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© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
14
CHAPTER 2
THE HUMAN SERVICE PROFESSIONAL
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, students will be able to:
2-1 Compare the motivations for becoming a helper.
2-2 List three reasons that values are important to helping.
2-3 Write a description of the five commonly accepted human service values.
2-4 List four characteristics or qualities of helpers.
2-5 Distinguish among the three categories of helpers.
2-6 List the three areas of job responsibilities for human service professionals.
2-7 Identify the other helping professionals with whom a human service professional
may interact.
2-8 Summarize the role of the nonprofessional helper or volunteer.
2-9 Illustrate each of the roles included in the three areas of professional
responsibilities.
2-10 Identify the responsibilities of a cultural broker.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. Who is the helper?
A. Motivations for choosing a helping profession
1. Influenced by direct work experience, college courses and instructors,
and the involvement of friends and relatives in the helping professions
2. Motivations include the following:
a. Help others
b. Self-exploration
c. Exert control
d. Positive role models
3. Each motivation has pros and cons
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
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B. Values and helping
1. Values undergird decision making.
2. Culture establishes some values and standards of behavior.
3. Values are statements of how we would like the world to be.
4. Having common values helps professionals work together.
5. The values of acceptance, tolerance, individuality, self-determination,
and confidentiality guide the human service professional.
6. Values provide a framework to create a personal philosophy of
helping.
C. Characteristics of the helper
1. The use of the whole self is important for an effective helper.
2. Characteristics important for the beginning helper include the
following:
a. Self-awareness: a lifelong process of learning through
examination of beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors
b. Ability to communicate: being attuned to the verbal and
nonverbal nuances of the client’s messages
c. Empathy: the acceptance of another person, the situation, and
the person’s feelings
d. Responsibility and commitment to improve the well-being of
others: achieved by following a code of ethics
e. Flexibility: demonstrated by a willingness to reconsider,
modify, or abandon certain approaches to helping
II. Typology of human service professionals
A. Categories of helpers
1. Three general categories:
a. Human service professionals
b. Specialists
c. Nonprofessional helpers
2. Each category is defined by preparation, skills, or both
B. The human service professional
1. Generalists with education and training at undergraduate level
2. Job titles include case worker, probation officer, social service liaison
C. Human Service Movement
1. Since 1966, the field of human services has moved toward
professionalization of service providers.
2. Certification is available as a Human Service-Board Certified
Practitioner (HS-BCP).
D. Specialists
1. Advanced training and education
2. Job titles include the following:
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
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a. Physicians: licensed professionals who perform medical
examinations, diagnose illnesses, treat injured or diseased people,
and advise patients on maintaining good health
b. Psychiatrists: a physician concerned with diagnosis, treatment,
1. Community caretakers: police, firefighters, clergy
2. Natural helpers: hairdressers, bartenders
3. Self-help groups: Alcoholics Anonymous
4. Volunteers
5. Accepted by human service professionals due to financial constraints or
an uneven distribution of professional workers.
1. Responsibility of many beginning professionals
2. Develops helping relationship through face-to-face contact
3. Roles include the following:
a. Behavior changer
b. Caregiver
1. Involves managerial activities as helpers supervise and oversee projects
2. Roles include the following:
a. Broker
b. Data manager
c. Evaluator
1. Helpers develop collegial networks to create or improve services within
the local area
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
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2. Roles include the following:
a. Advocate
b. Community and service networker
1. Frontline helpers focus on caring for the client.
2. Administrators focus on planning and organizing services.
E. Working as a cultural broker
1. Occurs throughout helping responsibilities
2. Helps client negotiate the cultural divide
3. Characteristics include self-knowledge, knowledge of others, advocacy
1. Case manager for a state agency in the southwestern United States
2. Rewarded by client variety and working with other professionals
3. Frustrated by bureaucracy and clients who do not do what she wants
them to do
CHAPTER SUMMARY
This chapter defines the helper, describes a typology of human service
professionals, and identifies the roles involved in providing direct service, performing
administrative work, and working with the community. Helping means assisting other
people to understand, overcome, or cope with problems. A helper is the person who
offers this assistance.
The motivations for choosing a helping profession are varied. They include
influences such as direct work experience, college courses and instructors, and the
involvement of friends, acquaintances, or relatives in the helping professions. Individuals
choose to work in the field of human services because they want to help others, they wish
to find out more about themselves, they desire to exert control, and/or they were inspired
by help from others. Each motivation has a positive and negative component and it is
important to explore both.
Values and philosophy contribute to the decision to choose the helping
professions and to the work of these professionals. Values are statements that describe
how we would like the world to be. The five values that guide professional behavior and
service delivery, and are critical to the human service profession, are acceptance,
tolerance, individuality, self-determination, and confidentiality.
Many educators and researchers have identified characteristics of effective
service liaison. Specialists are helpers characterized by certification, licenses, and
advanced education. Specialists include physicians, psychologists, social workers, and
counselors. Nonprofessional helpers include community caretakers (firefighters), natural
helpers (bartenders), self-help groups (AA), and volunteers.
Human service professionals are further defined by their roles in the helping
process. Following a study by the U.S. Department of Education, helping roles can be
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
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CHAPTER GOALS
1. To describe the helper in terms of motivations, values, philosophy, and
characteristics
2. To explore the categories of human service professionals
3. To examine the roles in which human service professionals engage as they work
with clients and other professionals
SUGGESTIONS FOR ACTIVITIES
1. Ask your students to write a paragraph about an experience they have had helping
someone. Divide the class into small groups and ask them to share their
experiences. Ask the groups to find common themes in the experiences and then
to define differences.
Note: Have the groups recite these themes to the class. Use these themes to
begin your discussion of the roles and skills of helpers.
4. Complete the following self-inventory. Decide how important each of the
following values is to you in your work. Write the appropriate number next to
each: 4 = most important; 3 = important, but not a top priority; 2 = slightly
important; and 1 = of little or no importance.
_____ 1. High income: opportunity for high pay or other financial gain
_____ 2. Power: opportunity to influence, lead, and direct others
_____ 3. Prestige: opportunity for respect and admiration from others
_____ 4. Job security: security from unemployment and economic changes
_____ 5. Variety: opportunity to do many different things in a job
_____ 6. Achievement: opportunity to accomplish goals
_____ 7. Responsibility: chance to be in charge of myself and others; being
able to show trustworthiness
_____ 8. Independence: freedom from rigid hours or controls
_____ 9. Family relationships: time to be with family in addition to job
_____ 10. Interests: work that matches my field of interest
_____ 11. Opportunity to serve people: being able to make a difference in the
lives of others; helping others help themselves
_____ 12. Adventure: a high level of excitement on the job
_____ 13. Creativity: opportunity to come up with new ideas and do things in
new ways
_____ 14. Inner harmony: peace and contentment through work
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
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_____ 17. Competition: the need to compete against others
_____ 18. Advancement: opportunity for promotion
_____ 19. Continued learning: changes to update learning and knowledge
_____ 20. Structure and routine: a predictable routine on the job that requires
a certain pattern of responses
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Name and explain the most commonly held values in human services. Why is
each important to the process of helping?
2. Describe the important personal characteristics of effective helpers.
MINDTAP VIDEO IN-CLASS DISCUSSION
TYPICAL DAY FOR A FRONT-LINE HUMAN SERVICE PROFESSIONAL
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
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KEY TERMS
Acceptance: The ability of the helper to be receptive to the client regardless of factors
such as dress or behavior.
Administrator: A human service professional whose primary responsibilities are
planning and organizing services.
Community caretakers: Individuals who reside in the community and provide assistance
and support to those in need without the benefit of education or training.
Confidentiality: The helper’s assurance to clients that their cases will not be discussed
with others.
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
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Counselors: Individuals who help people cope with a variety of problems, including
personal, social, educational, and career concerns.
Cultural broker: A helping professional who commits to help clients negotiate the
cultural divide that influences access and effective use of services and the development of
self-sufficiency.
Empathy: Acceptance of the client that allows the helper to see the situation or
understand feelings from the client’s perspective.
Flexibility: Multifaceted trait that allows human service professionals to shift their
perspectives of helping, clients, problems, and interventions.
Frontline helper: A human service professional who focuses on direct services to the
client.
Generalist: A human service professional with diverse skills and functions that are
applicable in a number of settings with a variety of client groups.
HS-BCP: Human Service-Board Certified Practitioner certification indicates that the
individual meets 11 core human service content areas.
Human service professional: An educated and trained individual who provides services
to individual, families, groups, and communities in need.
Individuality: The qualities or characteristics that make each person unique and
distinctive from all other people.
Physicians: Medical doctors who perform medical examinations, diagnose illnesses, treat
injured or diseased people, and advise patients on maintaining good health.
Psychiatrists: Physicians concerned with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of
mental illness.
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
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Psychologists: Helping professionals who have advanced degrees in the study of human
behavior and who provide counseling, perform assessments, and conduct research in that
field.
Self-awareness: The process of learning about one’s self.
Self-determination: The act of deciding for one’s self a course of action or resolution to a
problem.
Self-help groups: Numbers of like-minded individuals facing similar challenges that
meet together to support each other
Social workers: Professionals with training in social welfare, human behavior, and the
social environment who work with individuals, families, and groups.
Tolerance: The helper’s ability to be patient and fair with each client.
Values: Statement of beliefs about what guides behavior and provides direction to
people’s lives.
Volunteers: Individuals who provide a service to others without expectation of pay or
financial benefit.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
These questions may help the students identify important concepts as they read the
chapter.
1. What is the basic focus of the helper?
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
25
7. What is a philosophy of helping?
8. What are the major influences for the behaviors we have and the attitudes we
hold?
The following questions will help students in their review of the chapter.
1. Describe the motivations for choosing a helping profession.
2. How do values and a philosophy of helping relate to motivations for choosing a
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
26
© 2019 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
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LO/STANDARD CORRELATION TABLE
Chapter Heading
LO
NOHS
Standards
CSHSE
Standards
HS-BCP
Standards
Motivations for Choosing a
Helping Profession
2-1
35
20
2
Values and Helping
2-2
2-3
7, 22, 35
19, 20
2
Characteristics of the Helper
2-4
27, 35, 36
20
2
Categories of Helpers
2-5
26, 29, 30
16
4
The Human Service Professional
2-6
26, 29, 30
11, 16
4
Specialists
2-7
26, 29, 30
16
4
Nonprofessional Helpers
2-8
31
16
4
Human Service Roles
2-9
29, 30
16, 18
4, 9
Working as a Cultural Broker
2-10
11, 29, 30
12, 16, 18
4, 6, 9
