Gelinda Pope
305
July 2, 2015
Joanne Schrock
The Range of Problems Facing Human Services Clients Human Service workers identify problems and create a plan to help the client solve these problems. They help the client by finding different types of assistance within their own organization or outside of their organization. The range of problems that human services clients face are as follows: developmental and situational, hierarchical needs, needs created by societal change, and environmental influences. There are clients that are dealing with substance abuse, mental or physical illness, caring for children and families, or domestic violence. Human Services workers build relationships with clients by listening to a client’s problems, needs, and concerns and communicating with them and letting them know the solution or the plan. Human Services workers also work with other professionals to assist the client with their needs. The developmental problems are problems that the client has throughout life. These are the things that may have occurred in the home, the family or the community, which have had an impact down the line. With developmental problems, the helping skill that could be used is listening and responding. Listening to what the client has to say before responding, will give the human services professional an idea of whether or not there may be an underlying cause for the problem. Responding to the client shows that you heard the client and are paying attention. Situational problems are problems that you cannot avoid. For instance, when a client loses their home due to a hurricane, a natural disaster. At this point empathy comes in to play. Showing empathy lets the client know that you understand their emotions and that you are not a cold-hearted individual. In most cases, this makes the client feel comfortable and more willing to share their concerns with you. Human Services may also provide emotional support. Due to the situations that a client might be experiencing, a human services professional can provide the encouragement needed to go out for a job, the motivation required for self-motivation, or just the shoulder to lean on when the stress of finances becomes overwhelming. The human services professional, in this situation, needs to get the client over the traumatic event that may have caused the problem in the first place. The hierarchy of needs range from needing food, money, clothes and/or housing. As described by Abraham Maslow, they are self-actualization, esteem needs, the need to be recognized; social needs, the need to be accepted or loved; safety needs, the need for protection and security; and physiological needs, which are listed above as food, rest, shelter and water. These problems have a huge effect on the client because they cannot meet their basic needs. Asking questions helps in this case. Questions like, “what items do you need?’ “Do you have transportation?” “Do you need clothing for work?” “What are you job skills?” These types of questions give the human services professional the answers that they can use to reach out to other programs if needed. Having your basic needs met gives opportunity for the more serious needs to be taken care of. You can’t take care of a health problem, if you are stressed because you don’t have a bed to lay in or food to eat. The fact that you may not be sleeping and eating properly may be the cause of your failing health. Even though these needs seem mediocre, they are very important to your well-being. Societal changes are problems that occur because of the social changes of society, and the differences between old and new things. For so many years, families may have been used to doing things one way, but because of society, voting, laws passed, they have to suddenly change to a way that they are totally not familiar with. This sometimes leaves families