What is a Human Services Assistant?

Residential counselors work in social care facilities such as homeless shelters, rehabilitation centers, retirement homes, and the like. Their main responsibility is to maintain the structure of the environment or program and oversee the residents' daily activities.

Residential counselors are typically expected to have a degree in psychology, social work, or a related field. They keep an eye on the mental and emotional state of the people under their care and make sure everyone lives by the rules of the facility. They give a hand with transportation and come up with fun and engaging activities for the residents to do while spending quality time together.

As a residential counselor, your responsibilities do not revolve around generating profit, and this is reflected in the median annual salary of the position, which is $29,592. This is a bit less than half of what the average yearly living expenses amount to across the U.S. Caring for each other apparently is not the most lucrative business. It is, however, very rewarding on a personal level.

As a student support service employee, your main job function is to connect students with services that will help them achieve academic success. Such services include financial assistance, mental health services, remedial academic programs, and housing services, among many others.

Your typical duties in this role will also include conducting interviews with students to identify their needs, liaising between students and service providers, updating student records when necessary, and providing counseling and advice to students and their families. You may also be expected to participate in the development of curriculums, student-centered programs, and various other support services.

If this career is interesting enough to pursue, the first requirement you have to accomplish is obtaining a degree in business, psychology, or something else relevant to this role. After that, you may have to acquire enough working experience in a similar position before you can qualify for the position of student support service employee.

When it comes to salary, the average income you can expect is around $40,000 a year or roughly $20 per hour. As for job opportunities, you can find plenty in colleges and universities, but you may also consider secondary or primary schools.

For many people in an institutional setting, such as a homeless shelter, addiction counseling center, or senior residence, their institution can feel sterile. Not only does that make for an unpleasant living experience, but that kind of living environment also makes it harder for people to achieve their recovery goals. A human services worker provides a human face to clients and helps them lead happier, more independent lives.

The day-to-day tasks of a human services worker may vary slightly depending on the population they work with, whether they are helping survivors of violence, those in addiction counseling, or others. They can help plan activities, lead group work, or provide individual emotional support to patients in need.

Just as there are many places where a human services worker can work, there are many paths to becoming one. Some human services workers get bachelor's or even master's degrees, but just as many do not. All human services workers need to show compassion and care for their clients, no matter what.