Self-Care Summer: Don't Mask Our Emotions

by Steve Marick, LMSW

     March of this year, a mentor and LCSW took her own life. I went through so many emotions, including hurt, sadness, anger, and frustration. I talked to fellow social workers and discovered my anger was due to the fact that my mentor knew how to mask her internal suffering. We both talked about suicide assessments by working with our clients. We both knew the questions to ask, how to watch for non-verbal cues, and how to assess the seriousness of a person's intent to end their life. 

     With our knowledge, it is very easy for us as professionals to mask our own pain and avoid our peers who would know what to look for or ask the tough questions. I am angry that my mentor did not practice what she preached, and I do not know the level of personal pain she was in. 

     When we talk about self-care, we are one of the worst professions to practice what we preach. I want us to be aware that we are no different from our clients in our pain or methods of removing the pain.

     Please reach out to someone you trust, and do take care of yourself. 

Steve Marick, LMSW, received his MSW from Northwest Nazarene University in 2007. Steve has worked with adults with developmental disabilities and mental illness. He currently is a home health care and hospice social worker.

If you are currently experiencing a crisis,  please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741 741 for the Crisis Text Line.