Although human service professionals work with a very wide range of clients present- ing with an equally diverse range of psychosocial problems, these skills and interven- tion techniques can be broadly applied in generalist practice. Understanding that people are not pathological by nature, but often are responding to real traumas, tragedies, and crises in a natural way (e.g., it is normal to become depressed after experiencing a loss) helps the human service professional look for a client’s strengths, rather than solely assessing a client’s perceived deficits.
The unique nature of the human services profession encourages practitioners to view the individual as a part of a greater whole; thus, a client’s social world is assessed and eval- uated, which enables human service professionals to help their clients better navigate their world. Essentially, it is the human service professional’s commitment to working with dis- placed populations, assessing not only clients but the worlds in which they live, and then applying various culturally competent intervention techniques designed to encourage, empower, and integrate some of society’s most broken and marginalized members helping them to become whole and functional, perhaps for the first time in their lives.
Human Systems
Understanding and Mastery of Human Systems: Emphasis on context and the role of diversity in determining and meeting human needs
Critical Thinking Question: The text describes “ethnocentrism” as “the tendency to perceive one’s own back- ground and associated values as being superior, or more ‘normal’ than others.” In what ways might ethnocentrism affect a human service professional’s ability to effectively serve clients? How might he take steps to reduce his ethnocentrism?
1. Disclosing the nature and risks of the counseling relationship to clients prior to their engaging in these services is called:
a. the limits of confidentiality b. a duty-to-warn
c. informed consent d. confidentiality
2. Keeping information shared by clients in the counsel- ing relationship confidential is:
a. mandated by law b. voluntary c. optional
d. dependent upon the nature of the counseling relationship
3. Limits of confidentiality refers to:
a. the counselor’s legal right to share information disclosed by clients with colleagues for the pur- poses of clinical supervision
b. the nature and purpose of counseling services c. the laws that determine how and when client
information can be disclosed to other treatment providers, insurance companies, and governmental agencies
d. Both A and B
4. A counselor’s duty-to-warn and duty-to-protect relate to situations where through direct disclosure clients share:
a. their intention to terminate counseling despite being ordered by the court to receive mental health services
b. that they are a threat to themselves (suicidal) or others (homicidal)
c. that they could potentially be a threat to them- selves or others in the future, under certain theoretical conditions
d. All of the above
5. Setting boundaries with clients encourages clients to a. develop relationships with other counselors b. rely on themselves and newly developed skills to
cope with their struggles
c. become self-destructive due to feelings of abandonment
d. Both A and B
6. Patience, active listening, and observational skills are all aspects of:
a. the psychological evaluation b. the psychosocial evaluation c. the clinical assessment d. emotional regulation
The following questions will test your knowledge of the content found within this chapter.
7. Describe the nature and purpose of creating a family genogram, including ways in which genograms aid clients in gaining a more objective perspective of family dynamics.
8. Compare and contrast direct practice and case management, including their respective techniques and goals.
Suggested Readings
Bowen, M. (1985). Family therapy in clinical practice. New York: Jason Aronson.
Epstein, L., & Brown, L. B. (2001). Brief treatment and a new look at the task-centered approach. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Fulero, S. M. (1988). Tarasoff: 10 years later. Professional Psy-
chology: Research and Practice, 19, 184–190.
Nash, K. A., & Velazquez, J. (2003). Cultural competence: A guide for human service agencies. Atlanta, GA: CWLA Press. Reamer, F. G. (2005). Pocket guide to essential human services.
Washington, DC: NASW Press.
Russo, J. R. (2000). Serving and surviving as a human-service worker. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.
Internet Resources
American Counseling Association: http://www.counseling.org Center for Credentialing & Education, Human Services
Board Certified Practitioner: http://www.cce-global.org/ credentials-offered/hsbcp.
Genograms: http://www.genopro.com/genogram
National Organization for Human Services: http://www.national- humanservices.org
References
American Counseling Association. (2005). ACA code of ethics. Alexandria, VA: Author.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., Text Revision). Washington, DC: Author.
American Psychological Association. (2002). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. Washington, DC: Author. Bowen, M. (1978). Family therapy in clinical practice. New York:
Jason Aronson.
Center for Credentialing & Education. (2011). Human Services- Board Certified Practitioner Exam Candidate Handbook. Retrieved January 1, 2011, from: http://www.cce-global.org/ Downloads/HS-BCPHandbook.pdf.
Cloud, H. C., & Townsend, J. (1992). Boundaries. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Conner, K., & Grote, N. (2008, October). Enhancing the cultural relevance of empirically-supported mental health interventions. Families in Society, 89(4), 587–595. Retrieved September 14, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Cunningham, P., Foster, S., & Henggeler, S. (2002, July). The elusive concept of cultural competence. Children’s Services: Social Policy, Research & Practice, 5(3), 231–243. Retrieved September 14, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Duffy, M., Gillig, S. E., Tureen, R. M., & Ybarra, M. A. (2002). A critical look at the DSM-IV-TR. The Journal of Individual Psy- chology, 58(4), 362–373.
Escalas, J. E., & Stern, B. B. (2003). Sympathy and empathy: Emotional responses to advertising dramas. Journal of Consumer Research, 29, 566–578.
Fortier, J. P., & Shaw-Taylor, Y. (2000). Assuring cultural competence in healthcare: Recommendations for national standards and an
outcomes-focused research agenda. Resources for Cross-Cultural HealthCare and the Center for the Advancement of Health. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health.
Fulero, S. M. (1988). Tarasoff: 10 years later. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 19, 184–190.
Greenberg, L. S., Elliot, R., Watson, J. C., & Bohart, A. C. (2001). Empathy. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 38(4), 380–384.
National Association of Social Workers. (2000). Cultural com- petence in the social work profession. In Social work speaks: NASW policy statements (pp. 59–62). Washington, DC: NASW Press.
National Association of Social Workers. (2002). NASW standards for social work case management. Retrieved May 25, 2004, from http://www.naswdc.org/practice/standards/sw_case_mgmt. asp#intro
National Organization for Human Services. (1996). Ethical stan- dards of human service professionals. Washington, DC: Author. Park, C. L., & Fenster, J. R. (2004). Stress-related growth: Predic-
tors of occurrence and correlates with psychological adjustment. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23(2), 195–215. Prest, L. A., & Protinsky, H. (1993). Family systems theory: A uni-
fying framework for codependency. American Journal of Family Therapy, 21(4), 352–360.
Reid, W. J. (1975). A test of a task-centered approach. Social Work, 20(1), 3–9.
Schatz, M., Jenkins, L., & Sheafor, B. (1990, Fall). Milford redefined: A model of initial and advanced generalist social work. Journal of Social Work Education, 26(3), 217–231. Retrieved June 24, 2009, from Professional Development Collection database.
Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, 118 Cal. Rptr. 129, 529 P.2d.533 (Cal. 1974).
Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, 113 Cal. Rptr. 14, 551 P.2d.334 (Cal. 1976).
Wodarksi, J. S., Rapp-Paglicci, L. A., Dulmus, C. N., & Jongsma, A. E. (2001). The social work and human services treatment planner. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
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Learning Objectives
S Develop an understanding of the history of the child welfare sys- tem, recognizing the impact of historic policies and practices on the current child welfare system S Develop an understanding of the demographic makeup of children currently in care of the child wel- fare system, understanding the reasons for overrepresentation of certain racial ethnic groups S Understand how children enter
the child welfare system, includ- ing having a basic understanding of the federal and state laws that govern child placement policies S Develop an understanding of
the nature of working with biological parents, children in placement, and foster parents, recognizing the complementary and conflictual roles of each S Recognize the historic and cur-
rent trends of bias and abuse of certain ethnic minority groups within the child welfare system, as well as understanding ways of avoiding such abuse through cultural competent practice
The field of child and family services generally involves the care and pro- vision of children who cannot be appropriately cared for by their biologi- cal parents, as well as providing assistance for those who need support and assistance in the management and provision of their families. This practice setting is primarily concerned with children in foster care place- ment, but may also involve family preservation services and adoption services. A human service professional working in a child and family ser- vices setting may be involved in the following activities:
SChild abuse investigations
SChild abuse assessments
SCase management and counseling of the child in placement, foster
families, and biological parents
SCase management and counseling of families in crisis
SCase management and counseling of potential adoptive parents,
adult adoptees, and birth parents
The clinical issues involved in this field are quite broad but involve issues related to abandonment and loss, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cultural sensitivity, child development, parenting issues, sub- stance abuse, anger management, and the ability to work with a broad range of life stressors and maladaptive responses that might lead to breakdowns within the family.
In addition to the wide range of activities in which a human service professional might engage within a child and family services agency, there is also a wide range of practice settings where the human service professional might work, the largest being a state’s child protective ser- vices (CPS) agency. Human service professionals also work at not-for- profit agencies, some of which are contracted by the state to provide mandated services to children in substitute care and some of which