Skills and Characteristics of Mental Health Human Service Workers Skills and characteristics are essential in the Human Service Profession to be efficient in helping the clients. The Human Service Professional is a one of a kind individual, which requires skills and certain characteristics that very few people have. This paper will discuss the skills and characteristics and the definition of the two which are essential in this field, as well as the writer’s skills and characteristics that will lead to a successful career as a Human Service Professional. According to "Merriam Webster" (2014) the definition of skill is “the ability to do something that comes from training, experience, or practice” (skill).
According to "Merriam Webster" (2014) the definition of characteristic is “a special quality or trait that makes a person, thing, or group different from others” (characteristic) Working in the Human Services field can be a very stressful and over whelming job for many people. I believe that there are people that were born to help others and those that have been taught to be caring and compassionate. While not every person is cut out to be on the front line of this field, those that are become very skillful people. It takes a special person to be willing to give up their lives and time to help others and to not make a lot of money is a characteristic he or she has naturally. This group of individuals has a unique personality that is not learned or handed out to everyone. The people that work in the Human Services field are a special group of people that help to make our current world a better place. Education and training is just the beginning of what is needed to be successful in the Human Service field. Passion is a key requirement for both the client as well as the Human Service professional. A Human Service Worker must be able to put personal prejudices aside to be
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