Human Services

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• distinguish between the different client populations most commonly served by human services workers
• compare and contrast the different functions of human service agencies in both the private and public sector
• compare and contrast the duties and responsibilities of workers in a variety of human services positions
• understand diverse client populations served by human services workers
• analyze public policy issues, controversies, and complexities affecting human service agencies or their clients
• compare different theoretical approaches for working with clients
• describe career opportunities in the field of human services
• demonstrate increased self-awareness (e.g., verbal fluency, voice tone, body language, feelings, attitudes, strengths)
• demonstrate clarity (concreteness), brevity, and objectivity in verbal communication
• demonstrate an awareness of others' feelings, concerns, and ideas as expressed verbally and through body and tonal messages

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• evaluate the state and federal laws most often violated in human services delivery.
• analyze existing California Professional Codes of Ethics.
• describe the application of clients' rights in human services agencies and institutions.
• evaluate appropriate professional behavior in human services agencies and institutions.
• examine one's own values and attitudes as they apply to ethical decision making.
• compare and contrast privacy and confidentiality as they apply legally and ethically in the field.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• identify and examine specific values, beliefs, and experiences of diverse populations by race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity, ability/disability, age, and socioeconomic class.
• evaluate the impact of bias, stereotyped thinking, prejudice, and discrimination in working with diverse populations.
• analyze the issues of racism, sexism, heterosexism, ableism, ageism, and classism as they relate to working with diverse populations.
• develop culturally responsive prevention, intervention, and/or resolution to identified issues and problems affecting diverse populations.
• assess one's personal attitudes regarding diverse populations.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• analyze the psychological, physiological, and sociocultural issues related to substance use, misuse, and abuse.
• describe the psychological and physiological progression of substance abuse.
• examine the dynamics of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexuality, and economic conditions inherent in substance use, misuse, and abuse situations including alcohol and drug preferences and codependency.
• compare and contrast the key components of assessment and recovery programs for alcoholism and drug abuse including Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Al-Anon, Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA), inpatient and outpatient treatment agencies, and private and public harm reduction initiatives.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• identify and explain the biological, social, and psychological implications of psychoactive drug use, misuse, abuse, and addiction.
• compare the effects of each class of psychoactive drugs upon the human brain and body.
• predict the effects of psychoactive drugs on behavior based on the pharmacology of each drug.
• analyze issues and challenges in the treatment of substance abuse and addiction.
• explain why high rates of relapse are common in substance abuse recovery based on pharmacological and neurological principles related to substance use and abuse.
• evaluate new research in the fields of psychopharmacology and addiction based on an understanding of pharmacological principles.
• demonstrate an understanding of basic pharmacology principles such as pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• analyze drug and alcohol use, misuse, abuse, and addiction.
• compare various theories of drug and alcohol addiction.
• differentiate treatment issues of drug and alcohol use, misuse, abuse, and addiction.
• describe treatment methods and counseling approaches of drug and alcohol use, misuse, abuse, and addiction.
• describe how alcohol abuse impacts the individual, family and community.
• identify harm reduction, addiction treatment services, and after care programs for sub-populations such as: adolescents, pregnant teens and women, college students, women, individuals with co-occurring disorders, and older adults.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• evaluate techniques for interviewing and counseling.
• analyze and apply appropriate approaches in dealing with a variety of problems including but not limited to: mental illness, addiction, housing, unemployment, and relationship distress.
• demonstrate an awareness of one's own reactions to clients, based on one's own past experiences.
• demonstrate the techniques of interviewing and counseling appropriate for associate level helpers in social service agency settings.
• identify effective communication.
• demonstrate the ability to complete assessments.
• understand documentations, forms and record keeping.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• define and apply the twelve core functions of counseling for successful employment in the fields of human services and/or chemical dependency.
• identify and evaluate ethical and legal issues related to interventions with individuals, groups, organizations, and communities in generalist practices and chemical dependency.
• demonstrate understanding of principles related to accurate client charting and documentation.
• demonstrate cultural competence and humility in working with diverse client populations.
• differentiate among the community resources used for referring clients.
• integrate personal growth and development goals with professional growth and development goals.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• evaluate the general goals of the group counseling experience including group process components.
• analyze ethical and professional issues in group experiences.
• describe rights of group participants and/or obligations of group leaders.
• demonstrate multiple group techniques of counseling.
• analyze the theoretical and practical approaches used by successful group leaders.
• demonstrate growth in self-understanding and in communicating with group members from the LGBTQ, racial trauma, addiction, mental illness and poverty.
• demonstrate knowledge of the principles of group dynamics, including group process components, development of group stages and group member roles and behaviors.
• demonstrate techniques for each stage of group counseling: initial, transitional, working and final stage.
• be able to select criteria to develop group proposal skills and methods of evaluation of effectiveness of group leadership skills.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• demonstrate application of industry knowledge and theoretical concepts in a field of human services to a transfer degree level career as written in the minimum three (3) learning objectives created by the student and their employer or work site supervisor at the start of the course.
• make effective decisions, use workforce information, and manage their personal career plans.
• behave professionally, ethically, and legally during work, consistent with applicable laws, regulations, and organizational norms.
• behave responsibly during work, exhibiting initiative and self-management in situations where it is needed.
• apply effective leadership styles during work, with consideration to group dynamics, team and individual decision making, and workforce diversity.
• communicate in oral, written, and other formats, as needed, in a variety of contexts during work.
• locate, organize, evaluate, and reference information during work.
• demonstrate originality and inventiveness during work by combining ideas or information in new ways, making connections between seemingly unrelated ideas, and reshaping goals in ways that reveal new possibilities using critical and creative thinking skills such as logical reasoning, analytical thinking, and problem-solving.