The Human Service Professional
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BSHS/305
Feb 27 2014
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The Human Service Professional
The field of human services is broad from on spectrum to another, but what I do know for sure is that human services field meets one main objective and that is to meet human needs. In this paper I will briefly mention the five traits necessary to have as a human services professional. Although all traits are important I will choose the trait I believe would be most important. I will also explain why it is important to invest in the human services field.
There are five characteristics that are essential to have as a human service professional and they are Self awareness, the ability to communicate, flexibility, commitment, and empathy. Many of these characteristics are based on how a person was raised, but they can be learned and refined with time and with the right attitude.
Empathy may be the most important characteristics out of the five listed above in my opinion; I will explain why after I define the meaning of empathy. Empathy is being able to understand another person’s condition from their perspective. You’re practically placing yourself in someone else’s shoes. We are living in a Narcissist society and many people simply cannot feel what others around them are feeling or sensitive to their surroundings. It is important when working in the Human services field to be patient and empathetic because you will be working with the mentally instable, murderers, the insane, and people who need help for various reasons. “I have come to believe that empathy is implicated in all of our relationships, impacting on the satisfaction and effectiveness with which we interact with others.” (Brooks 2013, the Importance of Empathy: A Significant Feature of the Mindset of Successful People). In the human services field; empathy is everything. You are working with a diverse population who has different emotions and different needs. People are indeed complex...