Opportunity-Development Approach to Helping - Research Paper Example

Opportunity-Development Approach to Helping Human services entail categories where mental health services and social services are offered by specialists to improve the condition and quality of peoples’ lives. While the mental specialists attend to people with diverse behavioral problems, others engage in changing the behaviors of various individuals in areas like addition, trauma, and other psychological issues through guidance. The society has varying attitudes towards individuals with human service’s needs. Sometimes the society looks down upon people with disabilities but much has been done on ensuring that they get the right guidance and treatment from their specialists thus improving their situations in life. There has also been change of attitudes over time and this has improved the conditions of the people with disabilities or human service needs. The paper attempts to outline the issues in human services as well as attitudes in for the people with human service’s needs. Human services are categorized into social services as well as mental services to people with special needs like disability and mentally retarded in the society. Human services involves offering services to people who require services like mental health services such as trauma, mental conditions, psychological issues and those that would like to change certain behaviors in their lives. Social services are mostly offered in the society level where many members in the society need assistance for basic needs to improve their quality life. Social services are mostly offered to the members who have development disabilities, the elderly, victims of drugs and crime and people who might be suffering from issues of immigration or refugees (Woodside 48). Professional services are offered to the needy people in the society as a result of developed centers which offers services to the needy people. Nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and other homes for the needy serve as good places to offer professional services. Family service programs are some of the best services that are offered to the needy people as the family workers offer positive and safe environment where the needy people can be comfortable in. cases where the needy people are catered by the agencies oradopted serve as favorable environment to needy people because they feel a sense of belonging (Egan 445). Mental health services are offered by specialists and professionals like psychologists who understand various mental needs of the patients and they have the skills for various needs. Many psychologists and counselors work in hospitals, schools, clinics and private offices where the needy people contact them for services. There are also centers like rehabilitation centers where the counselors are employed to offer their services to the needy people with challenges like drug addictions, mental challenges and crime issues. The professionals in this field work and coordinate with managers or guardians associated with the needy people to ensure that the needs are communicated well for effective treatment or counseling (Neukrug 335). The main role of human service professionals is to work with other parties related to the individuals with special human needs. The role involves improving or treating the condition of the needy people in the society so that they can also have quality life just like other people in the society. There are various skills required among the practitioners so that they can execute the role of human services well. The skills which are beneficial to human service professionals include being compassionate, good listener, supportive, balanced, encouraging, analytical, sensitive and creative so that one can be able to handle different needs from various patients (Woodside 53). The society attitudes towards people with human services needs Before the 20th century and during the late years of the 20th century, the people with issues like disabilities, and detective health issues were isolated and rejected by the society since they were viewed as fiery and helpless by the society. The attitude affected the needy people in the society since they could not participate in community activities due to isolation and they felt comfortable in the charitable homes and other welfare centers. During the 1800s, the needy people with cases like cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism and epilepsy were isolated at homes where their families took care of them. They did not have long life expectancy as today because they never received the recommended treatment or care. There was high rate of stigmatization during that time and this led to poor living conditions for them. However, since 1960s and 1970s, there has been change of attitudes among the people in the society which prompts improvement in attitude towards the needy people in the society (Egan 448). There are actions like the presidential panel which was established by President J.F. Kennedy revealed and affirmed that cases like mental retardation were not hopeless. Such actions have led to tremendous change in attitudes of people in the society towards the needy. The action taken by President Kennedy acted as a platform to initiate change of attitude towards people with various human service needs in the society. There was establishment of various Acts and various centers in the country to cater for the people with needs. Education programs for all handicapped persons have been created; immediate care homes for mentally retarded, rehabilitation centers for persons with special social needs, and responsible acts have been drafted and implemented. As a result of the policies and actions taken to empower the handicapped and needy people in the society, the society has continuously changed its attitudes towards the persons and this has led to improvement of attitudes towards the human service needy people as compared to 18th and 19th century. Although the society may be considered for the improvement in attitudes towards the needy people there are still cases of stigmatization and negative attitude especially in the developing countries (Neukrug 336). Many people especially in developing countries still consider the handicapped and people with human services needs as minority in the society. This attitude results to stigmatization on the needy people who feel deprived or demeaned by this fact. The needy people are mostly accommodated in various centers such as rehabilitation centers and homes for the needy. In developed countries, the needy persons are cared by the society but many times seems like they are nursed in special homes due to their conditions. The attitude of the society has improved towards the needy people as compared to many decades ago where the needy were considered like outcasts of the society. Majority of the people in America believe that the whole population comprise of equal people regardless of their disabilities or health weaknesses. This shows that many people have adopted a positive attitude towards the needy people in the society. However, there is a prevailing weakness of the society to accept the needy in the society. Minority of the population finds it hard to live or work with people who have certain needs. Although the attitude towards the handicapped is rising there is still some levels of stigmatization that steered by failure to accept people with human service needs (Woodside 77). In conclusion, human services entails the programs that are conducted to improve the quality of life among the needy people in the society such as the mentally retarded, disabled people, individuals suffering from drugs and substance abuse as well as people with psychological problems like crime. The programs that are involved comprise of professionals who offer services like counseling, and treating them in various centers like rehabilitation centers, health clinics or homes for the needy. The society has adopted a positive attitude in the recent years as compared to the earlier centuries but more has to be done for the needy people to be accepted fully in the society. Works Cited Egan, Gerard. The Skilled Helper: A Problem-Management and Opportunity-Development Approach to Helping. Belmont, Calif: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, 2014. Print. Neukrug, Ed. Theory, Practice, and Trends in Human Services: An Introduction. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, 2013. Print. Woodside, Marianne, and Tricia McClam. An Introduction to Human Services. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning, 2011. Print. Read More