Human beings may not always meet their own needs. The practice of human services was developed to help meet the needs of communities, groups, and individuals by improving their lives. Some of the groups that have been assisted through human services include older adults, people with limited mental or physical capabilities, the sick, immigrants, and victims of disasters and crimes. Human services can recognize the problems in living and focuses on improving the present conditions to realize a better future. The process of development helping in human services can be traced back to the early centuries. The aim of this paper is to analyze the history, changes, processes, services, and groups or populations involved in helping in human services.
History of Helping Within Human Services
Human services history can be traced back to the Middle Ages. During that time, people believed that evil spirts caused mental illnesses. The treatment approach involved exorcising evil spirits through religious ceremonies. The Catholic Church played a central role in the provision of human services until the 1500s. Most of the Catholic religious figures can be considered as the first human service professionals. They were engaged in caring for the poor, orphans, people with disabilities, and the elderly.
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Throughout the 1600s, there was a strong recognition of the needs of the poor, and almshouses were established. The 1700s was a period where several institutions that support human services were established. For instance, a state hospital was opened in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1773, and a treatment facility was opened for the mentally ill was opened in France in 1792 (Woodside & McClam, 2019). The 1800s were marked by a further expansion of various institutions. The 1800s was also marked by increased urbanization that led to more poverty and the increased need for human services. During the 1900s, there were different laws that were established that were used to sustain human services. For instance, Cosmetic Act was established and it strived to improve human services. The 1900s can be described as the sociological era as there were social reforms, and charity organization workers became known as social workers. Various policies by the presidents of the United States further helped those in need.
Ways in Which Helping Has Changed Over Time
The provision of human services has changed over the years through the changes from the church to the government. Before the 1500s, the Catholic Church played a central role in the provision of human services. Government gained more power and was able to provide human services adequately after 1500AD and the provision of human services by the church declined (Woodside & McClam, 2019). Another change in human services can be seen through the establishment of laws and the definition of human services. Human services became increasingly recognized as a legal matter, and lawmakers established domestic policies that would improve human services (McCorquodale et al., 2017). Multiple agencies and charitable organizations have also been established to support human services by focusing on the needs of different individuals.
General Nature of the Helping Proccess
The general nature of the helping process follows critical stages that involve the interaction of the human service worker and the client. The five stages of the human service process can be described as preparation, client arrival, exploration of the problem, intervention, and the termination of services (Woodside & McClam, 2019). The preparation stage involves the helper attending to several matters based on the client’s culture. The helper can organize the desk setting and decide on using note-taking, filling out forms, or recording information before the client arrives. The helper should choose the best approach and should consider the cultural needs of the client.
The second stage is the client's arrival. The helper should strive to create a climate of acceptance and respect upon the arrival of the client. One should help the client become comfortable by using icebreakers and engaging in an initial discussion about the problem. Adequate time should be given to help the client adjust to the environment before moving to the next stage.
The third stage involves exploring the problem. The human service person should clearly identify the given problems. One should also consider that the client can have different problems and consider different perspectives of the problem.
The fourth stage is the intervention process. The helper can first establish goals that should be used to solve the previously identified problems.. The critical considerations for addressing the problem should be based on the client’s desires, environmental resources, client self-sufficiency, and the strengths and barriers of the problem.
The fifth stage involves ending the client services through termination of the helping process. A positive conclusion will involve the two participants feeling satisfied that the previously established objectives have been met.
The two skills required by the helper in the helping process are goal-setting and problem-solving. Goal-setting is critical in establishing the right goals and objectives for the helping process. It ensures that the client will be satisfied at the final stage of ending the services. Problem-solving is important in critically analyzing the problem and ensuring that an appropriate solution is arrived at.
Role of Direct Service vs. the Roles of Administrative
Direct service work involves developing a helping relationship and face-to-face encounters with the clients. Some of the roles of direct service include caregiver, communication, behavior changer, and teacher or educator (Woodside & McClam, 2019). Administrative work involves managerial activities where the helper oversees projects and processes. The responsibilities include planning, evaluation, and allocation of resources. Some of the roles include data manager, resource allocator, facilitator of services, broker, and planner.
Ten Different Groups/Population
Human service experts have worked with different populations and groups in the local community and successfully helped with their needs. Examples of the groups and populations that have been served include people with disabilities, the homeless, veterans, the elderly, drug addicts, immigrants, prisoners and ex-convicts, families, the youth, and people with mental illness. The human services have provided for the given groups adequately. The local community government provides annual funding that focuses on the needy populations. There have been various initiatives, funding, and laws that have strived to improve the condition of homeless people. For instance, the use of homeless shelters and feeding the homeless are programs that have helped the homeless population (Reilly et al., 2019). The local community has also strived to help people that are mentally ill and drug addicts. Various rehabilitation centers have been established to help people that face problems with drug abuse and overdose.
Conclusion
The analysis of the development of human services showed that it has evolved to address the needs of the larger population. The helping process has been established to create better strategies that help those in need. The benefit of human services is evident in almost every community where the needs of the vulnerable population are being met. However, there is still a need to improve the human services process to adequately solve most of the problems in the modern world.
References
McCorquodale, R., Lise, S. M. I. T., Neely, S., & Brooks, R. (2017). Human Rights Due Diligence in Law and Practice: Good Practices and Challenges for Business Enterprises §. Business and Human Rights Journal , 2 (2), 195-224. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1017/bhj.2017.2
Reilly, K. H., Zimmerman, R., Huynh, M., Kennedy, J., & McVeigh, K. H. (2019). Characteristics of mothers and infants living in homeless shelters and public housing in New York City. Maternal and child health journal , 23 (5), 572-577. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-018-2672-1
Woodside, M., & McClam, T. (2019). An introduction to human services (9th ed.). Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu
