Social Worker Success & Self-Care Toolbox
by Sinika Calloway, MSW, LMSW
As a new hospice social worker, it was vital for me to quickly learn the power of self-preservation and self-care in order to have success in my career. I must say that I have developed a healthy toolbox, so to speak, of ways to provide self-care and maintain a work/life balance. Although I am new to hospice social work, I have now been a social worker for 10 years, and I would like to share the elements in what I call my social worker success and self-care toolbox.
Tool #1 - Preparation
The first element of the social worker success and self-care toolbox is PREPARATION. This element will help in social workers’ personal and professional lives. Preparation will always be the key to success. Reading a client’s background information and taking notes will help prepare social workers for their initial meeting with a client and/or family. Having a pen and paper, having the necessary forms while in the office or field, and always being a step ahead helps to alleviate so much stress and anxiety. Being prepared also develops confidence as a social work professional. Preparation is also vital in our personal lives. Examples of preparation in our personal lives include meal planning, completing grocery shopping before the work week, and making to-do lists so that we can stay as efficient as possible—personally and professionally.
Tool #2 - Organization
The second element of the social worker success and self-care toolbox is ORGANIZATION. Ways to stay organized include keeping a planner or agenda, keeping a to-do list, using apps on a cell phone or a computer, using timers and alarms, keeping good legible notes, and maintaining necessary client forms and files. Setting up office organizational systems is also very beneficial to both social workers and clients.
Tool #3 - Resources
Following organization, the third element is RESOURCES. To have social worker success, it is important to know what resources are available to you and to your clients. Knowing what services are available to your clients will help you to be efficient and will help clients to get linked with needed services in a timely fashion. In terms of social worker self-care, it is important to know what services are available to you through your company and through your community. Possible services range from counseling through an Employee Assistance Program to a discounted gym membership.
Tool #4 - Healthy Coping
The fourth element in our social worker success and self-care toolbox is HEALTHY COPING, with a strong emphasis on healthy. Ways to practice healthy coping include the following: talking to a friend, family member, or therapist; exercising; journaling; writing; and developing a work/life balance, to name a few.
Tool #5 - Wellness Plan
The fifth element in our social worker success and self-care toolbox is a WELLNESS PLAN. You may be wondering why wellness is listed separately from healthy coping. The reason this is listed separately is that each person’s definition of wellness is different. For example, some people may function well with getting less than eight hours of sleep, whereas another person may require more sleep. Each person has to define his or her own definition of wellness. Examples of a wellness plan include eating healthy; getting adequate rest, nutrition, and hydration; avoiding or eliminating risky behaviors; and practicing self-preservation.
Tool #6 – Humor
The last element in the social worker success and self-care toolbox is HUMOR. This is something I implemented into my self-care plan three years ago after a move across the country with my spouse. I started watching something comical on the television or on YouTube daily before I go to sleep at night. I recorded comedy television programs on my DVR and watched them before I went to sleep. There is an old saying that laughter is the medicine of the soul, and many research studies have confirmed the benefits of laughter in our lives. According to the Mayo Clinic (n.d.), laughter can activate and relieve stress responses and relieve tension. We have to see and find the humor, not only in life, but in our work as social workers, as well. In my hospice work, I find that many patients do not want to focus on their medical conditions. Instead, they use humor as a coping mechanism, and this improves their mood greatly.
In closing, I would like to share a quote from author Allen Klein, who stated, “Your attitude is like a box of crayons that color your world. Constantly color your picture gray, and your picture will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, and your picture begins to lighten up.”
Cheers to a brighter, lighter chance of social worker success!
References
Healthy lifestyle: Stress management. (n.d.) Retrieved June 21, 2017, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456
Humor quotes. (n.d.) Retrieved June 21, 2017, from https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_humor.html
Sinika Calloway, MSW, LMSW, is a medical social worker at Bethany Hospice in Pennsylvania. She is a licensed social worker in Alabama and Pennsylvania with 10 years of social work experience, including foster care and child protective services, nonprofit management, and medical social work. Author of How I Passed the Social Work Licensure Exam And How You Can Too, Sinika hopes to inspire social work students and professionals to not give up on their dreams of becoming a licensed social worker.
Editor's Note: This article is part of The New Social Worker's Self-Care Summer 2017 Project. For more ideas on self-care, see The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals.