Photo credit: Alena Dzihilevich
by Erlene Grise-Owens, EdD, LCSW, MSW, MRE, & Justin “Jay” Miller, PhD, MSW, CSW
Happy March Social Work Month! This year’s theme is Compassion+Action.
We want to emphasize the necessary role of self-care in achieving this aim—which requires an important reframing of this equation. Self-care is not ancillary to action; it’s essential. Thus, we propose an essential corollary equation: Self-Compassion X Self-Care = Action that is Sustainable, Ethical, Effective, & Exponential.
Finding the Missing Links
Compassion is generally understood to be a feeling or consciousness of others’ distress or suffering and a desire to alleviate it. We propose that an expansive—and, thus, effective and ethical—understanding of compassion must inherently engage self-compassion. In this conceptualization, compassion is not only directed toward others—it’s directed toward oneself. Thus, compassion is felt for oneself, as a basic human right and as part of a collective—not separate from it.
By itself, compassion remains a feeling directed toward others. As such, it does not necessarily lead to sustainable action. In actuality, it can contribute to compassion fatigue and other professional depletion, which leads to burnout and other problematic consequences.
So, how do we change this equation? What are the missing links? We contend it’s: Self-Compassion X Self-Care.
Self-Compassion Multiplies Compassion Toward Others
Kristin Neff and colleagues delineate three core components of self-compassion: (1) self-kindness vs. self-judgment, (2) common humanity vs. isolation, and (3) mindfulness vs. over-identification. That is, self-compassion means being gentle and understanding toward oneself, instead of harshly judging. It means acknowledging one’s own humanity as relevant in and of itself and as connected with others. And, it means attending to one’s own experiences as a human being.
Notably, Neff’s research suggests that when we practice self-compassion, we’re less likely to experience compassion fatigue. We’re more likely to have greater “compassion satisfaction.” We feel more energized and content in caregiving roles. Further, those with high self-compassion scores are more likely to exhibit compassion toward others. It multiplies, not subtracts.
Emphatically, attention to self is not self-ish; it’s self-full. It’s not contrary to attention to others! Instead, it’s reciprocal and has exponential effects. It’s both personally satisfying and systemically sustaining. It’s ethical and essential!
Self-Care Is the Activation of Self-Compassion
As we’ve written previously, self-compassion is the heart of self-care. In essence, self-care is how we put self-compassion into action!
Without action, compassion remains a feeling. As noted earlier, this feeling can actually lead to compassion fatigue, which leads to disconnection and exhaustion. In contrast, self-care is the activation of this feeling. Prioritizing self-care commitments is a concrete and consistent embodiment of one’s self-compassion.
Research through the Self-Care Lab at the University of Kentucky documents an important link between one’s self-compassion and self-care. That is, self-compassion is a clear predictor of self-care. This connection is a key linkage for the equation: Self-Compassion X Self-Care = Action that is Sustainable, Ethical, Effective, & Exponential.
Action: Make Self-Care More Than a Mask
The rationale for the 2025 Social Work Month theme includes the admonition to practice self-care. The rationale continues, “Just as airlines instruct passengers to put on their own masks before helping others in an emergency, social workers must prioritize compassion for themselves to effectively support those in need.” As we consistently assert, this metaphor is problematic. It subtly conveys that self-care is an emergency response only evoked to help others. Instead of this limited mask analogy, we propose breath as a more apt analogy. That is, self-care is whatever keeps you breathing most freely and fully.
Self-care is much more than an emergency mask. It’s the breath for human flourishing and professional competence. Whilst self-care is an individual purview of power to affect one’s well-being, it’s not isolated from larger systems.
Here’s a crucial reminder to the profession. As we’ve consistently advocated, especially in previous March Social Work Month posts (e.g., read here), the profession and its institutions—including NASW and CSWE—must recognize and fulfill their role and responsibility. Whilst progress has been made, the profession still largely views self-care as aspirational and ancillary. It must give much more serious attention to self-care and a systemic commitment to the well-being of practitioners.
Self-Compassion X Self-Care = Action that is Sustainable, Ethical, Effective, & Exponential requires both individual attention and systemic commitment.
Justin "Jay" Miller and Erlene Grise-Owens in Ireland
Dr. Justin "Jay" Miller and Dr. Erlene Grise-Owens at the 2018 SWSD conference in Dublin, Ireland.
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. 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!
Dr. Justin “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.