Listening in Human Services

How many times have you either asked or been asked, “Are you listening?” While we might think we know what it means to be an effective listener, different skills are needed to suit different situations. In the human services field, listening is a multi-faceted task that must take into account the needs of the client and the situation being addressed. In this first discussion, you will consider a range of listening skills and how they may be used in a human services setting. Specifically, you will identify active listening skills used within interpersonal and group settings.

Read Chapter 6 of The Interpersonal Communication Book; review the five human service career paths from Human Service Careers (Links to an external site.) provided by Films on Demand:

• Early Child Development & Services (03:01)
• Counseling and Mental Health Services (04:17)
• Family & Community Services (07:00)
• Personal Care Services (03:54)
• Consumer Services (04:11)

Consider the stages and skills associated with effective listening and reflect on the essential responsibilities associated with one human service career path.

Initial Post: Prepare a 300-word minimum reply that sufficiently addresses each of the items below. Don’t forget that it is critical to cite your sources of information, including the textbook, using APA formatting.

• What listening styles might this particular professional use in their work with clients, and how might they use them?
• Identify active listening skills (specifically, the three techniques of active listening identified on page 165) that the professional would apply in both interpersonal and group settings (e.g., one-on-one client interaction, facilitating a group session, etc.). Describe how and why they would be used.
• Using the Basic Counseling Skills (Links to an external site.) website, identify two to three interviewing skills, other than active listening, that the professional would apply in both interpersonal and group settings (e.g., one-on-one client interaction, facilitating a group session, etc.). Describe how and why they would be used.

 Communicating Messages

In the field of human services, it’s not uncommon to work with clients who are encountering a range of challenges that arouse feelings of sadness, anger, and frustration. Would you know how to engage appropriately with a client under such conditions? In this second discussion, you will identify and reflect on various elements related to conveying effective messages to clients.

Read Chapters 7 and Chapter 8 of The Interpersonal Communication Book and review the following five human service career paths from the Human Service Careers (Links to an external site.) video:

• Early Child Development & Services (03:01)
• Counseling and Mental Health Services (04:17)
• Family & Community Services (07:00)
• Personal Care Services (03:54)
• Consumer Services (04:11)

Initial Post: Imagine that you are a human service professional working in a career path that is different from the one you selected in the first discussion forum and prepare a reply that sufficiently addresses each of the items below,. Don’t forget that it is critical to cite your sources of information, including the textbook, using APA formatting.

• What are some ways in which effective means of emotional expression is used to engage with a client experiencing a problem (e.g., loss of job, homelessness, health concerns, etc.)?
• Identify empathy skills in interpersonal and group settings (e.g., one-on-one client interaction, facilitating a group session, etc.) that you might use as a human services professional.
• Describe one communication theory (i.e., constructivist, attachment, communication accommodation, attribution) that can apply to this situation as it relates to communicating messages (e.g., how messages are communicated, processes related to communicating messages, etc..). See Week One’s required website readings.
• Under what conditions might you, as a human service professional, use self-disclosure as a means of interacting with clients? Would it be appropriate or inappropriate in this specific situation? Why or why not?

Required Resources

Required Text

1. DeVito, J.A. (2016). The interpersonal communication book (14th ed.). Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu

1. Chapter 6: Listening in Interpersonal Communication (pp. 147-168)
2. Chapter 7: Emotional Messages (pp. 169-190)
3. Chapter 8: Conversational Messages (pp. 191-221)

Article

1. Lakshmi, R. (2017). Effective Listening Enhances the Process of Communication. IUP Journal of English Studies, 12(1), 7. Retrieved from https://iupindia.in/default.asp

• The full-text version of this article is available through Ashford University’s Proquest database. This article provides information about the use of listening skills that will assist you in your assignment and discussions this week.

Multimedia

1. Halula, W. (Writer, Director, & Producer), & Halula, J. (Writer & Producer). (2011).Human services careers [Video file]. Retrieved from https://secure.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?token=44026&aid=18596&plt=FOD&loid=0&w=560&h=315&fWidth=580&fHeight=365

• This video can be accessed through the Films On Demand database in the Ashford University Library.
• This 25:16 minute video explores various career paths, and will be used to complete this week’s discussions.

Website

1. Basic Counseling Skills (Links to an external site.). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.basic-counseling-skills.com/

• This website introduces a range of counseling skills that can be used in a variety of settings and will be used to complete part of this week’s first discussion.