Disciplines and Ideas in the Applied Social Sciences

What is Social Science?

The social science are the fields of scientific knowledge that study social groups and more
generally human society. Each discipline of social science represents specific facets of human
behavior in various environment.

Basic or Pure Social Science Disciplines

1. Anthropology
2. Economics
3. Geography
4. History
5. Political Science
6. Linguistics
7. Psychology
8. Sociology
9. Demographics

ANTHROPOLOGY
Anthropology is the study of all human aspects of human life and culture. It examines such topics
as how people live, what they think, what they produce, and how they interact with their
environment.

Anthropologists generally specialize in one of four fields: cultural anthropology, linguistic

anthropology, archaeology and physical anthropology.
ECONOMICS
Economics is a science which study the human behavior as the relationship between ends and
scares, which means have alternative uses. There are two branches of economics such as micro
economics and macroeconomics.

GEOGRAPHY
Geography is the science that deals with the distribution and arrangement of all elements of the
earth’s surface. Geography may be divided into two fundamental branches: systematic and
regional geography.

Systematic geography is concerned With individual physical and cultural elements of the earth
whilst Regional geography is concerned with various areas of the earth, particularly the unique
combinations of physical and cultural features that characterize each region and distinguish one
region from another.

HISTORY
History is the study of past event. It is a social science in the sense that it is a Systematic attempt
to learn about and verify past events and to relate them to one another and to the present. The
subject matter of history is everything that has already happened. The study of history involves
identifying, arranging, and patterning.

POLITICAL SCIENCE
Political science is the study of government, its structure and the activity associated with it. It is a
body of knowledge about the state in its various manifestations; politics refers to the actual
operations of a political system.

PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and the mind. It is social science Because humans
are social creatures. Social psychology is the study of the individuals behavior as it influences and
is influenced by the behavior of Others.

SOCIOLOGY
The origin of the word ‘sociology ‘ is from the Latin word ‘socius’ and the Greek ‘ology’, indicate
its nature as a hybrid discipline that can never aspire to the status of a social science or a current
body of knowledge. It is the systematic study of relationship among people.

DEMOGRAPHY
Demography is the interdisciplinary study of human populations. It deals with the social
characteristics of the population and their development through time.
 APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCE

Applied Social Science is the branch of study that applies the different concepts, theoretical
models, and theories of the social science disciplines to help understand society and the different
problems and issues.

It is the application of the knowledge based theories, principles, and methods of interdisciplinary
disciplines of basic social science to understand the society and to help address or solve a social
problem or practical problem in society.

Applied Social Sciences are Social Science Disciplines, professions, and occupations which seek
to use basic social science research and theory to improve the daily life of communities,
organizations, and individuals.

3 Main Career Tracks or Focus of Applied Social Science

1. Counseling
2. Social Work
3. Communications
COUNSELING

➤ It involves helping people make needed changes in ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
Empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness,
education, and career goals.

SOCIAL WORK

➤ It focuses on social change, problem-solving in human relationships and the empowerment and
liberation of people to enhance social justice.
COMMUNICATION

➤ Focuses on how humans use verbal and nonverbal messages to create meaning in various
contexts across cultures using a variety of channels and media.

DISCIPLINE OF COUNSELING
The field of study or a discipline that is involved in the provision of advice or guidance in decision-
making, particularly in emotionally significant situations.
- A principled relationship characterized by the application of one or more psychological
theories and a recognized set of communication skills, modified by experience, intuition
and other interpersonal factors, to clients’ intimate concerns, problems or aspirations.
(Feltham and Dryden, 1993)
- The common factor in most counselling situations is that the client is demoralized,
distressed or otherwise in a negative state of mind about something.

CHARACTERISTICS OF COUNSELING
1. Is an OPEN and HONEST conversation with someone regarding some problem.
2. Counsellor draws out the facts from the pupils through counselling process.
3. Counseling helps the pupil in making selections and following those selections.
4. Counseling is assistance to the persons in their behavior related problems in which their
emotions and motivations are main factors.
5. Counseling involves interactions in which the counsellor accepts the responsibility of
positive contribution in the development of other people’s personality.
6. Counseling is a learning oriented process.
7. Counseling is a face to face relationship with a person. This relationship is between
counsellor and a client.
8. Counseling is democratic. It lays down the democratic system. The client can behave as he
wishes.
9. Counselling is a professional advice.
10. Counselling is problem-oriented.
 11. Counseling is based on appropriateness of counselor’s prediction.
12. Best counselling is in the form of the decision made by the counselee.
13. Counseling is possible in humorous and cooperative environment only.
14. Counseling is completely based on self-guidance.

COUNSELING CORE VALUES

- The potential of every human being to change and to continue learning throughout the
lifespan, in formal and informal settings, and especially in the environment of counseling
and psychological services.
- Strong relationships as the primary vehicle in helping others to learn new ways of
thinking, feeling and behaving, including collaboration within the university community
and partnering with other offices to provide comprehensive mental health services to
students.
- An emphasis on prevention of mental health problems via education, intervention and
outreach into the University Community.

GOALS OF COUNSELING

GOAL Description
Developmental These are those wherein the client assisted in meeting or advancing
Goals his/her anticipated human growth and development
Prevention is a goal in which the counselor helps the client avoid
Preventive Goals
undesirable outcome.
If the client possess special skills and abilities, enhancement means
Enhancement Goals they can be identified and further be improved through the help of a
counsellor.
Remedial Goals It involves helping the client to treat an undesirable development.
Exploration represents goals appropriate to the examining of options,
Exploratory Goals testing of skills, and trying of new and different activities,
environments, relationships, and etc.
It is used when clients need help in recognizing that what they are
Reinforcement Goals
doing, thinking and/or feeling is okay.
It involves acquiring the basic foundation of learning and cognitive
Cognitive Goals
skills.
It involves acquiring the basic understandings and habits for good
Physiological Goals
health.
It helps in developing good social interaction skills, learning
Psychological Goals
emotional control, developing a positive self-concept and so on.

Ethical Principles of Counseling

1. Autonomy of Individuals
2. Principle of Nonmaleficence
3. Principle of Justice
4. Principle of Fidelity
Autonomy of Individuals
• Based on the right of freedom of action and freedom of choice in so far as the exercise of
said freedom does not interfere the freedom of others.
• Counseling cannot happen unless the client has made a free choice to participate.

Principle of Nonmaleficence
• Refers to instruction to all helpers and healers that they must, above all, DO NO HARM.
Nonmaleficence means non-harming or inflicting the least possible harm in order to reach
a beneficial outcome.

Principle of Justice
• Concerned with the fair distribution of resources and services, unless there exists some
acceptable reason for treating them differently.
• To promote the WORTH and DIGNITY of each individual, counselors are required to be
concerned with equal treatment for all individuals.

Principle of Fidelity
• Loyalty, reliability, dependability and action in good faith.
• Entering into a contract means to stay with the client and give the client his honest efforts.
•

Roles and Functions of Counselors

Role/Functions Description
Individual Seeks to identify the characteristics and potential of every client;
Assessment promotes the client’s self-understanding and assisting counselors to
better understand the client.
Individual Client-centered process that demand confidentiality. Relationship is
Counseling established between the counselor and client.
Group Counseling Groups are means of providing organized and planned assistance to
and Guidance individuals for an array of needs. Counselors provide assistance
through group counseling and group guidance.
Career Assistance Counselors are called upon to provide career planning and adjustment
to clients.
Placement and A service of school counseling programs with emphasis on educational
Follow-Up placements in course and programs.
Referral It is the practice of helping clients find needed expert assistance that
the referring counselor cannot provide.
Consultation It is a process of helping a client through a third party or helping system
to improve its services to its clientele.
Research It is necessary to advance the profession of counseling; it can provide
empirically based data relevant to the ultimate goal of implementing
effective counseling.
Evaluation and Evaluation is a means of assessing the effectiveness of the counselor’s
Accountability activities. Accountability is an outgrowth of demand that schools and
other tax-supported institutions be accountable for their actions.
 Prevention This includes promotion of mental health through primary prevention
using social-psychological perspective.

Competencies of Counselors
1. Interpersonal skills
2. Personal beliefs and attitudes
3. Conceptual ability
4. Personal soundness
5. Mastery of techniques
6. Ability to understand and work within social systems
7. Openness to learning and inquiry

Interpersonal Skills
• Counselors who are competent display the ability to listen, communicate, empathize, be
present, aware of non-verbal communication, sensitive to quality, and are responsiveness
to expression of emotion.

Personal Beliefs and Attitudes

• Counselors have the capacity to accept others, believe in the potential for change,
awareness of ethical and moral choices, and sensitive to the values held by the client and
self.

Conceptual Ability
• Counselors have the ability to understand and assess the client’s problems; to anticipate
future problems; and to remember information about the client.

Personal Soundness
• Counselors must have no irrational beliefs that are destructive to counseling relationships.
They must be confident in themselves and have the capacity to tolerate strong and
uncomfortable feelings in relation to client. They must be able to secure personal
boundaries and have no social prejudice.

Mastery of Techniques
• Counselors must have a knowledge of when and how to carry out specific interventions,
ability to assess effectiveness of interventions, and understanding of rationale behind
techniques.

Ability to Understand and work within Social Systems

• This comprises of awareness of family and work relationships of the client, and the
sensitivity to client from a different gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or age group.

Openness to Learning and Inquiry

• Counselors must have the capacity to be curious about client’s backgrounds and problems;
being open to new problems.
Career Opportunities and Areas of Specialization
1. Marriage and Family Counseling
2. Child and Adolescent Counseling
3. Group Counseling
4. Career Counseling
5. School Counseling
6. Mental Health Counseling

Marriage and Family Counseling

• Refers to the efforts to establish an encouraging relationship with a couple or family. The
focus of the counselors is on helping couples and families to discover options and
opportunities for effective family living.

Child and Adolescent Counseling

• Common problems include child abuse and neglect, depression and children and
adolescents, and antisocial behavior. The counseling strategies focus on children and
adolescents acquire coping skills through resiliency, positive attachment relationship,
emotional and intellectual intelligence, and other qualities that promote optional
development.

Group Counseling
• Group counselling affords members the opportunity to LEARN FROM OBSERVING
OTHER MEMBERS. Members are encouraged to offer help to others and can enhance
their interpersonal skills.

School Counseling
• This refers to the process of reaching out to students with concerns on drugs, family and
peers or gang involvement. School Counselors work together with relevant community
agencies and closely coordinates with key stakeholders in the school and family.

Mental Health Counseling

• The clients here have mental disorders such as serious depression, schizophrenia, and
substance abuse. This job requires patience, humility, kindness, and compassion.

Rights, Responsibilities, Accountability of Counselors

1. Counseling relationship
2. Confidentiality
3. Professional responsibility
4. Relationship with other professionals
5. Evaluation, assessment, and interpretation
6. Teaching, training, and supervision
7. Research and publication
 Counseling
Relationships
Client Welfare Counselor’s primary responsibility is to respect the dignity and to
promote the client’s welfare. They shall aim to promote the client’s
growth.
Respecting Diversity Counselors should not engage in discrimination based on age, color,
culture, disability, ethnic group,, gender, race, religion, sexual
orientation, marital status and socio-economic status.
Client Rights Counselors shall disclose the purposes, goals, techniques, procedures,
limitations, potential risks, and benefits of the services to be performed
to the client.
Clients Served by In cases where the client is receiving services from another mental
Others health professional, with the client’s consent, inform the other
professional person involved to develop an agreement.
Personal Needs and Maintain respect for clients and avoid actions that seek to meet their
Values personal needs at the expense of the clients.
Dual Relationships Counselors are aware of their influential position over their clients and
should avoid exploiting the trust of their clients.
Sexual Intimacies Counselors should not have any type of sexual intimacy with clients
with Clients and should not counsel persons with whom they have sexual intimacies
with.
Multiple Clients In cases where the counselors agree to provide counseling services to
two or more persons who have a relationship, counselors should clarify
at the outset which person or persons are clients and the nature of
relationship they will have with each person involved.
Group Work Counselors screen prospective group counseling/therapy participants
to determine those with compatible needs.
Fees Prior to entering the counseling relationship, the counselors should
clearly explain to the clients all the financial arrangements related to
professional fees.

Confidentiality
Right to Privacy Counselors shall respect a client’s right to privacy and avoid illegal and
unwarranted disclosures of unwarranted information. This right to
privacy may be waived by the clients or their legally recognized
representatives.
Group and Families In group work, counselors clearly define confidentiality and parameters
for the specific group being entered, explain its importance, and discuss
the difficulties related to confidentiality involved in group work.

In family counseling, information about one family cannot be disclosed

to another member without permission.
Minor/Incompetent When counseling clients who are minors or individuals who are unable
Clients to give voluntary, informed consent, parents or guardians may be
included in the counseling process.
Records Counselors maintain records necessary for rendering professional
services to their clients and as required by laws, regulations, or agency
or institution procedures. They are responsible for securing the safety
and confidentiality of such records.
Research and Use of data derived from counseling relationships for purposes of
Training training, research, or publication is confined to content that is disguised
to ensure the anonymity of individuals involved.
Consultation Information obtained in a consulting relationship is discussed for
professional purposes only with the persons clearly concerned with the
case.