1.6 Key Takeaways and Discussion Questions

Included in this section are tools for the reader to refresh and retain the knowledge. A Key Takeaway serves one of three purposes:

highlighting an especially complex aspect of the chapter;
summarizing an overarching idea; or
emphasizing an idea that invites the reader to think about it more deeply, to connect to life experiences, and/or additional learnings.

Discussion Questions are recommended for individual reflection or class discussion.

1.6.1 Key Takeaways

The human services field draws on multiple disciplines to create a knowledge base for professionals to use while helping people solve life’s problems.
Human services workers use multiple foundational theories and practices to inform their work. Central to all of them is respect for the client’s strengths, experiences, environments, and culture.
Being a human services worker requires a combination of characteristics, skills and knowledge. Assessing oneself for strengths, weaknesses, and areas of growth is critical to becoming a professional.

If you were not going to study Human Services, which of the related fields most appeals to you, and why?
This chapter highlights several theories and frameworks including the ecological systems theory, the strengths-based-approach and the bio-psycho-social-spiritual approach? Which of these frameworks most resonates with you, what resonates, and why?
What strengths do you bring to the field? How do you feel these will help you work with people?
What are some of your challenges? How will you work on these areas?

“Conclusion” by Elizabeth B. Pearce and Yvonne M. Smith LCSW is licensed under CC BY 4.0.