Direct Service

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         When people think of Human Services, direct service is one of the first things they think of. It is generally known as service provided to the client – usually on a one-to-one basis. How these services are delivered varies depending upon the agency that is supplying them. Knowing how to provide this service is essential to being a Human Services professional.

         Before getting into direct service, one must understand different cultures and perspectives. It is not about knowing everything there is to know about a culture or branch of society; more weight needs to be placed on how to interact with people and support them in their life journey. Standard 12 asks that students have knowledge around systems and how they relate to the field, both understanding systems and acknowledging diversity (CSHSE Standards). According to the “Improving Cross-Cultural Effectiveness” handout the first thing is to “understand your own beliefs, values, attitudes, and practices, and how they are influenced by culture” (Lynch & Hanson, 1998).  Diversity and Social Justice assigned me to look into my own heritage (See Appendix J). I explored not only my genetic heritage – which is Icelandic and Irish – but also Pacific Islander, as much of my family grew up in Guam or the Hawaiian Islands. Although I am too young to remember living in Hawaii, the traditions of these islands traveled back to Bellingham with us. For instance, there is a joke in my family that we run on “island time” meaning that we often show up later to appointments then we say we will. Although it is not a culture someone would think I would be familiar with at first glance, it is one that is important to who I am. When working with clients, I have to recognize that there may be nuances such as this I would not know just by meeting them and that I need to be sensitive to that.

         Another part of improving one’s cross-cultural awareness is to “be open to new learning – even those things with which you don’t agree” (Hanson & Lynch, 1998). Also in my diversity class, I took on an assignment that challenged my personal beliefs greatly. I decided to write a paper supporting the legal right to free speech for hate-groups. Standard 15 asks the student to evaluate information (CSHSE Standards). For this assignment I had to analyze the different arguments and perspectives from both sides of the issues. It was extremely difficult for me to place my own view on hate-groups and dislike for what they stand for aside to write this paper. Through my research I found a middle ground; although I will never agree with what they stand for and the many actions they do, I do support their right to free speech for all. As long as their actions fall under the guides of the law, I believe they have the right to free speech as much as I do.

         This idea of acceptance ties into the idea of advocacy. Through my 30 hour training with Womencare Shelter I learned a lot about what it meant to be an advocate; it means you are there to support and empower a person to make their own decisions (See Appendix Q).  One experience I had while at the shelter was when a woman came in fleeing an extremely abusive partner and many of us spent the first 24 hours talking with her. In the end she decided to go back. It was painful but part of the services that Womencare provides is to empower women to make their own decisions – which means supporting them in any decision they make. I remember debriefing with my internship coordinator and we both felt defeated. But after our talk I realized that it pushed me that much more to help those whom I could. Standard 16 addresses the issue of intervention at a level that is proper for the education level (CSHSE Standards). This situation gave me a true understanding of what it meant to advocate for someone. Although I could give her all the resources and information on what was happening and what she could do to remove herself from the situation; I could not force her to leave for good. I was there to support her, not choose for her.

         Most of my direct service experience took place at Womencare Shelter – as I did both my practicum and first internship with them. I owe them a great deal for the professional I am today. Standard 17 looks at the student’s interpersonal skills (CSHSE Standards). Before I began at Womencare I worked as a Customer Service Representative with Premier School Agendas. I spent most of the day answering phones and customer questions. One of my learning objectives for my practicum was to learn about and then answer the crisis-line (See Appendix T). With the experience I already had in customer service, I was excited to try answering the crisis-line. One particular call I received was challenging. It was a woman who called the shelter frequently regarding her situation. She did not want to come into shelter but was very afraid and sad. At one point in the call she told me how she had thought of killing herself to get it over with. I spent about 45 minutes on the phone with her. We talked about her situation, what she could do to stay safe, and before we got off the phone she told me how thankful she was. It was a very special call and one I will always remember. Answering a phone is challenging because there is no visual display of what you are saying; people cannot see the care and concern in your eyes so one must express it through the voice.

         Supplying the caller with care was not my only responsibility when answering the crisis-line. I also had to gather information from the caller. Womencare received a certain amount of funding based on how many people they were serving. It was important for me to find out if the woman on the other line was suffering from domestic violence, where she was located and other statistical information. Before I arrived at Womencare, I had experience in creating documentation forms like this. Part of my Case Management was to create an intake form for our mock agency case notes, intake forms, referrals, and others resources provided to the client so as not to duplicate services and also track progress (See Appendix W). With these procedures confidentiality needs to be respected as well, getting proper documentation from the client on what can and cannot be released (CSHSE Standard 15).

         The information and experience I gained through my coursework helped me obtain my current position. I now work for Washington Vocational Services and I am now responsible for working with a client from intake to discharge. Direct service is at the base of the Human Services field, and I feel I have a very sturdy foundation in it. 


This paper meets Council for Standards in Human Service Education
National Standards: 12, 15, 16, 17, and 21
To see a synopsis of the Standards go toMy Standards Page
And to see the full list go toCouncil for Standards in Human Service Education Appendix C

Reference
Council for Standards in Human Service Education. (2009). National standards: Baccalaureate degree in
         human services. Retrieved May 19, 2010 from http://www.cshse.org/documents/Standards
         Bachelor.pdf.
Lynch, E, & Hanson, M. (1998). Developing cross-cultural competence: A guide for working with children and
         their families. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc.


Practicum: Womencare Shelter, Coverage Team
Internship 1: Womecare Shelter, Women's Support Advocate
Internship 2: A Child's Life Learning Center