Writing Proficiency
While working in a Human Services field, it is incredibly important to know how to write, and more specifically write in different ways. Throughout school, lots of time is spent improving the academic voice for research, informative, and factual papers yet not much time is spent in reflection or used to spark creativity and emotion. Human Services, although it is broad, taught me how and when to use different voices. As a professional, it is incredibly important to use a professional voice for communicating, an academic voice for researching facts, and maybe an advocacy voice to talk about important issues. I will demonstrate all of these skills in the field, whether doing direct or indirect services with the populations I work with, and present how I accomplished the standards in this paper.
Academic Voice
In HSP 385 Applied Research Methods I learned how to conduct research and write a complete research paper using an academic voice. Throughout this course, I extensively learned APA requirements, how to conduct valid research, and write using an academic, factual voice. I wrote a research paper, about citizen’s awareness of the causes of mental illness and includes an analysis of the causes of mental illness that incorporates all of the factors, limitations of the study, and a conclusive summary of the findings.
I have applied CSHSE standard 15 in HSP 485 Program Planning and Evaluation where I presented research, literature reviews, statistics, and data within our group program plans. As my group worked with the campus radio station K.U.G.S., we were able to construct a program plan, starting with an initial interview needs assessment, distribution of surveys, and data analysis, we displayed the results of Western students utilizing the campus radio station. This project challenged me to improve my academic voice and research abilities.
In this Program Planning course, I also constructed an individual needs assessment for the Bellingham Fire Department where I did my first internship for the HSP 341 Practicum class. The needs assessment identified the public awareness of the new pilot Community Paramedic Program of the fall 2014-spring 2015. This assessment proposed for focus groups and events to increase community awareness so they are able to utilize the community paramedic resource.
Professional Voice
I received practice using my professional voice in this major in some classwork and especially in the internship fieldwork. For HSP 440 Internship and Seminar, I learned how to write professional emails and memorandums in the Public Defender office to attorneys, supervisors, and sometimes clients. I was able to exercise the importance of communication via email to keep up to date with clients and inform the attorneys through professional, conventional etiquette. While I would perform many interviews, I had to write using professional jargon, specifically legal terms, and find the most efficient ways to display the interview in a memorandum. This also included some medical jargon, as I often faxed medical releases and had to review them. Often times, I used these to learn about any trauma or mental illness, and I learned useful ways to summarize these important documents for legal cases.
In my coursework in HSP 435 Nonprofit Management, I learned how to write a proposal through the form of a memorandum. This proposal encouraged me to write in a professional voice, as if I were sending a new program proposal to the executive director of an organization. I also wrote a memorandum proposal for a partnership to an executive director. There are many rules and biases involved with deciding the most professional words and visuals within memorandums and professional emails. However, through the process of reviewing and receiving feedback from my peers, it helped improve the professionalism of the paper and gave me new, creative insight for the program proposal. In the Nonprofit Management 101 practical guide by Darian Rodriguez Heyman, it discusses many different ways to use a professional voice. A professional voice can be used for many different forms of writing and also applies to many categories such as marketing, leadership, technology, advocacy, collaboration, and organizations; strategies I learned in the Nonprofit Management course that will apply in the professional sector.
Creative Voice
Although Human Services often focuses on social justice issues and research papers, there have also been opportunities to be creative within this work. In my first class HSP 303, I made an entire Weebly site for my personal landscape explaining theories, skills, and background within the field and in my personal life. By creating a website, including artistic pictures, and sharing my own personal story, I felt vulnerable within my creative voice. I was able to write in a poetic and expressive way that is not demonstrative in any other kind of writing in this program. The project itself was encouraged to spark creativity, and as the class was learning about the systems around us, I was inspired to draw a picture for my presentation that was a metaphor for systems, how they were connected, and how it all linked back to health and well being.
With that, I have also had the opportunity to express my words and metaphors through a drawing in HSP 404 Human Services Professionals and Community Systems. The assignment was specifically about community art and it encouraged the art of deeper reflection in order to depict a metaphor of our community systems, and how it led into our HSP 406 global systems class.
Reflective Voice
Reflection might be the main theme that I will take away from this major. As I have reflected on experiences, readings, discussions, all related to an understanding of social justice, I have truly learned how to critically think, and understand the history that has led us to where we are today. Reflection is the first step to these processes. As I have reflected on my experiences in HSP 440 Internship and Seminar, and reflected on the content in HSP 402, 404, and 406 I have learned what is important for me to reflect on, and how to write and question in a contemplative state. Using the EIAG and GIBBS model for internship reflections I was able to remember my emotional responses, differentiate good from bad feelings or be subjective, and try to make sense of it so I can understand how to respond in the future. Reflection taught me to subjectively analyze situations, learn from them, and potentially grow. It is incredibly important for any learning experience, especially in a professional workplace, or right now as a student.
Advocacy Voice
My advocacy voice was used in my standpoint essay in HSP 301 Human Services Professionals and Personal Systems. This essay required us to write about one stance on a specific issue using a persuasive voice. In my specific essay on the issue of the death penalty, I advocated against the death penalty and gave all of my reasons why. When using an advocacy voice, I needed to believe in the issue, and I felt that it was important to argue for that standpoint.
I have applied CSHSE standards 14, “the curriculum shall provide knowledge and skills in information management,” and standard 15, “The curriculum shall provide knowledge and skill development in systematic analysis of services needs; planning appropriate strategies, services, and implementation; and evaluation of outcomes.”
References
CSHSE - Council for Standards in Human Service Education. (2010). Retrieved May 16, 2016, from http://www.cshse.org/standards.html
Academic Voice
In HSP 385 Applied Research Methods I learned how to conduct research and write a complete research paper using an academic voice. Throughout this course, I extensively learned APA requirements, how to conduct valid research, and write using an academic, factual voice. I wrote a research paper, about citizen’s awareness of the causes of mental illness and includes an analysis of the causes of mental illness that incorporates all of the factors, limitations of the study, and a conclusive summary of the findings.
I have applied CSHSE standard 15 in HSP 485 Program Planning and Evaluation where I presented research, literature reviews, statistics, and data within our group program plans. As my group worked with the campus radio station K.U.G.S., we were able to construct a program plan, starting with an initial interview needs assessment, distribution of surveys, and data analysis, we displayed the results of Western students utilizing the campus radio station. This project challenged me to improve my academic voice and research abilities.
In this Program Planning course, I also constructed an individual needs assessment for the Bellingham Fire Department where I did my first internship for the HSP 341 Practicum class. The needs assessment identified the public awareness of the new pilot Community Paramedic Program of the fall 2014-spring 2015. This assessment proposed for focus groups and events to increase community awareness so they are able to utilize the community paramedic resource.
Professional Voice
I received practice using my professional voice in this major in some classwork and especially in the internship fieldwork. For HSP 440 Internship and Seminar, I learned how to write professional emails and memorandums in the Public Defender office to attorneys, supervisors, and sometimes clients. I was able to exercise the importance of communication via email to keep up to date with clients and inform the attorneys through professional, conventional etiquette. While I would perform many interviews, I had to write using professional jargon, specifically legal terms, and find the most efficient ways to display the interview in a memorandum. This also included some medical jargon, as I often faxed medical releases and had to review them. Often times, I used these to learn about any trauma or mental illness, and I learned useful ways to summarize these important documents for legal cases.
In my coursework in HSP 435 Nonprofit Management, I learned how to write a proposal through the form of a memorandum. This proposal encouraged me to write in a professional voice, as if I were sending a new program proposal to the executive director of an organization. I also wrote a memorandum proposal for a partnership to an executive director. There are many rules and biases involved with deciding the most professional words and visuals within memorandums and professional emails. However, through the process of reviewing and receiving feedback from my peers, it helped improve the professionalism of the paper and gave me new, creative insight for the program proposal. In the Nonprofit Management 101 practical guide by Darian Rodriguez Heyman, it discusses many different ways to use a professional voice. A professional voice can be used for many different forms of writing and also applies to many categories such as marketing, leadership, technology, advocacy, collaboration, and organizations; strategies I learned in the Nonprofit Management course that will apply in the professional sector.
Creative Voice
Although Human Services often focuses on social justice issues and research papers, there have also been opportunities to be creative within this work. In my first class HSP 303, I made an entire Weebly site for my personal landscape explaining theories, skills, and background within the field and in my personal life. By creating a website, including artistic pictures, and sharing my own personal story, I felt vulnerable within my creative voice. I was able to write in a poetic and expressive way that is not demonstrative in any other kind of writing in this program. The project itself was encouraged to spark creativity, and as the class was learning about the systems around us, I was inspired to draw a picture for my presentation that was a metaphor for systems, how they were connected, and how it all linked back to health and well being.
With that, I have also had the opportunity to express my words and metaphors through a drawing in HSP 404 Human Services Professionals and Community Systems. The assignment was specifically about community art and it encouraged the art of deeper reflection in order to depict a metaphor of our community systems, and how it led into our HSP 406 global systems class.
Reflective Voice
Reflection might be the main theme that I will take away from this major. As I have reflected on experiences, readings, discussions, all related to an understanding of social justice, I have truly learned how to critically think, and understand the history that has led us to where we are today. Reflection is the first step to these processes. As I have reflected on my experiences in HSP 440 Internship and Seminar, and reflected on the content in HSP 402, 404, and 406 I have learned what is important for me to reflect on, and how to write and question in a contemplative state. Using the EIAG and GIBBS model for internship reflections I was able to remember my emotional responses, differentiate good from bad feelings or be subjective, and try to make sense of it so I can understand how to respond in the future. Reflection taught me to subjectively analyze situations, learn from them, and potentially grow. It is incredibly important for any learning experience, especially in a professional workplace, or right now as a student.
Advocacy Voice
My advocacy voice was used in my standpoint essay in HSP 301 Human Services Professionals and Personal Systems. This essay required us to write about one stance on a specific issue using a persuasive voice. In my specific essay on the issue of the death penalty, I advocated against the death penalty and gave all of my reasons why. When using an advocacy voice, I needed to believe in the issue, and I felt that it was important to argue for that standpoint.
I have applied CSHSE standards 14, “the curriculum shall provide knowledge and skills in information management,” and standard 15, “The curriculum shall provide knowledge and skill development in systematic analysis of services needs; planning appropriate strategies, services, and implementation; and evaluation of outcomes.”
References
CSHSE - Council for Standards in Human Service Education. (2010). Retrieved May 16, 2016, from http://www.cshse.org/standards.html