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| Human Services Program Philosophy The Human Services program was initiated with a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health in 1971 to train Mental Health Technologists, primarily for work with patients in the area's public psychiatric hospital. Human Services Workers are considered to be Generalists, educated in a variety of disciplines in order to guide patients to appropriate services. As the psychiatric and helping fields have evolved, so has the philosophy of the program shifted. It is now termed Human Services to recognize the purpose of educating students in a wide array of occupational areas which have emerged in two decades, demonstrating the emphasis on such developments as individual behavioral programs, community outreach services, and client advocacy. In a broad curriculum, we are still educating Generalists, people who have the knowledge to understand the basis for the more common human problems and the skills and attitudes to deal therapeutically with the patients/clients who need their services, or need to be guided to the services of professionals. Additionally, it is recognized that Human Service Workers need to understand themselves and the culture of the people with whom they work as well as to identify with the educational ideal of life-long learning. As four-year and advanced degrees become more necessary in our society, the program attempts to weave transfer elements throughout the terminal degree program.
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