World Social Work Day, the Importance of Human Relationships and Self-Care, and the Human-ness of Social Workers
by Erlene Grise-Owens, Ed.D., LCSW, MSW, MRE, lead co-editor of The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals
World Social Work Day is March 19, 2019. The theme is “Promoting the Importance of Human Relationships.” Typically, we apply this professional emphasis to our relationships with those we serve. Yet, equally crucial, we need to apply the importance of human relationships to ourselves.
No More Ultra-Altruistic Super-Heroes
Too often, social workers forget or deny that we are human! Our profession is so other-directed that we lose sight of our own selves. Implicitly, and sometimes explicitly, we receive messages that social workers must give our all to the work, to the exclusion of taking care of ourselves.
The profession is portrayed as altruistic to an unhealthy extreme. The oft-repeated saying, “We are in it for the outcomes, not the income,” distills this problematic message about social work. This ultra-altruism contributes to the idea that the profession doesn’t need humane treatment—including fair compensation.
The “super-hero” message is another expression of this dynamic! For example, some have written about or referred to social workers as super-heroes. This message seeks to elevate social work! However, regrettably, this message of “superhero” promotes the idea that we are super-human, which can lead to unrealistic expectations and “need complex.”
These messages can lead to putting ourselves last, in terms of compensation, respect, care, and basic human needs. These views contribute to problematic perceptions of the profession. We don’t consistently acknowledge, assert, and celebrate our human-ness!
Thus, broader society and organizational cultures don’t see the need to treat social workers humanely. We internalize these messages and continue the cycle of self-abnegation, individually, and collectively, as a profession. These internalized messages and views of social work contribute to being put down, used up, and burnt out!
An Important Human Relationship: Self-Care
How do we counter this problem? Self-Care! First, as articulated above, we can recognize, name, and reflect on these problematic phenomena. Then, we can make intentional and consistent efforts to reclaim our selves, as human beings. This attention to our human-ness means acknowledging basic human needs for adequate sleep, nutritious diet, and healthy movement. Our human-ness also requires interdependent connections, meaningful purpose, and self-agency.
Emphatically, this attention to our own human-ness doesn’t detract from the importance of human relationships with others. Actually, by acknowledging our own human-ness, we can better relate to others. For instance, practicing self-compassion—which, at its core, is about embracing our human-ness—helps us practice compassion with others. In knowing our human limitations and strengths, we can forge healthier relationships—professionally and personally.
Celebrate World Social Work Day: Be Human!
The importance of human relationships applies to all of us! World Social Work Day is an opportunity to (re)commit to an exponentially important human relationship: Your relationship with your self! These blog posts and The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook provide specific ideas about how to improve this human relationship through self-care.
Then, extending this individual commitment, let’s advocate that teams, organizations, broader society, and the profession itself recognize that social workers are human! As emphasized in a recent post, our profession must elevate self-care.
Peace, Love, & Self-Care,
Erlene
P.S. How are you doing in keeping your self-care Word for 2019? How’s your BREATH?
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!