DIAAS: Disciplines and Ideas in Applied Social Sciences

Introduction to DIAAS

DIAAS is a subject for senior high school students.
It introduces applied social sciences such as counseling, social work, and communication.
These disciplines are founded on theories and principles from:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Anthropology
- Other social sciences

Course Highlights

Interconnectivity of different applied social science disciplines.
Focus on processes and applications in critical development areas.

Episode Focus

Roles, functions, and competencies of counselors.
Career opportunities in counseling.
Rights, responsibilities, and accountabilities of counselors.
Code of ethics in counseling.

Recap: Social Science vs. Applied Social Science

Social Science

Study of people.
Academic disciplines examining human behavior, society, and social relationships.
Includes:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Anthropology
- Economics
- Political Science
- etc.

Applied Social Science

Application of social science theories, concepts, methods, and findings.
Uses knowledge from basic social sciences to understand society.
Aims to address or solve social or practical problems.

Counseling

Process where a counselor helps a client work through difficult emotional, behavioral, or relationship problems.
Guidance provided to resolve difficulties.
Service offered to individuals needing professional help to overcome problems.

Professionals and Practitioners in Counseling

Learning Objectives

Explain the roles, functions, and competencies of counselors.
Identify specific work areas of counselors.
Value the rights, responsibilities, and accountabilities of counselors.

Roles of Counselors

Assist individuals in realizing a change in behavior or attitude.
Assist in achieving goals.
Help individuals find assistance.
Teach social skills and effective communication.
Provide spiritual guidance.
Facilitate decision-making and career choices.
Focus on individual social functioning, which refers to an individual's role in society.

Primary Role

Provide support to clients, partners, friends, and communities struggling with mental health and well-being.
Help clients identify goals and potential solutions.
Improve communication and coping skills.
Strengthen self-esteem and promote behavioral change.

Counseling as a Helping Profession

Counselors are specially trained and licensed to perform a service for others.
Qualified individuals using counseling methods to help people manage mental and emotional issues.

Functions of Counselors

Use an integrated approach to develop well-functioning individuals.
Help clients develop potentials to the fullest.
Assist clients in planning for the future based on abilities, interests, and needs.
Share and apply counseling-related knowledge (theories, tools, techniques).
Administer human development services.
Help clients manage their behavior, keep up academically, or plan for the future.
Help clients understand or accept themselves by developing awareness of their ideas, feelings, values, and needs.

Competencies of Counselors

Competency means capability.

Skills and Qualities

Interpersonal Skills:
- Ability to create good relationships.
- Counseling is a collaborative effort; enables building and maintaining healthy relationships.
- Different from intrapersonal skills (emotional understanding of oneself).
Personal Beliefs and Attitudes:
- Capacity to accept others.
- Belief in potential for change.
- Awareness of ethical and moral choices.
- Sensitivity to values held by client and self.
- Accept clients regardless of their behavior and treat them with respect.
- Do not impose personal beliefs on clients.
Conceptual Ability:
- Thinking skill to grasp complex ideas and solve problems.
- Seeing the big picture.
- Assist clients in realizing and solving problems.
Personal Soundness:
- Being trustworthy.
- Respect the dignity and promote the welfare of clients.
- Avoid judging clients or devaluing their beliefs.
Mastery of Techniques:
- Ability to carry out specific interventions.
- Assess effectiveness of interventions.
- Understanding rationale behind techniques.
- Possess a wide range of interventions.
- Intervention: action taken to improve the situation.
  - Behavioral counseling interventions: modify unhealthy behavior.
  - Affective counseling interventions: focus on a patient's feelings.
  - Cognitive counseling intervention: address negative thoughts.
Ability to Understand and Work Within Social Systems:
- Social system: relational bond of personal or environmental roles in a larger community.
- Counseling involves various types of clients (individuals, couples, families, groups).
Openness to Learning and Inquiry:
- Capacity to be curious about clients' backgrounds and problems.
- Open to new knowledge.
- Listening to clients, asking questions, and developing effective strategies.

Foundation Skills for Effective Helping (Foley & Band, 2004)

Attentive and Listening Skills:
- Active listening: listening with purpose and responding in a way that clients feel heard and understood.
Reflective Skills:
- Capture what the client is saying and place it back in the counselor's own words.
- Key skills: restating, paraphrasing, and summarizing.
Probing Skills:
- Probing questions encourage critical thinking and exploration of personal thoughts and feelings.
- Encouraging the client to open up about their life and discuss issues.

Common Skills Across Applied Social Science Disciplines

Communication skills
Motivational skills
Problem-solving skills
Conflict resolution skills

Career Opportunities and Specializations

Counselors are found in all spheres of human development, transitions, and caregiving.

Areas

Marriage and Family Counseling:
- Helping couples and families discover options for effective family living.
- Addressing social issues, emotional problems, and mental health treatment.
- Providing support for domestic violence, marital issues, childhood behavioral problems, infertility, and anxiety.
Child and Adolescent Counseling:
- Addressing child abuse and neglect, depression, and antisocial behavior.
- Counseling strategies focus on coping skills through promotion of resiliency, attachment, and intelligence.
Career Counseling:
- Facilitating career decision-making.
- Aiding individuals in determining suitable jobs.
- Helping employed clients improve skills, manage stress, or burnout.
- Supporting individuals who have lost their jobs.
School Counseling:
- Reaching out to students with concerns on drugs, family, peers, or gang involvement.
- Helping children and adults with personal or academic issues.
- Providing services to support academic, personal, and social development.
- Working with teachers, administrators, and parents.
Mental Health Counseling:
- Providing therapeutic support for mental, emotional, and behavioral health issues (anxiety, depression, stress, low self-esteem).
- Requires patience, humility, kindness, and compassion.

Rights, Responsibilities, and Accountabilities of Counselors

Accountability: being liable for actions and decisions.
Professions working with humans should be practiced with caution.
Professional organizations develop codes of ethics to regulate conduct.
Code of ethics remind counselors of their rights, responsibilities, and accountabilities.

Code of Ethics Sections

Counseling Relationships
- Client welfare
- Respecting diversity
- Client rights
- Clients served by others
- Personal needs and values
- Dual relationships
- Sexual intimacies with clients
- Multiple clients
- Protecting clients during group work
- Fees
Confidentiality
- Right to privacy
- Group and families
- Minor incompetent clients
- Records
- Research and trainings
- Consultation
Professional Responsibilities
- Standard knowledge: understand and follow the code of ethics.
- Professional competence: practice within boundaries of competence based on education, training, experience, credentials.
- Monitor effectiveness and improve skills.
- Refrain from offering services when physical, mental, or emotional problems may harm clients.