Day in the Life of a Human Services Professional - Essay Example

Day in the Life of a Human Services Professional Introduction The human services sector refers to programs that are focused on meeting human needs through a wide information base. Human services programs achieve this by concentrating on prevention of problems as well as resolving existing problems. A human services professional enables the implementation of programs by helping individuals, families and various groups to prevent or resolve problems. Human services professional help people to increase their satisfaction with life, attain autonomy, and become more productive members of the society. The paper will explore the human services fields of counseling, psychology, and social work. The paper will also study the educational qualifications, licensure requirements, skills and techniques that professionals in these fields regularly incorporate into their practice. Counselor A counselor is a human service professional that assists people get more out of life by overcoming challenges and difficulty. A counselor is a trained and accredited professional who renders developmental, emotive and mental support to clients. Counselors build a healthy relationship with clients and formulate problem-solving approaches to resolve the problem facing a client. The counseling field is diverse with counselors specializing in rehabilitation, career assistance, mental health, or marriage (Price, 2015). Counselors can work privately, under the government, in academic circles or in medical facilities. Counselor: Education and Licensure Requirements A counselor has to fulfill a prerequisite for an Associate or Bachelor’s degree in liberal arts major. After completion of the Bachelor’s degree, the counselor pursues a Master’s degree in a counseling module. A counselor can undertake an advanced degree such as a doctorate in a specialty subject. A Bachelor’s degree is an essential requirement for basic counseling and life coaching. The Bachelor’s degree introduces the counselor to a wide range of counseling fields from which they can choose a field that suits their career objectives. Advanced counseling fields such as psychoanalysis require a doctorate or PhD qualification. A degree in psychology is a beneficial addition to the educational qualifications of a counselor (Gladding, 2012). Counselors will also undergo specialty training in the organizations that provide counseling services. Counseling training programs held in developing counseling skills and offers mentoring for more experienced counselors. Counselors undertake practicums that equip them with knowledge about treatment modalities (Price, 2015). During the training, the counselor will be obligated to undertake a research. After the training, a placement in a practical therapeutic setting is recommended. The National Board for Certified Counselors awards certifications for counselors who have attained equivalent or higher educational requirements for counseling along with the required experience (Gladding, 2012). The certificate is conferred after accomplishment of a national examination offered by the board. The examination is part of the state’s licensing procedure. Counselors can also undertake other certifications to become National Certified Counselors, Master or Licensed Professional Counselors. Counselor: Skills, Techniques and their Application to Work A counselor is expected to follow a strict set of ethical guidelines. A counselor is expected to handle clients professionally and work with a high level of confidentiality unless in situations that warrants appropriate disclosure. Such a situation could involve a client planning to inflict harm on another person. A counselor is required to have well-developed communication skills. A counselor should have the capacity to effectively communicate with a client both written and oral communication. Good communication skills help to instill confidence and pass information to a client with clarity. The counselor achieves this by speaking in a friendly tone and using terminology that is comprehensible to the patient. A counselor is expected to have highly advanced listening capabilities. A counselor has the capability to decipher the verbal and non-verbal communication cues from a client. Listening skills help a counselor not only fathom what the client says but why they said it and in what context. (Blustein, 2013). A good counselor is obliged to have empathy. A counselor applies empathy by providing perspective to the thoughts of a client regarding their experience. A counselor must also convey warmth, acceptance and respect towards the client in order to develop a genuine bond. A counselor ought to have a sincere interest in helping persons with problems. A counselor must direct their sincerity to their work by putting in their best efforts to help clients. A counselor should have the flexibility to handle various client scenarios. In applying flexibility, a good counselor can handle clients from different racial backgrounds, social classes, educational experience, gender, and age (Blustein, 2013). Other techniques that a counselor can apply in their work for effective counseling include summarizing information, note taking, open-ended questions, capping, and paraphrasing. A Day in the Life of a Counselor Working hours for a counselor are usually between 9am and 5pm. A counselor starts their day early in the morning by taking a meal and grooming appropriately. The counselor then heads to their workplace. The counselor ensures that their work environment is conducive, safe, and comfortable in order to put the client at ease to express their thoughts. At work, the counselor meets clients all around the day. Spending time listening to clients and assisting them to overcome challenges takes up the majority of the working hours of a counselor. The diversity of clients includes individuals, couples, families and groups of people (Gladding, 2012). Before a counselor begins counseling a client, they have to establish a counseling contract. A counselor will work with those clients for a short time off for a protracted period. The counselor engages with clients through direct communication or through the telephone. The counselor applies their interpersonal skills in building a professional relationship with the client based on trust and respect (Price, 2015). The counselor must offer the client full attention throughout the counseling session. The counselor listens to the client’s problems attentively and formulates therapy and intervention strategies that will assist the client. A counselor keeps records of every counseling session with a client in line with ethical guidelines. The evening is reserved for study or leisure activities. Psychologist A psychologist is a human sciences professional who is involved in the study, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of mental processes (APA, 2014). Psychologists can be classified into applied or research-oriented groups. This section will focus on applied psychologists. Psychologists help people have professional training in the field of psychology that enables them to assist people in handling life challenges and overcoming mental health problems. Psychologists handle short-term problems faced by clients such as anxiety or handle long-term problems such as chronic mental conditions (Landrum & Davis, 2010). Psychologists are also trained in administering and analyzing various psychological tests and diagnostic assessments (APA, 2014). Psychologists work in educational organizations, penitentiaries, medical centers, and rehabilitation centers. Psychologist: Education and Licensure Requirements A Bachelor’s degree is the basic requirement in psychology. A Bachelor’s degree in psychology enables students to choose a field of psychology in which they are best suited to. In the undergraduate level, the student will undertake study in different psychology fields such as ethics, research and decision-making. A psychologist with a Bachelor’s degree has the prerequisite to undertake a master’s degree in psychology. A Master’s degree offers knowledge in concentration areas such as psychotherapy and cognitive bases of behavior. Psychologists with master’s degrees are often employed as school psychologists. A Doctor of Philosophy degree entails a doctoral dissertation and research experience. A Doctor of Psychology degree demands experience in a clinical environment without necessarily needing research. A majority of states require that a practicing psychologist have a Doctor of Psychology or Philosophy degree (Landrum & Davis, 2010). Doctorate candidates must take a number of broad exams that differ based on the psychology program. Psychology programs offer students with experience through internships in their respective fields. A psychologist must undertake state-specific certification exam under the Examination for Professional, Practice in Psychology. sThe state psychologists licensing board evaluates the assessments and grants licenses of operation accordingly. The state requires supervised practice for a particular number of hours in order to grant licenses to mental health psychologists (Landrum & Davis, 2010). The state licensing board also oversees oral exams to psychologists. Psychologist: Skills, Techniques and their Application to Work A psychologist is obliged to follow the established code of ethics for practicing psychologists. The ethical code dictates that sessions with clients are kept confidential and relationships are limited to a professional level. A psychologist is required to have well-developed communication skills (Blustein, 2013). Excellent oral and written skills help a psychologist to interact effectively with the broad range of clients they handle. A psychologists needs to have outstanding skills in research to help them gather relevant updated information to help needy clients. A psychologist is required to have empathy and compassion when handling a client. These attributes help in understanding the client’s situation, appreciating their problems and making the client feel at relaxed and in a position to express their emotions. A psychologist is required to have exceptional stress management techniques in order to defeat the distress that arises from handling client problems. A psychologist requires exceptional interpersonal skills to enable them work seamlessly with fellow psychologists, assistants, and patients. A psychologist is required to be patient. Patience comes in handy when working with patients who may need a long period to overcome their problems. A psychologist must apply analytical techniques in their work to enable them interpret and assess information disclosed by a patient (Landrum & Davis, 2010). Day in the Life of a Psychologist A good psychologist always wakes up early, between 4.30am and 5.30am, in order to have abundant time for breakfast, exercise, grooming and traveling to work. At work, the psychologist ensures that their workplace is tidy and favorable for psychotherapy sessions. A psychologist usually works 8 to 9 hour days. Along the day, the psychologist meets an assortment of patients with diverse needs. The range of patients is determined by the psychologist’s place of work. The psychologist applies their interpersonal and communication skills to understand patient situations and to develop appropriate therapy interventions. The psychologist has to observe the client’s body language and listen attentively in order to diagnose the problems of a patient (Landrum & Davis, 2010). Psychologists have to liaise with other coworkers and staff members when not undertaking a session with a patient. Psychologists who work with mental health patients have to meet with medical practitioners and nurses to get information about the progress of the patients. The psychologist keeps records in accordance with the ethical code for psychologists. Evenings are reserved for study, research and other activities. Social Worker Social workers are professionals who work with people in need to support them through challenges. Social workers ensure that vulnerable groups of people in society are protected from harm. Social workers promote change to society, cohesion among people and manumission of the defenseless. Social workers handle people or groups of people such as senior citizens, the homeless, people with disabilities, drug addicts, people with mental disorders, and juvenile offenders. Social work assimilates information from other fields of study such as psychology, therapy, and healthcare (Saleebey, 2012). Social Worker: Educational Requirements and Licensure The basic requirement for social work is a diploma in Social Work. However, a majority of states oblige that social workers complete a 3 to 4-year Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. A Bachelor’s degree equips the students with knowledge about various social work fields. A obligatory practicum is tied to the course where students acquire practical skills in their respective study areas. A Master’s degree in Social Work can be undertaken after accomplishment of a Bachelor’s degree. Some Master’s programs expect a prerequisite in psychology, counseling or sociology (Saleebey, 2012). A Master’s degree is a necessity for work in a clinical or educational institution. Master’s programs offer a choice of specialty courses for social work study. Training programs help social workers to attain skills for work execution. Depending on the state, rules for non-clinical social workers are noncompulsory but clinical practice necessitates certification from the Association of Social Work Board. All degrees are certified by the Council on Social Work Education. Social Worker: Skills, Techniques and their Application to Work A social worker is required to have highly developed communication and listening skills. The skills help the worker in interacting with the patients, listening to their problems and advising them accordingly (Saleebey, 2012). A social worker must have outstanding organizational skills to help them in managing the wide spectrum of patients or managing projects. Record-keeping techniques help social workers to keep track of their work. A social worker must have an in-depth understanding of their ethical responsibilities and follow them keenly. A social worker must have knowledge of the various policies that concern different groups of people. A social worker must have the passion for work with the less advantaged persons in society. Above all, a social worker must have empathy and kindheartedness (Saleebey, 2012). Empathy and compassion help social workers to understand the problems afflicting their patients and therefore, come up with solutions to these problems. Day in the Life of a Social Worker Social work is undertaken in community centers, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, educational institutions and career centers. This section will explore day of a social worker who attends to vulnerable children. The social worker wakes up at around 4am and 5am. The worker takes breakfast, grooms and commutes to the community center for the disabled. The social worker arrives at the community center early in order to help in the nutrition program for the children (Williams, 2015). After the breakfast, the social worker will direct the learning and play activities of the children. The worker heads off to a children hospice to pick up more vulnerable children and brings them to the community center. At lunchtime, the worker is involved in facilitation of the feeding programs for the children to ensure they have a proper diet. Later the worker is involved in counseling various children with trauma, mental disorders or gone through physical abuse (Williams, 2015). The counseling sessions are done in comfortable well-lit rooms to enable the children open up. The worker attends to their problems and develops intervention strategies to assist them overcome their challenges. Throughout the day, the counselor interacts with the children and other social workers until they leave the community center for home. Conclusion The human services sector refers to programs that are focused on meeting human needs through a wide information base. Counselors, psychologists and social workers are involved in helping people overcome their challenges. All these professions need the practitioners to have outstanding communication skills, empathy, listening skills, and a passion for helping people going through challenges. Counselors and psychologists require a minimum of a Master’s degree for practice unlike social workers who only require a Bachelor’s degree or in some states a diploma. Psychologists are more fixated on the mental attributes of people with problems. A counselor offers emotional, mental and behavioral assistance. Social workers are involved in helping vulnerable members of society. Due to my well-developed communication skills, interpersonal skills, patience, organization skills and passion for psychology, the profession that best fits me is as a psychologist. References APA. (2014). What do Practising Psychologists do? American Psychological Association. Retreived from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/about-psychologists.aspx Blustein, D. (2013). The Psychology of Working: A new perspective for Career Development, Counseling, and Public Policy. London: Routledge. Gladding, S. (2012). Counseling: A Comprehensive Profession. New York, NY: Pearson Higher Education. Landrum, E., & Davis, S. F. (2010). The Psychology Major: Career Options and Strategies for Success. New York, NY: pearson Higher Education. Price, E. (2015). How to Become a Counselor. Inner Body. Retreived from http://www.innerbody.com/careers-in-health/how-to-become-counselor.html Saleebey, D. (2012). The Strengths Perspective in Social Work Practice. New York, NY: Pearson Higher Education. Williams, J. (2015). A day in the life of a social worker: On the frontline in the fight to protect our children. Manchester Evening News. 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