, developmental disabilities and pediatric clients.

Most recreational therapists are employed by health care agencies and work in traditional inpatient hospitals or health facilities but an increasing number are being hired in residential facilities, community mental health centers, adult day care programs, substance abuse centers, hospice care, community centers and in school systems.

There is a growing trend for recreational therapists to work in private practice providing services in the home and community as well


How they assess their clients needsRecreational therapists assess clients using

information from observations, medical records, standardized assessments, the medical staff, the clients' families, and the clients themselves.

They then develop and carry out therapeutic interventions consistent with the clients' needs and interests.

For example, they may encourage clients who are isolated from others or who have limited social skills to play games with others, and they may teach right-handed people with right-side paralysis how to use their unaffected left side to throw a ball or swing a racket. http://www.healthpronet.org/ahp_month/

07_04.html

How they assess their clients needsRecreational therapists may instruct patients

in relaxation techniques to reduce stress and tension, stretching and limbering exercises, proper body mechanics for participation in recreational activities, pacing and energy conservation techniques, and team activities. As they work, therapists observe and document a patient's participation, reactions, and progress


Types of RTsIn healthcare settings, such as hospitals and

rehabilitation centers, recreational therapists treat and rehabilitate individuals with specific health conditions, usually in conjunction or collaboration with physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and physical and occupational therapists.

In long-term and residential care facilities, recreational therapists use leisure activities—especially structured group programs—to improve and maintain their clients' general health and well-being.

They also may provide interventions to prevent the client from suffering further medical problems and complications.


Different types of RTsCommunity-based recreational therapists may

work in park and recreation departments, special education programs for school districts, or assisted living, adult day care, and substance abuse rehabilitation centers.

In these programs, therapists use interventions to develop specific skills, while providing opportunities for exercise, mental stimulation, creativity, and fun.

Those few who work in schools help counselors, teachers, and parents address the special needs of students, including easing disabled students' transition into adult life.


Work EnvironmentRecreational therapists provide services in

special activity rooms but also plan activities and prepare documentation in offices.

When working with clients during community integration programs, they may travel locally to teach clients how to use public transportation and other public areas, such as parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, restaurants, and theaters.

Therapists often lift and carry equipment.http://www.healthpronet.org/ahp_month/07_04.html

RT responsibilitiesRecreational therapists must be comfortable

working with people who are ill or disabled. Therapists must be patient, tactful, and

persuasive when working with people who have a variety of special needs.

Ingenuity, a sense of humor, and imagination are needed to adapt activities to individual needs, and good physical coordination is necessary to demonstrate or participate in recreational activities.


friday january 22, 2010. human services worker" is a generic term for people who hold...

Documents

clients records

human services workers

kinds of clients

human service worker

human service assistants

public health service

community recreation

residents of group homes