Self-Care and the Social Worker: Taking Our Place in the Code

Self-care management 101: Strategies for social workers and other frontline responders during the COVID-19 pandemic in rural communities

“…As we explore the challenges caused by COVID-19, this is an opportune time to identify implications for social work. According to Willis and Molina (2019), The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics has one major weakness: "It places maximum emphasis on the wellness of clients and minimal guidance on the importance of wellness for the people who serve. This suggests that our wellness is not as important as the wellness of those we serve."…”

“…Dugan and Barnes-Farrell (2017), defined downtime as the physical relaxation and psychological detachment from work place stress. Neglecting the bio-psychosocial wellness puts social workers at risk for compassion fatigue, stress, secondary trauma, and burnout (Willis & Molina, 2019). Yet, social workers fail to take care of themselves as provider of service.…”

“…Social workers need to be engaged in strategies that support self-care. Often times the social worker is the last person on the list to provide nurturance to themselves (Willis & Molina, 2019).…”

Reducing social worker burnout during COVID-19

“…While dedicating a career to helping others, myriad challenges can arise that can affect an individual’s overall well-being and job satisfaction (Wagaman et al, 2015). Common themes emerged from literature that may indicate factors that can lead to increased burnout among social workers: heavy caseloads, low wages, limited resources, time constraints and deadlines, conflict within work climate, ethical predicaments, inconsistencies amid professional development desires, and the structural organization among which individuals work (Ben-Porat and Itzhaky, 2015; Diaconescu, 2015; Iacono, 2017; McFadden et al, 2015; Willis and Molina, 2019).…”

The role of social worker at Ngāti Awa Social and Health Services

“…The critical component to the social work profession is to practice self-care to help prevent and manage the adverse effects burnout can have on professionals (Willis & Molina, 2019). This chapter provided a brief overview of literature that is relevant to the practicum I completed.…”