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Human services assistant skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
Quoted experts
Dr. Florence DiGennaro Reed Ph.D.,
Michelle Kelley Shuler Ph.D.
Human services assistant example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical human services assistant skills. We ranked the top skills for human services assistants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 14.9% of human services assistant resumes contained developmental disabilities as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a human services assistant needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 human services assistant skills for your resume and career

1. Developmental Disabilities

Here's how human services assistants use developmental disabilities:
  • Aided in training individuals with developmental disabilities to perform Activities of Daily Living and preparation for assimilation into the community.
  • Assisted adults with psychiatric and developmental disabilities with daily living skills.

2. Patients

Here's how human services assistants use patients:
  • Assist patients in therapeutic activities and communicate effectively with the mentally ill and emotionally disturbed.
  • Observed suicidal patients on a one-to-one basis and used physical restraint when necessary.

3. Social Work

Here's how human services assistants use social work:
  • Review additional information with social worker to ensure accuracy.
  • Work with clients and other professionals, such as social workers, to develop a treatment plan for each client.

4. Direct Supervision

Direct supervision is a term used to indicate that a person is supervising a certain task or a certain person while being physically present or in close proximity. It refers to the presence of a person and the availability of their supervision in something if it is needed.

Here's how human services assistants use direct supervision:
  • Provided direct supervision and training of adult survivors of traumatic brain injuries in a community based transitional residential rehabilitation program.
  • Provide direct supervision to developmentally delayed individuals, ensured safety, meal preparation/proper nutrition, appropriate activities, medication administration,

5. Direct Care

Direct care is the act of identifying people with special needs and offering the necessary care for them.

Here's how human services assistants use direct care:
  • Provided direct care to mentally disabled individuals.
  • Provided quality and safe direct care in order that the clients can reach their greatest level of independence.

6. Social Services

Here's how human services assistants use social services:
  • Provide case manager government facilities, private medical care setting social services.
  • Provide county social services and case management to 160 clients.

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7. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how human services assistants use patient care:
  • Direct patient care position in a 310-bed state psychiatric hospital, dedicated primarily for individuals 65 and over.
  • Performed direct patient care aimed at increasing comfort, psycho, social and spiritual well being.

8. Mental Health

Mental health is the state of wellbeing in which an individual can cope with the regular stresses and tensions of life, and can work productively without having any emotional or psychological breakdown. Mental health is essential for a person of any age and helps them make the right decisions in their life.

Here's how human services assistants use mental health:
  • Served as an advocate for homeless individuals with mental health and/or AODA issues by coordinating transitional housing assistance.
  • Work closely with other members if the interdisciplinary treatment team to assist adult mental health residents.

9. Community Resources

Community resources are a set of resources that are used in the day to day life of people which improves their lifestyle in some way. People, sites or houses, and population assistance can come under the services offered by community resources.

Here's how human services assistants use community resources:
  • Referred clients to various community resources to obtain free health services, transportation vouchers and clothing.
  • Educated residents and their families regarding other community resources.

10. Residential Facility

Here's how human services assistants use residential facility:
  • Performed basic therapeutic care and assisted with mentally ill clients at a residential facility.
  • Worked in a residential facility with a population that was diagnosed primarily with schizophrenia.

11. ADL

ADL is a clinical shorthand for "activities of daily living." It includes tasks such as feeding, dressing, bathing, and caring for one's self and personal hygiene.

Here's how human services assistants use adl:
  • Provide care (ADL's)-serve trays/shower, escort clients/court/cafeteria, monitor ward checks/precautions/restraints/behavior/safety, census, orient new admissions.
  • Provided assistance with ADL care, Mealtime, Recreational activities, IHP meetings, hourly documentation in Nurses active treatment log.

12. Treatment Plan

Here's how human services assistants use treatment plan:
  • Participated in continuous resident program with particular- emphasis on self help and possible social development within the resident treatment plan.
  • Participated in treatment team meetings and assists in the formulation/development of client treatment planning and program development.

13. Front Desk

Here's how human services assistants use front desk:
  • Help cover the front desk, answer phones, receive and distribute mail.
  • Manage front desk reception area by phone and in person.

14. Vital Signs

Vital signs are a set of values indicating different body systems' performance. They are measurements of the body's most basic functions. The four major vital signs used in medicine to assess a patient are body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure.

Here's how human services assistants use vital signs:
  • Record and maintain patient information, such as vital signs, eating habits, behavior, progress notes and treatments.
  • Distributed medications as ordered by physician and took vital signs.

15. Intellectual Disabilities

Here's how human services assistants use intellectual disabilities:
  • Care and assist consumers with intellectual disabilities, autism, and brain and spinal cord injuries.
  • Provide personal care and services for clients with intellectual disabilities.
top-skills

What skills help Human Services Assistants find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on human services assistant resumes?

Dr. Florence DiGennaro Reed Ph.D.Dr. Florence DiGennaro Reed Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor and Chairperson, Director of the Performance Management Laboratory, University of Kansas

In my experience, employers appreciate real-world experience where students/recent graduates can apply the knowledge they learned in their courses to actual work settings. Thus, graduates who have had service-learning practicum courses, internships, or other relevant experiences have resumes that tend to stand out to future employers.

What hard/technical skills are most important for human services assistants?

Michelle Kelley Shuler Ph.D.

Department Chair: Human Services, Austin Community College

a. Must have strong basic computer skills and knowledge of software such as excel spreadsheets, google docs, etc. Most, if not all, agencies use electronic health records and treatment planning, so it is necessary to be competent in this area.
b. A degree and additional certifications will assist you in seeking employment. It will also increase your level of competency and diversify the communities you serve. For example, at Austin Community College, we offer our students a chance to complete a certification in Mental Health First Aid Training. This increases their marketability and skill level.

What soft skills should all human services assistants possess?

Joel Hektner Ph.D.

Professor and Department Head, North Dakota State University

Interpersonal skills, communication, ability to work collaboratively. Respect for individual and cultural differences.

What human services assistant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Lynann “Annie” ButlerDr. Lynann “Annie” Butler LinkedIn profile

Chair and Professor, Metropolitan State University of Denver

Gap years are good opportunities to get a job in the field of interest. Having some professional experience helps people decide in what field, exactly, they want to earn a master's degree, or can help students to save money and focus their energies if returning to complete their bachelor's degree.

What type of skills will young human services assistants need?

Dr. Joseph Constantine Ph.D.Dr. Joseph Constantine Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Assistant Professor, California University of Pennsylvania

While adaptability has always been heralded as the key predictor of employment success in the future, rapid changes in the social and economic landscape also bring with them an increased need for more traditional skills such as building relationships, understanding specific community needs, networking with other professionals, and advocating for more intensive treatment protocols.

What technical skills for a human services assistant stand out to employers?

Dr. Chantrelle Varnado-Johnson

Assistant Professor & Coordinator of School Counseling Program, Nicholls State University

In addition, recent graduates will need to be familiarized with using telehealth platforms due to more remote learning needs. Plus, recent graduates will need to familiarize themselves with their basic facilitative skills to establish rapport quickly to have brief sessions. Also, I would recommend students receive competency-based credentials and become licensed in at least one additional state. Lastly, I would recommend students familiarize themselves with crisis intervention and trauma counseling.

In sum, graduates have to be aware of how their roles may shift due to job displacement, furloughs, and restructuring. Due to new challenges presented in the COVID-19 pandemic, graduates have to be prepared to address the possibility of being faced with high caseloads, secondary traumatization, role conflict/ambiguity, and tension in the workplace. As a precautionary measure, neophytes should adopt a holistic self-care regimen and professional network to ameliorate the mental health condition.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about human services assistant

List of human services assistant skills to add to your resume

Human services assistant skills

The most important skills for a human services assistant resume and required skills for a human services assistant to have include:

  • Developmental Disabilities
  • Patients
  • Social Work
  • Direct Supervision
  • Direct Care
  • Social Services
  • Patient Care
  • Mental Health
  • Community Resources
  • Residential Facility
  • ADL
  • Treatment Plan
  • Front Desk
  • Vital Signs
  • Intellectual Disabilities
  • Incident Reports
  • CPR
  • Management System
  • Meal Preparation
  • Food Preparation
  • Community Services
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Clean Environment
  • Review Reports
  • Mental Illness
  • Child Care
  • Accompany Clients
  • Telephone Calls
  • Substance Abuse
  • Care Plan
  • Medical Appointments
  • Oral Hygiene
  • TANF
  • Blood Pressure
  • Client Service
  • Physical Disabilities
  • Emotional Support
  • Foster Children
  • Therapeutic Environment
  • Behavioral Interventions
  • Computer System
  • Child Support
  • Mental Disabilities
  • Doctor Appointments
  • Crisis Situations

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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