Abstract
In human services, professionals are expected to work within the system when assisting individuals within communities. Human service professionals such as counselors are expected to understand the system, especially the community dynamics, cultural elements, and family dynamics. Moreover, professionals are also expected to collaborate with educators, healthcare workers, and other professionals to create a holistic advocacy environment. The core to achieving success in human services is to ensure that all human services work has been addressed through dealing with systemic barriers and promoting policies that significantly benefit individuals within society (Corey, 2023). This review will identify challenges faced in human services work, and measures for promoting change will be illustrated. The benefits associated with community organizing to resolve those critical issues would be addressed as a means of resolving problems that affect individuals within the society. Additionally, client empowerment would be provided as an efficient measure for improving individual clients’ environments.
The topic, ‘ Working within the system,’ was chosen from Chapter 9 (Human et al.) of the book, “An Introduction to Human Services” by Marianne Woodside and Tricia McClam. Human service professionals such as counselors are expected to develop a comprehensive knowledge of the system in which their clients operate (Woodside et al., 2018). These include structures that involve society, cultural affiliations, and family dynamics. Being familiar with these setups helps to provide a greater influence and understanding of an individual’s well-being. Developing sufficient knowledge for other people helps encourage individuals to gain broader influence in a community. Understanding funding sources is one element that helps plan for interventions within communities. In general, these resources guide human service workers to mobilize their financial base while improving the environment of their clients. Moreover, understanding the policies in which they operate also helps improve service delivery efficiency. For this reason, professionals within human services should train themselves to work within the system in which they learn to deliver effective services.
The Literature Review
Working within the System
According to Woodside et al. (2018), human service workers can always work within the system by gaining knowledge of educational welfare, healthcare systems, social structures, and economic conditions. Firstly, being familiar with dynamics existing within a system provides opportunities for significant change and transformation (Corey, 2023). Familiarity can begin with understanding the policies that govern the provision of services. For instance, counselors are expected to realize ethical guidelines and existing structural standards established to improve their service provision. These initiatives encourage communities to provide an improved understanding of their members while at the same time gaining the information required to function more appropriately. Wiechers et al. (2023) argue that understanding those dynamics can help to address any systemic injustices that have been ignored. While some inequalities are deeply embedded within these groupings, measures should be identified to promote the well-being of individuals in society through equal access to care initiatives.
One of the essential strategies for supporting clients in performing their duties is ensuring effective collaborations with other professionals. According to Marmarosh et al. (2022), initiatives that encourage individuals to address community concerns can help reduce discriminatory practices. While policies can exist within a community, their implementation can be affected in cases where there is a lack of individuals to provide interventions into those services (Wiechers et al., 2023). Individual members should ensure that their policies align with their best interests when providing those services. According to Corey (2023), measures that ensure implementation processes can also be adopted to encourage improved service provision and allow its members to adopt efficiency in care delivery. For this reason, gaining perspective towards the organizational climate is an essential element that drives understanding of numerous dynamics existing within a community.
Challenges Faced
According to Corey (2023), human service providers continue to face issues of financing their activities due to limited resources. The lack of sufficient engagement by the government also prevents these departments from receiving adequate resources to provide services to their clients. There is a need for effective services, and support to clients to encourage appropriate interventions. Moreover, Marmarosh et al. (2022) posit that the existence of bureaucracy is one of the measures that hinders human services in navigating their challenges. Professionals should learn ways to identify barriers such as existing bias within their system. By addressing those issues, it would be possible to promote advocacy when resolving challenges that affect them (Wiechers et al., 2023). Additionally, issues related to inequality within the society should be resolved through the adoption of changes and initiatives that help to resolve their problems.
In other cases, professionals often deal with individuals facing issues such as traumatic experiences. They need to develop encounters that guide and resolve problems that affect them. According to Wiechers et al. (2023), the development of coping initiatives is one of the issues that can be used to provide resolutions that are formidable and effective in handling any issues they face. In essence, continuous exposure to their challenges is one of the measures that can be used to deal with challenges they face as individuals (Steinman et al., 2023). Measures for improving the resolution of client’s needs through initiatives that resolve any emerging challenges should be adopted. These initiatives should develop integrated approaches that affect individual needs in society. In other cases, providing transformations even when faced with resistance to change is also a counselor’s role.
Promoting Change
According to Corey (2023), counselors can engage in activities that encourage the adoption of change. The process can be achieved through implementing initiatives for resolving existing systemic issues emerging within communities. Through the active involvement of community officials, counselors can resolve broader issues, by executing initiatives that promote positive dimensions in society (Steinman et al., 2023). One way to address any problems is to address inequality in society. Since current market dynamics have always contributed to discrimination, professionals should seek to provide active engagement to help resolve rising concerns. Measures that encourage advocacy and initiatives to enable communities to resolve their challenges should be encouraged to achieve dimensions within a society.
Through initiatives involving mobilization initiatives, it would be possible to achieve significant changes within a community. Wiechers et al. (2023) add that collaboration measures would be implemented to address specific challenges affecting individuals within the society. These initiatives can be used to resolve problems affecting community members. Human service individuals can provide empowerment to communities through the adoption of initiatives based on strength. Corey (2023) states that measures for encouraging community interventions should be implemented to achieve specific societal changes. These dimensions can be used to promote effective care among individuals. Initiatives aimed at encouraging achievement and practicing effective achievement should be implemented to transform societies.
Community Organizing
One of the approaches for human services is to involve themselves in activities that mobilize individuals to resolve challenges affecting individuals (Wiechers et al., 2023). Through active engagement in these activities, it is possible to identify issues that affect individuals within a society. Through functional examination of their strengths, it is possible to achieve changes that allow for active involvement in areas that affect individuals. One of the ways to achieve outstanding organization is to build relationships. According to Woodside et al. (2018), nurturing relationships help create a basis for trusting engagements with community members and other organizations. Communities can also be empowered to raise awareness of concerns affecting members. In other cases, creating opportunities for sustainable transformations is an initiative that can be adopted to improve societal transformation.
Corey (2023) argues that raising awareness can help mobilize and pool members in a community to resolve concerns affecting individuals. Through local leadership, it is possible to mobilize and engage others in resolving issues affecting members. Active representation in determining their specific interests is an initiative that can help members decide and deal with their interests (Wiechers et al., 2023). Initiatives aimed at strategic planning can also be used to organize and encourage workers to collaborate and deal with issues affecting members. According to Steinman et al. (2023), to promote the achievement of their goals, strategic action plans and identifiable matters should be resolved on time to ensure that members have addressed concerns that affect the people. Coalitions can also be built around communities to help resolve burning issues and encourage individuals to live harmoniously. To achieve policy changes, initiatives should be implemented to encourage members to live positively while resolving issues that impact their welfare.
Client Empowerment
Human service professionals should learn the goal of empowering their clients with abilities and strengths that improve the achievement of their goals. This means providing advice to resolve limitations and sufficient knowledge for identifying opportunities. According to Marmarosh et al. (2022), facilitating clients learning, especially by providing them with an understanding of their rights, is one of the measures that can be used to inform decision-making. Helping the client understand how to communicate their issues and improve the ability to seek feedback are two initiatives that can be used to promote societal wellbeing. These measures can be used to encourage decision-making while allowing individuals within communities to engage with one another in a positive manner (Corey, 2023). Measures encouraging collaboration with networks and groups also enable individuals to resolve their issues and promote their welfare. Collaboration improves connectedness and promotes social capital and integration of individuals within the society. Measures that will enhance individuals’ engagement with one another can be adopted to resolve issues and deal with challenges that emerge among individuals within the society.
Moreover, Wiechers et al. (2023) add that professionals must educate clients in organizing efforts within their communities. Interventions can always be provided and met in cases where goals have been established for the improvement of the client’s welfare. Initiatives that help communities engage and resolve their issues can be adopted as a measure that encourages individuals to work effectively in achieving their goals (Steinman et al., 2023). Furthermore, measures that encourage fostering a sense of efficacy among clients help them overcome adversity and existing challenges. The process contributes to clients feeling more confident when dealing with and resolving their concerns. Initiatives that provide more education and resources for dealing with clients can always be supplied as an initiative for dealing with specific issues that affect clients. Human service workers should seek to provide regular feedback that guides clients to express their thoughts, encouraging them to develop a sense of empowerment.
Conclusion
Counselors who engage within the system often contribute effectively to achieving their clients’ goals and outcomes. Understanding the existing policies would make navigating through challenges that emerge within communities easy. These human workers also gain the ability to contribute positively to their clients by providing relevant interventions that help them perform more dynamically. Policy monitoring should always support the workers and professionals in understanding the environments in which they operate. Moreover, knowing where financial resources come from is also essential to planning their interventions (Corey, 2023). While challenges of limited resources might emerge, understanding where these resources come from is an effective solution that provides individuals with appropriate interventions to improve their welfare as society professionals. Professionals should also learn interventions such as educating their clients on existing policies, and offer advocacy skills for enhanced community engagement.
References
Corey, G. (2023). Theory and Practice of Group Counseling. 10th Edition. Cengage Learning
Marmarosh, C. L., Captari, L. E., & Crabtree, S. (2022). New horizons in group psychotherapy research and practice from third wave positive psychology: a practice-friendly review. Retrieved from FNU Library 25(3), 643. https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2022.643
Steinman, L. E., Parrish, A. T., & Snowden, M. B. (2023). Partnering with community-based organizations to improve equitable access to depression care for underserved older adults in the U.S.: Frontiers in public health. Retrieved from FNU Library, 10, 1079082. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1079082
Wiechers, M., Strupf, M., & Bajbouj, M. (2023). Empowerment group therapy for refugees with affective disorders: results of a multicenter randomized controlled trial. European psychiatry: Retrieved from FNU Library, 66(1), e64. https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.2431
Woodside, M., & Tricia, M. (2018). Introduction to Human Services. 9th Edition. Cengage Learning
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