Self-Care A-Z: The State of Self-Care—The Need is Great, The Time is Right

by Erlene Grise-Owens, EdD, LCSW, MSW, MRE, and Justin “Jay” Miller, PhD, MSW, CSW

     It’s time to take self-care seriously.

     March is National Social Work Month—time for our “State of Self-Care in Social Work” update. For several years, we’ve done an annual assessment of how the profession is doing with self-care.

     NASW’s 2022 theme is “The time is right for social work.” This theme’s rationale is encapsulated in the NASW’s red-lettered: “The need for social workers is great.” Indeed, demands for social work are growing. At the same time, stress and burnout are escalating. Given that confluence, we propose a timely corollary consideration: What do great social workers need? 

It’s Time to Get it Right

     To meet the needs of the times, our profession must prioritize the well-being of those charged with that mission. Otherwise, we’ll fall short in the greatest time of need. We won’t do it right and it won’t be right. It’s time to get it right—effectively and ethically.

     Now is the time to take self-care seriously. Here are five facets that need timely attention.

• Professional membership organizations, such as NASW, need to make self-care a professional standard. NASW has made progress in promoting self-care. Most recently, the Code of Ethics (COE) updates include language encouraging self-care. However, as we emphasized in a response to these updates, no changes were made to the Standards, which is the case for other significant changes. Importantly, NASW Standards are framed as directives—e.g., “should” and “must.” NASW needs to make self-care Standard—not merely aspirational.
• Professional credentialing boards need to identify self-care as a central component of professional practice. Credentialing boards play a pivotal role in our profession. As much credence as it is given, social workers are not required to follow NASW’s COE. However, licensure has a more direct function. These entities promulgate basic requirements for practicing as a professional and have authority to apply those requirements. Credentialing boards need to make self-care a required aspect of social work practice.
• Social work education needs to make self-care a core practice competency, thus, integrated into curricula. Programs need to go beyond superficial admonishments to students: “Take care of yourself.”  It’s an ethical and pragmatic obligation to teach self-care, like any other crucial practice competency.  CSWE needs to ensure that social work curricula/programs treat self-care as a professional competency. This commitment requires substantive, serious attention throughout curricula/programs.
• The profession of social work needs to claim our leadership role and responsibility in organizational wellness. We must not wait for other, amorphous “leaders” to provide the skills and commitment to create just, healthy organizational structures and cultures. Social work competencies are uniquely compatible with the leadership needed in this area of practice. Social work needs to lead the way in organizational wellness that supports self-care and overall practitioner well-being.
• Individual practitioners need to prioritize self-care as a serious professional commitment and essential human right. A recent social media post exemplified a common dilemma. A new social worker tweeted that she’s seriously ill with long-COVID symptoms. She asked: “How do you take care of yourself whilst caring for your clients? I’m feeling guilty.” Self-care isn’t easy, simple, nor commonplace. Like any professional skill, it requires development, intentionality, and attention.

The Need is Great

     Attention to practitioner well-being is multi-faceted and complicated. Yet, as a profession, we’re uniquely trained to attend to these complexities. The systems perspective reminds that a change in any part of the system affects other aspects of the system.

     Emphatically, large systems changes are needed. Professional entities need to advocate for the profession, in principles, priorities, and practicalities. Membership organizations, such as NASW, need to advocate for the overall dignity and worth of the profession—which includes just compensation and healthy workplaces. CSWE needs to promote competencies for creating environments that ensure human/practitioner well-being—which includes educational environments (implicit curricula) that model these. Social workers need to step up to lead organizations in promoting practitioner well-being. And, individual practitioners’ most significant locus of impact is our individual power to prioritize our own self-care.

     So, start there. And, then, promote self-care anywhere…and everywhere. Now.

     The time is right for social work. The need for social workers is great. Great social workers need serious attention to self-care. Let’s get it right. It’s time.

Dr. Erlene Grise-Owens, EdD, 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.

Dr. J. Jay Miller, PhD, MSW, CSW, is the Dean, Dorothy A. Miller Research Professor in Social Work Education, and Director of the Self-Care Lab in the College of Social Work at the University of Kentucky. You can follow his work via Twitter @DrJayMiller1.