What is Human Services? I’m so glad you asked. A career in Human Services can include the following:
- Social Work
- Counseling
- Therapy
- Psychology
- Family Studies
- Social Policy and Planning
- Marriage Counseling
- School Counselor
- Nonprofit work
- Psychiatry
It’s time to face the music kids: Everybody and every family is dysfunctional in some regard. Fortunately, we live in a society that has started to realize the benefits of therapy, psychology, and counseling. Nearly 50% of American households have had someone see a mental health professional and 50% of Americans think the stigma of seeking mental health services has decreased in the past five years.
Human Service Careers are a double-edged sword: demanding and extremely rewarding. It is for people who have a strong desire to assist other people and to help them improve their day-to-day lives. They help their people deal with difficult issues like abuse, drug use, family problems, marital problems and disabilities of all shapes and sizes. Some social workers work directly with people in the field and others conduct research and advocate social causes to policymakers.
Above all, the field of human services is inherently and inescapably one thing: interesting.
If you are one of those people who asks questions and who wants to know what people tick, this is your calling.
Preparation
A bachelors degree is the minimum for a career in human services. A private practice career usually requires a masters degree.
Some positions in human services professions in the human services require licensure. Standards for licensure vary from state to to state but emphasis is placed on insuring that individuals who will be guiding high-risk individuals are ethical and sensitive.
By the Numbers
- About 5 out of 10 jobs were in health care and social assistance industries and 3 out of 10 are employed by State and local government agencies.
- Median annual earnings of child, family, and school social workers were $37,480 in May 2006, and the top 10 percent earned more than $62,530.
- The top 5 highest-paying states for this occupation:New Jersey, Nevada, Hawaii, Connecticut and Virginia.
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