Self-Care A-Z: Social Worker Self-Care from an International Perspective
by Erlene Grise-Owens and J. Jay Miller, co-editors of The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals
Social work is a world-changing profession! So, we were especially excited to participate July 4-7, 2018, in the Social Work and Social Development (SWSD) Global conference in Dublin, Ireland. More than 2,000 people from 99 countries attended this biennial conference.
Professional Depletion as an International Concern
We presented initial findings from our developing international study on self-care practices of social workers, as well as the Self-Care Lab’s ongoing research on self-care. Also, we shared The Wellness Group, ETC’s work on organizational wellness. We connected with a handful of colleagues who presented on aspects of these topics. For instance, a poster presentation by an Irish practitioner and adjunct faculty member described her adaptation of a modality she uses to teach clients about self-care to use in her courses with students.
Alongside formal presentations, informal lunch chats and serendipitous interchanges at afternoon tea are highlights of these global conferences. Through international exchanges, we learn about different systems, service modalities, challenges, cultures, and professional emphases. For instance, unlike the U.S. emphasis on clinical services, many countries almost exclusively emphasize community development. Yet, from Taiwan, Iran, Australia, England, Ghana, Canada, Argentina, and places in between, the sentiment was the same: Professional stress and burnout is a huge—and growing—problem!
Repeatedly, our international colleagues described the challenges that Greville aptly dubbed “conditions of professional depletion.” While Greville’s description focuses on the micro aspects of professional depletion of individual practitioners (e.g., compassion fatigue), the term also applies to macro “professional depletion.” That is, individual practitioners’ depletion contributes to depleted quality of services, practitioner job satisfaction, and staff retention. Ultimately, this depletion contributes to large-scale depletion of the profession, itself—such as, numbers of practitioners and integrity of the profession.
The Profession’s Obligation: Self-Care Movement
Regardless of practice setting, job role, or cultural context, colleagues across the globe agreed on the urgency of this professional concern. We left this global interchange even more convinced that self-care is a crucial element in sustaining the profession of social work (and all helping professions). Professional self-care merits serious attention. Self-care must be a basic building block and ongoing focus—not an emergency response or extra luxury.
This global interchange reinforced that the profession, itself, has a pivotal role. Professional organizations have particular responsibility in sustaining the profession. These organizations promote the identity of the profession: its values, emphases, knowledge, and so forth. Thus, professional organizations—locally, nationally, and internationally--must ensure that self-care is promoted and supported, as integral to professional practice. Likewise, as representatives of the profession, schools of social work must ensure that self-care is integrated into curricula in meaningful and congruent ways. Professional programs socialize students into what it means to be a social worker; this socialization must include self-care as a core element of professional identity.
The bad news: Professional depletion is an international problem. The good news: We are not alone. Together, we can build a global network of professional self-care. Self-Care Movement: Social workers can change the world…and take care of ourselves as we do!
Dr. Erlene Grise-Owens, Ed.D., LCSW, MSW, MRE, is a Partner in The Wellness Group, ETC. This LLC provides evaluation, training, and consultation for organizational wellness and practitioner well-being. Dr. Grise-Owens is lead editor of The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals. As a former faculty member and graduate program director, she and a small (but mighty!) group of colleagues implemented an initiative to promote self-care as part of the social work education curriculum. Previously, she served in clinical and administrative roles. She has experience with navigating toxicity and dysfunction, up-close and personal! Likewise, as an educator, she saw students enter the field and quickly burn out. As a dedicated social worker, she believes the well-being of practitioners is a matter of social justice and human rights. Thus, she is on a mission to promote self-care and wellness!
J. Jay Miller, Ph.D, CSW, is the Associate Dean for Research, Associate Professor, and the Doris Y. Wilkinson Distinguished Professor in Social Work Education in the College of Social Work (CoSW) at the University of Kentucky. Additionally, Jay is the Director and Principal Investigator at the CoSW Self-Care Lab. You can reach Jay at Justin.Miller@UKy.edu