Burnout and Self-Care in Social Work, 2nd Edition by SaraKay Smullens The first edition of Burnout and Self-Care in Social Work was a breakout hit, providing a guiding light for those who were struggling. In the second edition, author SaraKay Smullens has updated the text to reflect our evolving understanding of burnout. Once again, Smullens defines creative strategies for self-care and personal ... Read More »
Social workers dedicate their lives to helping others, including some of the most vulnerable people in our society. However, research shows members of the social work profession are more likely to experience work-related stress, burnout, and a lower quality of life compared to other professions and the general population. Self-care is important to social workers and in fact the National ... Read More »
[Note: Below is an excerpt from an article in the most recent issue of the journal Health & Social Work, co-published by NASW and Oxford University Press. The article was written by Christine M. Rine, PhD, associate professor, Department of Social Work, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. This article is free to be read on the Oxford University Press website.] *** ... Read More »
By Alexandrya Blackmon, LBSW, MSW, and Terricka Hardy, LCSW, ACSW, BCD, CCFP The world as we know it is changing before our very eyes, and so is social work. Although the way that we serve clients today looks very different from yesterday, one thing remains the same: we still have a responsibility to competently serve clients while upholding the fidelity ... Read More »
By Harleny Vasquez, MSW Burnout is a common word thrown around in the field of social work, but have you ever taken the time to recognize the signs or symptoms that you may be experiencing exhaustion? Such indications can be a serious sign that your body telling you to slow down. Social workers are constantly faced with the challenges of ... Read More »
A special issue of the journal Social Work, published by NASW and Oxford University Press, seeks to deepen the social work profession’s conceptualization of self-care and promote effective implementation of self-care in professional practice. The issue’s coeditors and contributors advocate for self-care as an essential element of ethical professional practice. One article in the issue was authored by social workers ... Read More »
Tuesday, February 7, 2017 The 3 S’s: Supervision, Self-reflection, and Self-care 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM ET Credit Hours: 1.5 Social Work Contact Hour CEU Presenter: • Dottie Greene, PhD, LCSW, LCAS, Moderator(s): • Dina Kastner, MSS, MLSP This webinar will explore three essential practices for beginning social workers in behavioral health: supervision, self-reflection, and self-care. Regular ... Read More »
Most social workers enter the profession out of a desire to help others who are in need, and to contribute to society’s betterment. They are drawn to a career in which they can assist individuals, families, groups, and communities in surmounting the challenges and hardships of life. New to their craft, these nascent professionals seek to use their hard-earned knowledge ... Read More »
This month, NASW Executive Director, Betsy Clark, focused her NASW News column on “The Challenge of Sadness in Social Work.” Dr. Clark discusses the turmoil, tragedy, and unrest in the world including wars, earthquakes, and tsunamis. She notes that every significant world event is accompanied by indelible images, some of which are horrific and forever etched in our memories such ... Read More »
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