SWK101 : Essay - Chenoweth And Mcauliffe - Domains - Human Service Work -Assessment Answer

Essay Assignment

Assignment Task

n your set text for this subject, Chenoweth and Mcauliffe talk about ‘domains’ and ‘fields of practice’. The table below lists these:

Write an essay responding to the following questions:

• Identifies a type of human service agency in a particular field of practice;
• Identifies an agency that employs workers from your discipline and the selected field of practice;
• Discusses the roles of the human service professional from the perspective of the profession that you are studying, in the context of the chosen field of practice;
• Identifies at least one social justice issue in this field of practice;

Highlights some of the potential ethical concerns.

Introduction

The term human service can be considered quite wide and comprehensive which includes a specific and integrated approach which directs to ensure the effective accomplishment of differentiated human needs. In the existing era, the needs and demands of effective and efficient human intervention and services in different disciplines have become quite critical and crucial in the long run. In relation to this, for the purpose of rectifying the issues related to health and social care faced by an individual, there is a need of having effective intervention of professionals in the related field. In this context, the role and significance of human service agencies in maintaining quality of life of people across the globe has become quite vital (Sauber, 2013). In this context, the presented essay is directed to explore the human service agencies and role of human service professionals.

Identification of human service agency in the field of healthcare and the mental health

In the domain of healthcare and mental health related practices, human service agencies can play a vital role. In this domain there are different types of human service agency. In this context, basically in the field of healthcare and mental health related practices, human service agencies, which are working with families and building community partnerships, are some of the most prominent types of organizations. These organizations provide effective human services to the needy person by providing them counseling and medical assistance to them. In contrast to healthcare organizations, these types of human service organizations are aimed to deliver effective and integrated partnership with the families of the patients so that proper care and support to the patients can be ensured. In the specific reference to the patients suffered from mental health, there is a need of having proper support and assistance from the side of families of the patients (Rabin, 1998). In regard to this, the human service organizations working for the community and partnerships are directed to change overall perspectives and point of views of the family members of the patients and teach them some crucial care practices for the well being of the patients suffering from the mental health related complications. In respect to the human service agencies, these types of human service agencies are directed to have direct relationship with the parents and family members of the patient suffering from the mental health related complication. It is due to the reason that the nature of mental health related complication can be considered quite critical and diversified as along with effective medication, the patient also requires effective care, which can only be provided by family members of the patients. In this regard, the efforts employed by this type of human service agencies can be proved quite effective and desirable ((Sauber, 2013).

Identification of an agency that employs workers in healthcare and mental health related domains

For the purpose of providing effective healthcare and addressing mental health related issues faced by the residents, the government of Victoria has established The Department of Human Services, which works as human service agency which employs workers and healthcare service providers. The agency works in the direction of developing positive partnerships with community members so that myths regarding mental health related complications can be avoided and behavioral discourse of the people regarding patient of mental health related complications can be improved up to a significant manner. This agency undertakes differentiated tasks including providing housing facilities, health related assistance and counseling to the patients and related family members so that overall complications can be avoided up to a significant manner. The agency works with paid employees, as well as, volunteer workers who work for a social cause. Earlier this agency was duly governed by the local government of the country, while now after 1^stJanuary 2015; this agency became the part of new department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) (The Department of Human Services, 2016).

Roles of the human service professional from the perspective of healthcare and mental health

Human service professionals are the people, who are well experienced and trained to provide effective services and counseling to the people suffering from different humanity related issues. In respect to this, The professionals in the human services are effectively experienced in understanding human nature and their all the perspectives, with the help of which they can provide effective health related services to the patients up to a significant manner. In respect to the health care and mental related complications, the role of human service professionals becomes quite vital and essential. With the help of their effective services and talents, professionals can build personalized and effective relations with the family members of the patients and make them aware about some common myths regarding mental health and some effective and efficient methods for taking care of the patient suffering from mental illness (Sauber, 2013).

Another crucial role played by the human service professional is related with their ability to communicate with people in direction to undertake their counseling. For the purpose of being a professional human health worker, there is a need of pursuing open attitude and good communication skills, with the help of which they can develop good and positive relationship with client and know about the issue and complications faced by them. In the specific reference to metal health and its related complications, effective and positive counseling can be considered as one of the effective and efficient approach as it helps the patient to express their issues and complications faced by them which is causing for the tensions and mental disturbance among patients, which can ultimately and negatively affect mental health related balance of the patient (Lewis, Packard and Lewis, 2011).

In addition to this, a human service provider can also play a role of mediator between patient and health service providers. Sometimes, due to the effective and efficient gap between healthcare service receiver and health related service provider, the patient is not able to avail effective and desired medical treatment, which proves quite harmful for them. In this context, the role of Human service professionals becomes quite crucial as they have adequate knowledge regarding the nature and requirements of the patient and they can easily help the patient to avail effective and desired medical services up to a significant manner. In relation to this, professionals in human services can play a role of bridge or mediator between health service seekers and health service providers (Kanel & Horn-Mallers, 2015).

In this way, on the basis of the discussion, it can be reflected the role of human service experts and professionals can be considered quite vital and effective in ensuring high quality of services delivered to the patients and make their life more effective and efficient.

Social justice issue in this Field of healthcare and mental health

Social justice is a phenomenon that is inherent in every society. Social justice is mainly related with the issues of fairness and equality that affect the human beings and their concerns. In the context of social justice, the people having health issues more specifically mental health issues face severe consequences. The social justice issues are faced in the healthcare sector in both material form and symbolic form (Sheppard, 2002). One of the key issues of social justice is the discrimination with the people having mental disability. The issue of discrimination is very much critical as the people affected from mental issues are not given fair treatment and they face the issue of being isolated in the society and the family where they are living. As a result of facing isolation, these people come in the situation of depression. The conditions of depression lead to worsening health conditions of the individuals. The social justice issue related to discrimination affects the social and personal relationship of the mentally affected person and hence his views and thoughts about the society and relationship alter in a negative manner. Discrimination in the society contributes to permanent mental disability among affected people and it has severe negative consequences on their health aspects. This kind of discrimination with the mentally affected people is against the human rights aspects. This is the duty of the society to secure autonomy, dignity and independence of the people living in a common society regardless of their health issues. As a part of social justice all people should be given equal and fair treatment and all facilities should be rendered to all people without any discrimination on the grounds of mental health or other health issues (Burns, 2013).

The social justice issue of discrimination characterize that human beings should not be neglected in the society just because of their mental health issue. The issue of discrimination is faced by the people within the healthcare systems and outside healthcare systems both. This social justice issue is evident in the society because of lack of awareness in the society towards the health issues. In this concern the role of the health and social care agencies become prominent (Burns, 2013). The health and social care agencies have a positive attitude towards health issues that are faced by the general people. These agencies need to initiate new campaigns with the help of which they can induce high degree of awareness in the society and can develop an environment where all people can be treated equally without any discrimination or inequality.

Ethical concerns related with the mental health and healthcare

In the health and social care behavior, different kinds of ethical issues are faced by the healthcare professionals as well as the patients who are suffering from those mental health issues. One key ethical concern is that the patients who are suffering from mental health issues should be given equal and fair treatment as given to the other patients by the healthcare professionals (Dubois et al 2011). Making any kind of discrimination of partial behavior with the patients of mental health is a critical concern for the healthcare professionals and nursing staff people. The nursing staff people require having an emotional concern with the mental health related patients. It is the prime responsibility of those people to maintain the dignity and respect of these people and securing their identity to a good level. The confidentiality about their mental health issue is the prime area of concern for the staff people working in the mental healthcare settings (Dubois et al 2011). The people suffering from mental health issues require significant degree of emotional support and hence they are required to be given emotional support by the nursing staff. This is also an important ethical concern while dealing with the patients of mental health (Rabins et al 2011). The patients with mental health issue require proper psychiatric care. They should be given proper counseling so that their actual mental conditions can be understood clearly and they can be given fair and proper treatment. In this concern, it has been determined that the requirement of treatment such as psychotherapy and other kinds of treatments should also be given in a proper way. This is considered as an important ethical concern in the healthcare premise. The research in the same field has depicted that the patients with mental health have complaints that their interests are not secured well as required by them. It is also an important ethical concern that the healthcare professionals have a positive attitude towards the mental health related patients. In this way, all these ethical concerns are required to be monitored in the healthcare premise while dealing with mental health issues.

Conclusion

It has been concluded on the basis of the overall discussion that in the field of healthcare management, dealing with the issues of mental health is an important area of concern. There are several such aspects that have made the role of human service agencies important in the field of mental health. The human service agencies assure that the people are given the required degree of care as and when they want in relation to the mental health issues that are faced by them. The patients with mental health issues require proper social justice in terms of not having any kind of negligence and discrimination with them. This has also been explored from the discussion that ethical concerns are also important while dealing with the patients with mental health issues.