Human Service Manager Paper
Tamara Thurman
BSHS/322
Connie Giles
March 28, 2011

Human Services Management is a type of position that all people cannot handle. There is a lot of responsibility that come with it. It takes a strong minded person to have the ability to handle clients as well as staff members. Being a Human Services Manager takes time, patience, understanding, compromise, and a number of other duties are included in this position. In order to be successful, you have to be willing and ready to take on any challenge that is thrown out to you and learn to make the best possible decisions for your clients as well as staff members.
Scenario #1 is about a 32 year old male by the name of Tom. He has been employed as an individual counselor for adult clients and has been with the company for four years. He is considered to be adequate, but not an outstanding counselor. He’s had several complaints from clients; four being of the female gender, which all have terminated counseling with no explanation. One client has informed a supervisor of inappropriate sexual comments. Tom has denied all accusations, but admitted to being attracted to some of his clients.
In scenario 1, the issues that are present are the complaints Tom has been receiving from clients. Tom also admitted to being attracted to some of his clients, which puts the clients in as awkward situation. Because of Tom’s actions, several women have terminated counseling at the facility. If Tom wants to continue possible employment at the facility, he would have to come clean about the accusations against him. I would re- iterate to Tom about how sexual harassment is considered zero tolerance in the workplace and how he may have violated the policy. I would let Tom know that his behavior would need to be evaluated by the board of directors and I would have to release him pending a full investigation. If Tom is brought back on to work as a staff member he will be placed on 90- day probation, he will have to go back through training that deals with the policies and procedures of the company. He will be supervised closely and he will not be able to deal with female clients until his probationary period has ended. At that time Tom would be reevaluated by the board and that will determine if he is to continue employment at my facility or if he is terminated indefinitely.
Scenario 2 is about a 28 year old woman by the name of Janice. Janice has been employed as a child and family counselor for two years and she is good at what she does. She has a good history with her clients and is well-liked. Her case logs are not always completed and are sometimes submitted late. Janice states she is not comfortable dealing with certain situations and she would much rather deal with children versus adults.
In scenario 2 the issues are Janice’s case logs not being submitted in a timely fashion and she is not comfortable dealing with adult clients. Janice also feels she is confused when it comes to situations she is not use to. Janice is a good worker, but it seems as if she is lacking confidence in herself. I would have to stress to Janice the importance of being able to take on any challenge that comes her way and if additional assistance is required, I would do what is needed so that she is comfortable. Janice would need to let me know what makes her feel uncomfortable about the situations she has encountered, how she handled the situation and what does she think she could have done better? The action I would take is the reinforce action, which would allow Janice to receive supervisory support and development from staff members. I would also take the refer action and refer Janice to some training classes that will build her confidence. Janice would have to set goals each week as to how she plans to handle client situations she is not use to. I think this should help motivate her to handle all client situations or at least seek assistance if she gets stuck.
Scenario 3 is about a 44 year old man by the name of Michael. Michael has been employed as a substance abuse counselor for 16 years. Michael is a recovering addict himself, but has been clean for 18 years. Michael states he has been going through a lot of stress at home dealing with money issues and this has caused him to be absent due to being depressed. Michael’s work record shows that he is an exceptional employee. Michael stated to his co-workers that he does not feel like he can relate to his clients the way he has in the past. This has drawn suspicion to the staff that Michael may have relapsed due to his situation. The agency has an EAP program that is available to all employees.
In scenario 3 the issues Michael are experiencing is being stressed out due to his financial sitution at home. Although he is a good employee, Michael’s work performance is dropping tremendously. Michael’s co-workers believe he may have relapsed, due to the comments he has been making. First and foremost, I would give Michael the opportunity to be honest with me about rather or not he has used any drugs. Because of the known suspicions from several staff members I would have Michael tested just to be on the safe side. I would re-iterate the policies and procedures of drug use in the facility. I would allow Michael the opportunity to tell me what is going on with him financially to see if there is anything on my end I can assist with. I would allow Michael to take two weeks off with pay pending investigation, which will allow time for the test results to come back. During that time I would encourage Michael to go through the EAP program so that he is able to talk to someone. If the test results come back positive, I would have no other choice but to terminate Michael. If the results come back negative, I would keep Michal under close supervision and have him to take some motivational classes, so that he can get back into the groove of things.
After reviewing these scenarios, it really made me think about how important it is not to judge, but to put yourself in someone else’s shoes who is going through something. How would you want your situation handled? Would you want to be judged? Would you want fair treatment? These are the things I thought about and took into careful consideration when reading these scenarios. As stated before, being a Human Services Manager is a tough job that requires you to make sound decisions. Although, every decision you make may not be agreed upon by a client or staff member; being fair and doing what you know is morally right is what counts. Human Service Mangers are not here to pass judgments on anyone, but want to do what is in the best interest of the client, staff member and lastly the Human Services Manger.