Ethics and Values
Human service classes teach a great deal about personal and professional ethics and values and how theses values may compliment each other or differ. The major teaches and follows The Council for Standards in Human Service Education, a guideline that helps ethical decision making, standards for human service professionals. The standards include responsibilities to clients, to the community and society, to colleagues, to the profession, to employers and to ones self (NOHS, 2009). Through class work I have learned that everyone has different values and beliefs that shape the way one views the world. Each person’s unique belief system is how one defines what is right or wrong. Ethics on the other hand is a basic moral code that guides one in decision-making according to their beliefs and values. Thus, both ethics and values coincide to help direct us in our professional and personal life.
Along with the classes about ethics and values based on CSHSE ethical guideline, we also used the National Origination for Human Services Professional Code of Ethics. These values include learning and realizing the capacity of human growth and change, being advocates for social justice, promotion, collaboration and accountability, client right to confidentiality and self-determination, recognizing and utilizing peoples strengths and abilities, supporting physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health, and including all members of the human service community. Course teachings have had a huge impact on me and greatly help shape my own values. I’ve been able to embody the CSHSE and NOHS principals and guidelines in both my personal and professional life.
Human service classes focused on one’s values and belief systems and how they are reflected through our judgments and decision-making. My first core paper discusses my personal beliefs and how I obtained them through influential people in my life, where I grew up and events that have occurred (who am I). Having reread this paper almost two years later, most of my values have stayed consistent; I still highly value my friends, family, and recognize the privilege of higher education. I still dislike the American value of materialistic happiness, and acknowledge the privileges I have coming from a middle class family. However, through my major I have a heighted understanding of my personal values, making them more intellectually based; instead of just knowing my values, I understand why I have them. For example, I’ve always believed that differing experiences led to differing situations for people. However, after my education through the program I have been able to extend my value to include understanding of how systems contribute to oppression and stratification of people. I have always believed that it is society’s duty to help the poor, but now I realize how systems are in place that keep the poor down and prevent this population from rising up; there is not equal opportunity for all (learning outcomes). Although this is the way things are currently, I believe that working along side others who have passion for creating social justice can change systems in society (CSHSE Standard 19 Client-Related Values and Attitudes). This self-awareness has made me conscious of my reasoning and intentions when it comes to decision-making (CSHSE Standard 20 Self-Development).
After we spent time analyzing our values in Professionals and Personal Systems (HSP 301), we had discussions with others whose values differ from our own. These discussions helped to create a more comprehensive, holistic view of the complexity of value-based issues. This either deepened my preset values or made me rethink and evaluate them, which strengthened me as an individual. For example, my personal objections to religion, especially monotheistic ones, have changed throughout the last two-years (religion HS). Although I am still not religious nor do I agree with many religious ideologies, I have gained a better perspective by having conversations with others who are driven by religious convictions. I believe it is important to be open-minded and understand that your values and beliefs can and do change. There are many controversial topics, which create a large spectrum of opinions, but it is important to have discussions, not confrontations. Understanding and practicing this concept teaches one how to accept and respect others, which is a core value of the human service profession.
Along with respecting others, another personal and human service value that coincides is acknowledging and respecting the diversity of ethnicity, culture, gender, religion, abilities, sexual orientation and other uniqueness (CSHSE, standard 19). Before entering the program, I had done minimal traveling outside the country, but always admired the educational experiences that can be obtained through traveling. Last year, I was given the great opportunity to spend the summer in Cordoba, Argentina to learn Spanish and volunteer. Living in Argentina and staying in a house with people from around the world who differed in culture, religion, ethnicity and gender enriched my cultural competence and provided me with first-hand experience of the intellectual and spiritual education one can gain through diversity.
The experience also shed light on how difficult it is not knowing cultural norms and customs and not being able to speak the same language. At times I felt so frustrated and lost not being able to easily communicate with others, it made me feel insignificant and alone. Through this experience I was able to make the connection to the struggle that can occur for clients who are from different cultures and backgrounds. After my trip I was interning at Head Start and a young boy who had just moved from Mexico entered the program. Neither he nor his family spoke any English, making classroom activities and parent interactions difficult. Since I had a similar experience I was able to empathize with his situation and worked hard to help accommodate him and his family to the new environment (internship 2). My Spanish skills were enough to be able to communicate instructions and understand his questions. I have been able to apply these experiences to the client-related standards of overcoming barriers that may come while working with diverse populations by understanding and learning of differences.
Recognizing and respecting diversity aligns with the core value that human service professionals respect the integrity and welfare of clients at all times, which is shown through actions of treating clients with dignity and acceptance (NOHS, 2009, statement 2). In order to practice this ethical standard, one must understand the injustices of power and dignity. In HSP 404 Community Systems, we learned about how societies are set up in a hierarchal system that gives power to the top by oppression and greed, purposefully restricting it from those at the bottom (Fuller paper). In order to create a dignitarian society- a society where the tops are held accountable and ranksim is prohibited, protecting dignity for all-, we must be the voice of justice for the bottom when we are at the top and when we are lacking power to ban together with the others who are in the same position (organizational systems).
The human service major relies on strength-based approaches to help and overcome barriers by recognizing everyone’s individual strengths and abilities. By practicing this in the human service profession, we can make ethically sound choices that insure self-worth of clients. Showing that you believe that everyone has self-worth, you must practice and value client’s right to self-determination, a fundamental human service ethical standard (NOHS, 2009, statement 8). Human service professionals are there to meet the needs of people through interdisciplinary knowledge and commitment to improving the overall quality of life for all populations (NOHS, 2009). It is not professionals’ duty to tell someone what to do, or how to live their life. It is our duty to be advocates, provide services and knowledge to help support or provide a need that a client seeks. This basic concept was discussed in many different classes and practiced through fieldwork. During my internships I was able to practice this by avoiding the expert orientation and support client empowerment through self-determination.
The human service major taught me the profound ethics and values of human service standard, which ultimately strengthened my personal values, creating a more holistic worldly perspective. At times when these two sets of values may conflict, you can still be true to your personal belief system by acknowledging your own values. However, they must be put aside in conflicting circumstances in order to respect your responsibility as a professional.
Council for Standards in Human Service Education (CSHSE) (2010). National Standards for Baccalaureate Degree in Human Services. Available at:http://www.cshse.org/documents/Standards-Bachelor_2010Revised.pdf
National Organization for Human Services (NOHS) (2009). Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals. Available at: http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/ethical-standards-for-hs-professionals
Along with the classes about ethics and values based on CSHSE ethical guideline, we also used the National Origination for Human Services Professional Code of Ethics. These values include learning and realizing the capacity of human growth and change, being advocates for social justice, promotion, collaboration and accountability, client right to confidentiality and self-determination, recognizing and utilizing peoples strengths and abilities, supporting physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health, and including all members of the human service community. Course teachings have had a huge impact on me and greatly help shape my own values. I’ve been able to embody the CSHSE and NOHS principals and guidelines in both my personal and professional life.
Human service classes focused on one’s values and belief systems and how they are reflected through our judgments and decision-making. My first core paper discusses my personal beliefs and how I obtained them through influential people in my life, where I grew up and events that have occurred (who am I). Having reread this paper almost two years later, most of my values have stayed consistent; I still highly value my friends, family, and recognize the privilege of higher education. I still dislike the American value of materialistic happiness, and acknowledge the privileges I have coming from a middle class family. However, through my major I have a heighted understanding of my personal values, making them more intellectually based; instead of just knowing my values, I understand why I have them. For example, I’ve always believed that differing experiences led to differing situations for people. However, after my education through the program I have been able to extend my value to include understanding of how systems contribute to oppression and stratification of people. I have always believed that it is society’s duty to help the poor, but now I realize how systems are in place that keep the poor down and prevent this population from rising up; there is not equal opportunity for all (learning outcomes). Although this is the way things are currently, I believe that working along side others who have passion for creating social justice can change systems in society (CSHSE Standard 19 Client-Related Values and Attitudes). This self-awareness has made me conscious of my reasoning and intentions when it comes to decision-making (CSHSE Standard 20 Self-Development).
After we spent time analyzing our values in Professionals and Personal Systems (HSP 301), we had discussions with others whose values differ from our own. These discussions helped to create a more comprehensive, holistic view of the complexity of value-based issues. This either deepened my preset values or made me rethink and evaluate them, which strengthened me as an individual. For example, my personal objections to religion, especially monotheistic ones, have changed throughout the last two-years (religion HS). Although I am still not religious nor do I agree with many religious ideologies, I have gained a better perspective by having conversations with others who are driven by religious convictions. I believe it is important to be open-minded and understand that your values and beliefs can and do change. There are many controversial topics, which create a large spectrum of opinions, but it is important to have discussions, not confrontations. Understanding and practicing this concept teaches one how to accept and respect others, which is a core value of the human service profession.
Along with respecting others, another personal and human service value that coincides is acknowledging and respecting the diversity of ethnicity, culture, gender, religion, abilities, sexual orientation and other uniqueness (CSHSE, standard 19). Before entering the program, I had done minimal traveling outside the country, but always admired the educational experiences that can be obtained through traveling. Last year, I was given the great opportunity to spend the summer in Cordoba, Argentina to learn Spanish and volunteer. Living in Argentina and staying in a house with people from around the world who differed in culture, religion, ethnicity and gender enriched my cultural competence and provided me with first-hand experience of the intellectual and spiritual education one can gain through diversity.
The experience also shed light on how difficult it is not knowing cultural norms and customs and not being able to speak the same language. At times I felt so frustrated and lost not being able to easily communicate with others, it made me feel insignificant and alone. Through this experience I was able to make the connection to the struggle that can occur for clients who are from different cultures and backgrounds. After my trip I was interning at Head Start and a young boy who had just moved from Mexico entered the program. Neither he nor his family spoke any English, making classroom activities and parent interactions difficult. Since I had a similar experience I was able to empathize with his situation and worked hard to help accommodate him and his family to the new environment (internship 2). My Spanish skills were enough to be able to communicate instructions and understand his questions. I have been able to apply these experiences to the client-related standards of overcoming barriers that may come while working with diverse populations by understanding and learning of differences.
Recognizing and respecting diversity aligns with the core value that human service professionals respect the integrity and welfare of clients at all times, which is shown through actions of treating clients with dignity and acceptance (NOHS, 2009, statement 2). In order to practice this ethical standard, one must understand the injustices of power and dignity. In HSP 404 Community Systems, we learned about how societies are set up in a hierarchal system that gives power to the top by oppression and greed, purposefully restricting it from those at the bottom (Fuller paper). In order to create a dignitarian society- a society where the tops are held accountable and ranksim is prohibited, protecting dignity for all-, we must be the voice of justice for the bottom when we are at the top and when we are lacking power to ban together with the others who are in the same position (organizational systems).
The human service major relies on strength-based approaches to help and overcome barriers by recognizing everyone’s individual strengths and abilities. By practicing this in the human service profession, we can make ethically sound choices that insure self-worth of clients. Showing that you believe that everyone has self-worth, you must practice and value client’s right to self-determination, a fundamental human service ethical standard (NOHS, 2009, statement 8). Human service professionals are there to meet the needs of people through interdisciplinary knowledge and commitment to improving the overall quality of life for all populations (NOHS, 2009). It is not professionals’ duty to tell someone what to do, or how to live their life. It is our duty to be advocates, provide services and knowledge to help support or provide a need that a client seeks. This basic concept was discussed in many different classes and practiced through fieldwork. During my internships I was able to practice this by avoiding the expert orientation and support client empowerment through self-determination.
The human service major taught me the profound ethics and values of human service standard, which ultimately strengthened my personal values, creating a more holistic worldly perspective. At times when these two sets of values may conflict, you can still be true to your personal belief system by acknowledging your own values. However, they must be put aside in conflicting circumstances in order to respect your responsibility as a professional.
Council for Standards in Human Service Education (CSHSE) (2010). National Standards for Baccalaureate Degree in Human Services. Available at:http://www.cshse.org/documents/Standards-Bachelor_2010Revised.pdf
National Organization for Human Services (NOHS) (2009). Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals. Available at: http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/ethical-standards-for-hs-professionals