BHAV-332: Module 1 - Introduction to the Helping Profession

social service profession

Delivering beneficial services to individuals and groups to improve health, wellbeing, and overall functioning of individuals, thus society and the world.

social worker

General term for individuals engaged in this type of work.

social service worker

General term for individuals engaged in this type of work.

behavioral health practitioner

General term for individuals engaged in this type of work.

Child Welfare Social Worker

Conducts a home visit to assess the safety and well-being of children reported to be in a neglectful environment, interviews parents and kids, and connects the family with parenting classes, food assistance, and counseling services.

Psychotherapist at Doctor's Office

Meets with a patient struggling with anxiety and depression, uses cognitive-behavioral techniques, and collaborates with the patient's physician to integrate mental health care with medical treatment.

Homeless Resource Case Worker

Approaches an individual living in a tent encampment, builds rapport to assess immediate needs, coordinates with local shelters, applies for housing vouchers, and links the client to job training programs.

SUD Clinic Worker

Facilitates a group therapy session, conducts individual assessments, creates personalized treatment plans, and incorporates detox support, medication-assisted therapy, and referrals to peer support groups.

Hospital Social Worker

Meets with a patient recovering from surgery who faces discharge challenges, coordinates with family members and home health aides, and assesses psychosocial needs such as financial barriers to medication.

School Counselor

Meets with a student experiencing academic stress and bullying, provides a safe space to discuss feelings, and works with teachers and parents to implement individualized education plans.

Hospice Social Worker

Meets with the family of an elderly person who is on hospice and actively dying, assesses the client's needs, arranges for a visit from the client's pastor, and relays information to their pain management doctor.

Elizabethan Poor Laws

Roots of social work and social services that were established in 1601.

almshouses

Provided housing in Colonial America for individuals who were poor, disabled, or did not have a family to care for them.

Settlement house movement

Focused on social reform, poverty, and public health during the 1880s–1890s.

Jane Addams Hull House

An example of the settlement house movement established by Jane Addams.

Lillian Wald's Henry Street Settlement

The first settlement house in New York City.

Hospital social work

Began in 1905 at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Richard Cabot

Set up an all-volunteer social service unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1905.

Progressive Era

Advanced social insurance and health policies in 1912.

New Deal

Advanced social insurance and health policies in the 1930s.

Social Security Act

Advanced social insurance and health policies in 1935.

Health as a human right

Based on the idea that caring for the disenfranchised is of benefit to society and is the right thing to do.

Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

One's right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including mental health.

U.S. health care spending

17.8% of GDP, higher than other countries, yet ranks poorly in access, efficiency, and equity.

ACA

2010 law that reduced the uninsured rate from 16% to 8.9% from 2010 to 2016, but disparities persist.

life expectancy

78.8 years, 43rd globally.

infant mortality

5.82 per 1,000.

disease burden

25% higher than comparable countries.

Low spending on social services

Less than 10% of GDP, which impacts vulnerable populations.

Integrated behavioral health care

Combines primary health care and the broader social services.

holistic care

Delivering care to a diverse clientele with the understanding that wellbeing is a holistic concept.

Health

Involves how bodily systems are operating, cognitive and psychological processes, social connections, ecological environment, and human needs.

Whole-Person/Holistic

Supporting the wellbeing of clients means addressing physical, psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual/ecological needs.

Complexity

Numerous variables contribute to any outcome and not all can be predicted.

PERSON-IN-ENVIRONMENT

A person is always in relationship with environment and other people.

system-oriented approach

Addressing health and well-being because clients are complex systems immersed in complex systems.

Ecological Model

Views individuals in their context, borrowed from biology, and adopted in the 1960s within social service philosophy.

Engel's Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual Model

The integrated health care model rooted in the ecological framework.

Institute of Medicine (IOM)

Released in 2001 Patient-Centered Care, which provides care respectful of patients' values, preferences, and needs.

Patient-Centered Care

Providing care that is respectful of patients' values, preferences, and needs.

The Social Service Workers' Role in Integrated Care

Social service workers are essential to clients being seen and heard and assess clients from a bio-psycho-social-spiritual perspective.

Inpatient care

The most intensive level of behavioral health services, reserved for acute crises or situations requiring 24/7 monitoring and structured intervention.

psychiatric hospitals

Specialized facilities where inpatient services are provided.

residential treatment centers

Specialized facilities where inpatient services are provided, such as for SUD.

dedicated units within general hospitals

Specialized facilities where inpatient services are provided.

interdisciplinary approach

Often taken with a focus on holistic/whole person care.

Outpatient care

A client accesses services at a facility that does not require an overnight stay or 24/7 monitoring.

community-based clinics

Settings for outpatient services, such as mental health clinics, SUD clinics, private practice offices, or outpatient departments of hospitals.

partial hospitalization programs (PHPs)

Intensive day programs lasting 4–8 hours.

telehealth platforms

Blend the boundaries of outpatient and in-home services.

In-home or in-the-field based interventions

Delivery of services in settings other than inpatient and outpatient clinics, often meeting the client where they are.

no wrong door

A principle that makes behavioral health accessible and preventive, reducing the need for higher-level interventions.

Crisis Response and Prevention

A core approach where mobile crisis teams provide on-site de-escalation for suicidal ideation or substance-induced episodes.

Mobile crisis teams

Teams that provide on-site de-escalation for suicidal ideation or substance-induced episodes.

Behavioral health systems

Systems that revolve around delivering beneficial services to clients to improve health and wellbeing.

Behavioral health workers

Workers who see clients within context, address bio-psycho-social-spiritual needs, and see them as integrally complex systems.