Introduction
Human service professionals serve the function of equipping families and members of the community with the necessary skills for full functioning and competency. The professionals handle many populations including families and children, adolescents, substance abusers, and the mentally ill. These populations present various needs that are met by the professionals. Moreover, a review of social work reveals that the position enables a person to make a positive impact in the populations everyday.
The needs presented by adolescents include developmental issues (due to puberty), social and psychosocial development (especially with the growing sense of independence), sexuality, and safety needs (Sanfilippo, 2016). Adolescents also present needs concerning the desire for marriage and childbearing as well as menstrual hygiene for female adolescents (Sanfilippo, 2016). Human service professionals help adolescents to meet these needs by offering recreation programs to allow them to build their psychosocial capacities. Social programs also provide adolescents with training on the other needs hence allowing them to function appropriately in their adolescence.
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The needs of mentally ill people include social, health and functioning needs. These people need social support and help with their self-esteem and self-expression. They also present needs for self-care, company, psychotic symptoms, and psychological stress among others (Kamlesh, Sophia, Dharitri & Kalyanasundaram, 2010). Health service professionals meet these needs by offering self-help and support groups that allow them to manage the psychotic symptoms and psychological distress (Kamlesh, Sophia, Dharitri & Kalyanasundaram, 2010). They also receive help in social relations. Occupational therapy allows them to gain control of their functioning abilities.
Substance abusers are driven to substance abuse for various reasons. They present needs such as the need for control, comfort, containment and contact (Khantzian, 2009). These people feel the need to regain control over their lives that have been taken away by the substances they abuse. Human service professionals direct these victims to rehabilitation centers, whereby they coordinate and monitor their progress that is achieved through self-help (Khantzian, 2009).
The videos viewed were interviews of Sue Dowling, Bradford Owen, and Deborah Whitely. Sue Dowling is a case social worker at the Department of Social Services. The Department of Social Services is a governmental organization responsible for ensuring proper functioning of social units including families, children, housing, and childcare among others. Funding for organizations of this kind come from grants. The resources available to clients include food stamps, reliable childcare, and affordable housing among others.
Sue’s daily responsibilities include meeting families and evaluating their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the crises faced by the families. After the evaluation, she determines the services needed and gets them in progress. A typical day for case social workers involves checking voicemails to identify issues that occurred overnight and case management by returning phone calls. In the evening, the worker meets with families and checks on the children and housing conditions and follows up with how the family is meeting its expectations.
Working as a social worker is an exciting position that one would want to hold. Notably, this is because it enables an individual to help children that grow in harsh conditions to receive basic needs required for survival. Workers in the post also see families through crises and provide a favorable environment for the development of a child. There are also other career opportunities when working with family and children populations including youth worker, family support worker, and child therapist among others. These positions help to meet the needs of this population including food, care, and basic needs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, human service professionals choosing social working are satisfied with their jobs when they make positive impacts on families especially those that were previously hostile to them. Moreover, finding a way to work with these families and seeing changes happening provides a sense of satisfaction.
References
Kamlesh, K., Sophia, C., Dharitri, R., & Kalyanasundaram, S. (2010). Met and Unmet Needs of Persons with Severe Mental Illness in a Half Way Home. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation. 15 (2), 13-22.
Khantzian, E. (2009). The Primary Care Therapist and Patient Needs in Substance Abuse Treatment. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse , 14 (2), 159-167. doi: 10.3109/00952999809001543
Sanfilippo, J. (2016). Special Needs in Adolescents: Where Are We? Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology , 29 (1), 1. doi: 10.1016/j.jpag.2015.11.008
