Discussion 2: Social Interest and Professional Development

The work involved in program evaluation requires a good deal of discipline and focus from the evaluator because of the standards, competencies, and codes of ethics required by the human services profession. Although evaluation is not specifically a profession, since evaluators are not licensed or certified, those who engage in the process of evaluation are professionals with extensive training and knowledge related to the various roles, responsibilities, and concerns of human services. Many human services program evaluators are themselves certified human services professionals and belong to various human services professional organizations. The existence of such certifications and involvement lend credibility and strength to the human services profession as a whole.

In this Discussion, you explore the various areas of human services delivery and identify areas of particular interest to you. You consider your possible future career as a human services professional and the impact you could have on the field of human services. You also explore the merits of professional human services organizations and entities for certification.

To prepare for this Discussion:  

• Review the article “A Critical Call for Connecting Students and Professional Associations.” Think about how becoming more involved in professional associations could be beneficial to your own future as a human services professional.
• Review the article “Going Beyond Training: Theory and Practice in Managing Learning.” Reflect on how you can continually be learning and growing in your field of work.
• Explore the Council for Standards in Human Service Education website listed in this week’s Learning Resources. Consider the importance of having a credential for achieving your goals as a human services professional.
• Explore the Center for Credentialing & Education website listed in this week’s Learning Resources. Consider the different types of human service credentialing available, the responsibilities of each position, and how working for such credentials could improve your ability to be an effective human services professional.
• Reflect on what you have studied and considered throughout this course. Focus on the various areas of human services and identify the areas in which you can see yourself working.

With these thoughts in mind:

• Do a brief description of one area of human services delivery in which you are especially interested and why you are interested in that area. Then, explain how you might impact this area in the future as a human services professional. Finally, explain how affiliation with a professional organization and/or becoming a HS-BCP might contribute to the impact you hope to make. Be specific and provide examples.