Empowering Online Undergraduate Social Work Students to Address Their Stress

Abstract

Effective self-regulation is a critical aspect of social work. Unmanaged stress can impair a social worker’s effectiveness. BSW students must demonstrate the capacity for cognitive and affective self-regulation to graduate, yet they may be expected to develop these skills outside of their academic program. This article describes a pedagogical strategy for encouraging proactive stress management practices in BSW students during online theory and practice courses at a Midwest public university. Students completed weekly self-care quizzes, which required them to rate their stress, create a plan to reduce this stress, and assess their efforts. Students felt this activity helped them to reflect and take action while also strengthening their relationships with their online instructor. Although this effort was employed in the years prior to COVID-19, the relevance of encouraging active stress management in the time of the pandemic and widespread virtual learning has only increased.