The human services offer a great range of services to individuals and community alike. This paper outlines my interest in pursuing a career based on this field. It begins with a brief introduction on the motivation behind my interest. The introduction connects the concept of self-gratification with the nature of the job. The paper then goes on to present research findings on the type of human services that can be availed as resources to the public. The paper outlines the different available careers and the implications that they have on quality of life. The paper also points out the salary range of some of these women. The paper ends by explaining educational and licensing requirements as well as what this career means personally.
Introduction to Human Services Research
1. Introduces the subject
Human services research is an important part of every day life. This general field describes the group of jobs that can be used to directly or indirectly impact others. A career in human services is centered in making a difference for the ordinary individual. It is a fulfilling career that can be used to change one life at a time. Changes may be in form of the smallest intervention or assistance. They may also be large scale changes that relocate an individual or place him in a position of influence or affluence.
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The choice of a career in social sciences came from an evaluation of the skills and passion that I possess. They include an ease of interaction with people from diverse backgrounds, good communication skills and a quick understanding of human relationships. The other thing that drove me into this career field is the ignorance among the general population. Most citizens are not aware of the rights they have. They do not have the basic knowledge of the facilities they can use, as well as the help they can get from the facilities around them. Many people fear getting help from the government and from other social organizations. They are not aware that many of the services they seek are their right and they are free. My awareness of the available community resources made me realize that there was a gap in the society that I could fill. A combination of effective and dynamic management could help to create the perfect human services career. This paper will broaden the mind of the individual and help them
2. Provides a detailed job description (what do they do?) and reported salary
Human services describe any job that involves direct contact with people and their personal issues. A human services professional caters for the psychological, physical or emotional health of the human being. The major concern of a human health specialist is to improve the quality of life of the vulnerable individual. There is a wide range of services that make up the human service specialist careers. The specialists may also be employed and take part in a wide range of organizations. They include residential care homes, food banks, mental health facilities, housing associations and rehabilitation facilities.
Human services professional careers include many more careers than just social work. Counselling services that do not require prescription of medicines are an example of this. Bereavement counselors, clinical therapists, delinquency intervention counselors, guidance counselor, domestic violence counselor, HIV counselor, in home support counselor are all additional examples. All the above are human services professionals whose efforts are concentrated on mental health. Marriage counselors and mediation counselors also qualify to fall under the same bracket. Their services can be enhanced by the support of a mental health counselor or aide. They all assist people to manage their emotional health ( Smith & Phillips, 2016) They may also make referrals to other professionals who can provide specialized medical attention or even institutionalism.
Another group of social workers concentrate their efforts on law enforcement and rehabilitation of reformed convicted criminals. Probation and parole officers are the first social services contact in this case (Winfield, Cole & Craigen, 2016). Case workers are often the second in command. They work closely with parole officers to make sure that the individual will adjust his or her life and become a law-abiding citizen. A parole officer policy analyst then collects feedback from both sides of the divide. Their aim is to review and improve the policies so that they can be more suited to improve livelihoods of citizens (Winfield, Cole & Craigen, 2016). These individuals’ partner with the mental health care specialists to ensure that their clients are getting care that is relevant to the resources available for their care. Many may also partner with addiction specialists because substance abuse problems are closely related to delinquency and crime.
Child abuse investigators, child and adolescent mental health coordinator, foster home developer, protective service workers and child welfare workers are the advocates for the well being of children (Winfield, Cole & Craigen, 2016). They are some of the most recognized social service workers because they are responsible for removing children from unfit parents and unsafe homes. They may also recommend prosecution of abusers of children. (Rothwell & Mazerolle, 2018). Other advocates for vulnerable members of society are supported living coordinator, hospice social workers, long term care administrators, gerontologist, geriatric care specialists and elder care specialist. They help elderly members of society to be comfortable and safe.
Another set of workers care for the physical environment. City planners, community organizers and community relations director are some of the few that can be mentioned. Those who provide home based human services include palliative social workers and clinical licensed hospice and medical social workers (Human Services Guide, 2018). Finally, administrators of the services listed above are also human service workers. They are directors, board certified diplomats, advanced certified fundraisers, employee assistance counselor employment service coordinator, federal program administrator, program specialist, job analyst, program consultant and public assistance worker.
The reported salary of the workers above are as diverse as the job description. The salary may also be dependent on licensure, state limits, educational background or qualifications and rank (Human Services Guide, 2018). A case worker may earn between$ 32,000-62,000 depending on their seniority. Most children specialists earn an average of $56,060 while children’s advocates earn about $10,000 less annually. Crisis intervention workers such as trauma counselors earn between $53,680 and 82,560. The probation officer and other make anything between $30,830 and 77,230.
3. Identifies educational requirements
Qualifications for a position as a human services position vary from state from state. While some require a degree or diploma, others simply require basic skills. Being a human care specialist does not necessarily require advanced academic qualifications for all the services (Human Services Guide, 2018). For jobs such as case workers, the aspiring specialist can begin his career based on his or her high school diploma.
Other fields require a very specific degree. These include medical health care specialists who must have a basic diploma or degree in their medical field. Mental health care specialists must also have some basic training in their various fields (Human Services Guide, 2018). Most jobs in this field require a multidisciplinary approach to education. Academic accolades must be received from an accredited university or college (Hasenfeld, 2015). To move up the career ladder, the professional will require additional academic qualification like a master’s degree. Experienced human services workers often take up master’s degrees in human service leadership. This prepares a leader for managerial aspects of the job.
4. Discusses certification or licensure levels or requirements
Some general qualifications can prepare a person for the workforce. A Bachelor’s degree can help one apply and earn a license depending on the state in which the person achieved their accolade and qualification. Parole officers and medical officers are required to be licensed state officers because they are custodians of the law. Other medical officers must also have licenses to practice their trade (Hasenfeld, 2015). They include medical social workers and clinical licensed hospice workers.
5. Evaluates future of the profession
Human services professions are needed now more than ever in society. The society has broken down the traditional unit of the family. Consequently, many of the families have relegated their care and protection roles to the background. Society no longer cares for the less privileged, disabled, children or elderly like they used to in the past (Higgins, 2017). This means that the human services are needed more urgently now than they ever were. The human services profession is likely to grow and specialize into more specific roles because of the increasing needs of the population. This may lead to a greater need for such workers and a continued advocacy for the group.
6. Concludes the paper and includes how you see yourself fitting into this field
The diversity of the human services has opened my eyes to a world of career opportunities that I never knew were available. Despite the confusion on the wide range of career choices to choose from, it is still clear in my mind that human service is the right career field for me (Higgins, 2017). This is because all the services listed above are services to basic humanity. The careers may not pay large amounts of money, but they pay back in the form of satisfaction. This career is still the top choice because it will create a determination to make a difference in individual lives (Higgins, 2017). Additionally, this career encourages a wide range of public interaction and socialization. These are the key requirements I want to in the choice of a career. I believe that I can offer as much to this field as it can offer to me.
References
Hasenfeld, Y. (2015). What exactly is human services management?.
Higgins, B. (2017). Reinventing human services: Community-and family-centered practice. Routledge.
Human Services Guide. (2018) Human Service Salaries. Retrieved from https://www.humanservicesedu.org/human-services-salary.html
Rothwell, M., & Mazerolle, K. (2018). The Mentors Among Us: Cases in the Human Services. Canadian Scholars’ Press.
Smith, S. R., & Phillips, S. D. (2016, January). The changing and challenging environment of nonprofit human services: Implications for governance and program implementation. In Nonprofit Policy Forum (Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 63-76). De Gruyter.
Winfield, C., Cole, R., & Craigen, L. (2016). The affordable care act and addiction treatment: Preparing the undergraduate human services professional. Journal of Human Services, 36(1).
