CHAPTER SIX
THE HUMAN SERVICE PROFESSIONAL
CHAPTER GOALS
2. To explore the categories of human service professionals.
3. To examine the roles human service professionals engage in as they work with
clients and other professionals.
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
At the end of the chapter, students will be able to
1.2 Write a description of the five commonly accepted human service values.
1.4 List the characteristics or qualities of helpers.
2.2 Distinguish the three categories of professional helpers.
3.1 List the three areas of job responsibilities for human service professionals.
3.2 Provide examples of the roles included in each of the three areas of professional
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3.3 Apply the role of cultural broker to each of the three areas of professional
responsibilities.
READINGS
Introduction to Human Services – Chapter 6
Introduction to Human Services: Cases and Applications – Chapter 6
CHAPTER SUMMARY
This chapter defines the helper, describes a typology of human service
professionals, and identifies the roles involved in providing direct service, performing
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
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Many educators and researchers have suggested characteristics for an effective
helper. One of the most important is the use of the whole self. Another is to be able to
listen with understanding. This means that the helper listens to what the client is saying
There are a variety of ways to categorize humans service professionals. Many of
the competence are related to experience and education. Three popular categories are
specialists, human service professionals, and nonprofessionals. Specialists are helpers
characterized by certification, licenses, and advanced education. Physicians, ministers,
The roles human service professionals assume further define this helping
professional by providing a framework for the helping process. The focus on the client is
common to all the roles. These roles cluster in three areas of responsibility: providing
direct service (e.g., behavior changer, caregiver, communicator); performing
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CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. Who is the helper?
A. Motivations for choosing a helping profession
2. Motivations include the following
a. To help others
3. Motivations have pros and cons
B. Values and helping
2. Culture establishes some values and standards of behavior
4. Having common values helps professionals work together
6. Values also provide a framework to create a personal philosophy of
helping
II. Characteristics of the helper
1. The use of the whole self is important for an effective helper
2. Qualities or characteristics important to helping are self-awareness, the
4. Ability to communicate is listening in a way that hears the nuances of
the client’s messages
6. Responsibility and commitment to improve the well being of others is
important
7. Flexibility demonstrates a willingness to reconsider, modify, or
abandon certain approaches to helping.
III. Typology of helpers
A. Specialists
2. Physicians, ministers, social workers, counselors
B. The human service professional
2. Degree of supervision and amount of responsibility vary
4. Certification is available as a Human Service-Board Certified
Practitioner
C. Other professional helpers
1. Physicians perform medical examinations, diagnose illnesses, treat
injured or diseased people, and advise patients on maintaining good health
3. Psychologists study human behavior and mental processes to
understand and explain people’s actions
5. Counselors represent a wide range of services provided and populations
served
D. Nonprofessional helpers
1. Community caretakers like police and firefighters
3. Volunteers
IV. Human service roles
A. Providing direct service
1. Behavior changer
3. Communicator
5. Participant empowerer
6. Teacher/educator
B. Performing administrative work
1. Broker
3. Evaluator
5. Planner
7. Resource allocator
C. Working with the community
1. Advocate
3. Community planner
5. Mobilizer
6. Outreach worker
D. Working as a cultural broker
1. Occurs throughout helping responsibilities
2. Helps client negotiate the cultural divide
E.. Front-line worker or administrator
1. Professionals perform more than one role
2. Typically workers are generally categorized as having either front-line
or administrative responsibilities
INTRODUCING THE CHAPTER
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
2. Read the sections of the chapter that describes psychiatrist, psychologist, social
worker, counselor, and human service worker. Construct a chart that identifies
training/preparation, job settings, job responsibilities, salary, and future of the
profession. Think about the needs of your community. Are any of these
professionals needed? Why?
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Interviewing a Professional Helper
Interview one of the professionals listed in the text (physician, psychologist, social
worker, or counselor). Ask the following questions:
1. Where do you work?
2. What is your job title?
3. What are your job responsibilities?
4. What training did you have to qualify for this job?
Do the answers that you received support the description of the occupations provided in
the text? What are the similarities? What are the differences?
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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
_____ 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: opportunities to come up with new ideas and do things in new
ways
_____ 14. Inner harmony: peace and contentment through work
_____ 18. Advancement: opportunities 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
READING AND STUDY GUIDE: READ, REVIEW, APPLY
These questions may help the students identify important concepts as they read the
chapter.
1. What is the basic focus of the helper?
3. What are the reasons that individuals choose to work in the helping professions?
4. How can motivations for choosing a profession create problems?
5. What are the sources of our values?
6. List and define the five values commonly held by human service professionals.
7. What is a philosophy of helping?
8. What are the major influences for the behaviors we have and the attitudes we
hold?
10. Define empathy.
11. What are the objectives of the responsibility and commitment assumed by
effective human service professionals?
13. Describe a human service role for each of the three areas of job responsibilities.
14. What is a cultural broker?
16. What do all the human service roles share?
17. Describe Carmen’s job.
19. Describe her interactions with other professionals.
20. What values are important to Carmen?
2. How do values and a philosophy of helping relate to motivations for choosing a
helping profession?
3. Are there some values listed that are more important than others? List the value
4. List the helper characteristics that are important for the human service
professional to acquire. Which value is most important to the development of
each characteristic?
5. What are the similarities and differences among human service professionals,
physicians, psychologists, social workers, and counselors?
6. What are the three primary areas of job responsibilities for human service
professionals? Discuss a role that is an example of each.
The following exercises allow students to apply what they have learned from the
chapter.
1. Which human service value is the most difficult one for you to practice? Write a
2. Which value is the most important for you? Write a short paragraph that
3. Apply the role of cultural broker to each of the three primary areas of
responsibility.
TEST ITEMS
Multiple Choice
1. Individuals choose to work in the helping professions for ONE of the following
reasons:
2. The criterion used by clients and workers to make choices is
3. Beth Bruce’s value of acceptance is challenged by her client’s
4. Deciding for oneself on a course of action or the resolution to a problem is
5. Self-determination is a critical value because
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6. Professionals may break confidentiality when
7. The increasing body of research that supports the concept that the personal
characteristics of helpers
8. Which of the following is the process that assists helpers with understanding their
own attitudes and feelings?
9. All but ONE of the following responses are examples of empathy:
10. All but ONE of the following activities demonstrates commitment to the client:
11. A nurse is an example of which category?
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12. Workers with formal training or experience usually at the baccalaureate level,
work at which of the following levels?
13. This term is used to describe helpers who are of similar age and/or experience to
the client.
14. The attainment of a bachelor’s or master’s degree is usually necessary for which
of the following responsibilities?
15. A typical job responsibility for the human service professional is all but ONE of
the following:
16. A particular concern for the poor and the disadvantaged characterizes ONE of the
following professions:
17. One of the largest categories of specialists is
18. Providing direct service to clients, one of three areas of responsibility for human
service professionals, is illustrated by which roles?
19. The roles of mobilizer, networker, and planner are part of the responsibilities of
20. Making recommendations for expenditures to support client needs is an activity of
the
21. Distinguishing the advocate and broker roles from each other is
22. Providing services for people who need ongoing support of some kind best
describe the role of
23. The difference between front-line workers and administrators is basically one of
Discussion
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.
4. What are some of the typical duties of the human service professional? Why are
the duties so diverse?
5. Name specialists who work closely with human service professionals and explain
some of the duties they perform.
7. Provide examples fo the role of cultural broker in the three primary areas of
responsibility.