What does a human services assistant do?
Human service assistants function in a wide array of capacities. Basically, though, they provide services to clients in fields like rehabilitation, social work, or psychology. They provide support in the aforementioned fields for families and other workers. They are tasked with helping clients discover community services or benefits. Working with other professionals, they develop treatment plans, carry out research services to aid clients, and help clients with necessary paperwork.
Human services assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real human services assistant resumes:
- Manage client medical data in accordance with HIPPA guidelines.
- Assist residents with ADL's, social interactions, meals.
- Provide care (ADL's) -serve trays/shower, escort clients/court/cafeteria, monitor ward checks/precautions/restraints/behavior/safety, census, orient new admissions.
- Assist individuals in the participation of leisure-time activities and recreation as appropriate including anything outline in the individuals IP.
- Document progress and communicate to MHMR case manager.
Human services assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Human Services Assistants are proficient in Developmental Disabilities, Patients, and Social Work. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Human Services Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Developmental Disabilities, 15%
Aided in training individuals with developmental disabilities to perform Activities of Daily Living and preparation for assimilation into the community.
- Patients, 14%
Assist patients in therapeutic activities and communicate effectively with the mentally ill and emotionally disturbed.
- Social Work, 11%
Review additional information with social worker to ensure accuracy.
- Direct Supervision, 5%
Provided direct supervision and training of adult survivors of traumatic brain injuries in a community based transitional residential rehabilitation program.
- Direct Care, 5%
Provided direct care to mentally disabled individuals.
- Social Services, 5%
Provide case manager government facilities, private medical care setting social services.
Most human services assistants use their skills in "developmental disabilities," "patients," and "social work" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential human services assistant responsibilities here:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a human services assistant to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "social and human service assistants talk with clients about the challenges in their lives and assist them in getting help." Human services assistants often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "utilize care plans for each patient individually that would enhance their growth in communication, self care and behavioral growth. "
Compassion. Another essential skill to perform human services assistant duties is compassion. Human services assistants responsibilities require that "social and human service assistants often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations." Human services assistants also use compassion in their role according to a real resume snippet: "delivered high-quality and compassionate treatment to developmentally disabled patients. "
Problem-solving skills. human services assistants are also known for problem-solving skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to human services assistant responsibilities, because "social and human service assistants help clients find solutions to their problems." A human services assistant resume example shows how problem-solving skills is used in the workplace: "attended to patients needs within job specification and if necessary report unresolved issues to the appropriate health professionals. "
Time-management skills. A big part of what human services assistants do relies on "time-management skills." You can see how essential it is to human services assistant responsibilities because "social and human service assistants often work with many clients." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical human services assistant tasks: "scanned and assembled client tax returns worked alongside other employees to meet client tax return deadlines"
Organizational skills. A commonly-found skill in human services assistant job descriptions, "organizational skills" is essential to what human services assistants do. Human services assistant responsibilities rely on this skill because "social and human service assistants must often complete lots of paperwork and work with many different clients." You can also see how human services assistant duties rely on organizational skills in this resume example: "conflict resolution * organizational skills * team work * communication"
Interpersonal skills. While "interpersonal skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to human services assistant responsibilities. Much of what a human services assistant does relies on this skill, seeing as "social and human service assistants must make their clients feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of human services assistants: "fort lauderdale, fl exceptional interpersonal, communication, and customer service skills. "
The three companies that hire the most human services assistants are:
- The Salvation Army7 human services assistants jobs
- Deloitte4 human services assistants jobs
- FHI 3602 human services assistants jobs
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Compare different human services assistants
Human services assistant vs. Residential counselor
A residential counselor is responsible for guiding and providing the residents with their basic needs and other resources to support them in their daily living. Residential counselors' duties include maintaining the safety of the community by enforcing safety guidelines and procedures for the residents' compliance, organizing productive and engaging community activities, updating the residents of any changes and policies in the community, and resolving conflicts by counseling and understanding each resident's differences. A residential counselor must have excellent communication and decision-making skills to ensure the development of residents in a living facility.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between human services assistants and residential counselor. For instance, human services assistant responsibilities require skills such as "social services," "patient care," "residential facility," and "treatment plan." Whereas a residential counselor is skilled in "medication administration," "autism," "cleanliness," and "money management." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Residential counselors tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $35,120. In contrast, human services assistants make the biggest average salary, $33,918, in the manufacturing industry.The education levels that residential counselors earn slightly differ from human services assistants. In particular, residential counselors are 4.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a human services assistant. Additionally, they're 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Human services assistant vs. Assistant group supervisor
Assistant group supervisors assist in implementing daily activities under the supervision of the group supervisor. The supervisors coordinate day-to-day activities and manage aides without the group supervisor. They prepare and enforce lesson plans, along with executing activities. The skills they need to develop include child care, classroom management, safety handling, personal care, and other learning activities.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, human services assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "developmental disabilities," "patients," "social work," and "direct supervision." Meanwhile, an assistant group supervisor has duties that require skills in areas such as "classroom environment," "pre-k," "infant room," and "open communication." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
In general, assistant group supervisors achieve similar levels of education than human services assistants. They're 0.7% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for human services assistants in the next 3-5 years?
Lesley Casarez Ph.D.
Director, Quality Enhancement Plan Program Coordinator, M.S. Professional School Counseling Associate Professor, Curriculum and Instruction, Angelo State University
Human services assistant vs. Student support services
The one who shows the track of academic pursuit is student support service. Equipped with a wide range of knowledge themselves, such people provide auxiliary aids and services to the aspirants. They select appropriate and effective accommodations and provide counseling to the students.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a human services assistant is likely to be skilled in "developmental disabilities," "patients," "social work," and "direct supervision," while a typical student support services is skilled in "student support," "support services," "financial aid," and "academic support."
Student support services earn the best pay in the education industry, where they command an average salary of $38,009. Human services assistants earn the highest pay from the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $33,918.Most student support services achieve a higher degree level compared to human services assistants. For example, they're 10.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Human services assistant vs. Mental health assistant
A mental health assistant is responsible for supporting patients with mental and emotional issues under the supervision of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals. Mental health assistants assist patients in performing their daily activities, monitoring their progress, and observing their personal and social behaviors. They also conduct recreational and engaging activities for the patients as part of their cooperative treatment plans. A mental health assistant ensures that the rooms and facilities are clean and safe at all times to prevent potential hazards and accidents.
Types of human services assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
