The first associate degree human services program was developed in 1966. Human Services is an independent discipline just as other mental health curriculums such as social work, counseling, and psychology. One of the clarifying differences between human services and the other disciplines is that the foundation of human services is supported by an integration of the other disciplines. A comprehensive human services program offers information of a systems theory as included in the study of social work. It offers the study of models used to work effectively with individual clients, small groups, and families as included in the study of counseling. It also introduces the study of human behavior, a primary study of psychology. With the unique integration of studies, the discipline of human services has a generic orientation to working with diverse clients in various settings.

Maslow's Hierarchy