Healing Justice, Transformative Justice, and Holistic Self-Care for Social Workers

Social Work ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loretta Pyles
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Historical Trauma ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Moral Injury ◽  
Work Organizations ◽  
Transformative Justice ◽  
The Social ◽  
Transformative Approach ◽  
Body Practices

Abstract A self-care movement for social workers is beginning to embrace mindfulness and other forms of wellness. However, self-care is often framed as merely an individualistic pursuit and may be a tool of managerialism, reinforcing the social and economic structures and culture that are causing burnout and moral injury in the first place. Particularly for people who are marginalized, the self-care movement may ignore historical trauma and the ways that interlocking oppressions contribute to stress, trauma, moral injury, and burnout. Drawing from the evidence base on East–West mind–body practices and informed by a transformative practice lens, healing justice is presented as a framework and set of practices of the whole self. The whole self includes the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, social, and ecological selves. A transformative approach to healing can be supported by enhancing the capabilities of mindfulness, compassion, curiosity, critical inquiry, effort, and equanimity. The concept of the healing justice organization is introduced as an opportunity for organizational change beginning with a set of inquiries for social work organizations to attend structurally and more purposefully to collective care.

Self- Care and Preventing Burnout

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Johnson ◽  
Cassandra McKay-Jackson ◽  
Giesela Grumbach
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Community Action ◽  
Youth Engagement ◽  
Creative Solutions ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Status ◽  
Time And Energy ◽  
New Strategies

Maslach and Jackson (1981) aptly pointed out that helping professionals are often required to spend considerable time in intense involvement with clients. The time is focused on solving the client’s current problem and may therefore be charged with a wide array of strong emotions. In addition, Maslach and Jackson (1981) noted that solutions are not always easily reached, thus adding to the social workers’ feelings of frustration or inadequacy about job performance. “For the helping professional who works continuously with people under such circumstances, the chronic stress can be emotionally draining and poses the risk of burnout” (Maslach & Jackson, 1981, p. 99). Finding solutions to client problems can be tough, especially dur¬ing times of dwindling resources. It is critical for social workers to stay connected to their own energy level, sense of agency, and self- care during times when the lack of adequate resources constrains the amount and types of services practitioners are able to provide.The practice of self-care is important in providing quality service and may help to prevent burnout in the workplace. Over time, practitioners may become overwhelmed by societal ills, declining resources, and the pressure to fix really tough problems. Critical service learning (CSL) is an approach to practice that empowers students or youth to work toward solutions and encourages them to take action toward social change within their own communities. Furthermore, CSL provides secondary benefits to the practitioner. The practitioner becomes proactive in addressing community problems by empowering youth to examine and challenge the status quo. In this way, practitioners may feel reenergized by an empow¬ering process. Practitioners may also realize faster returns on their investment of time and energy as students or youth become more engaged in community action. In addition, CSL allows the practitioner to seek creative solutions and new strategies for dealing with difficult problems. Implementing CSL projects promotes innovative youth engagement. A well- executed CSL project has the potential to enhance the practitioner’s job satisfaction as well as increase youth motivation. As practitioners engage youth in CSL and witness youth becoming more empowered, the practitioner’s sense of purpose may be renewed.

Hazards of Our Helping Profession: A Practical Self-Care Model for Community Practice

Social Work ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary-Ellen Brown
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Compassion Fatigue ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Professional Burnout ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Care Model ◽  
The Social ◽  
Vulnerable People ◽  
Community Organizer ◽  
Community Practitioner

Abstract The social work profession is a helping profession; social workers provide services with the intent to improve life opportunities in pursuit of social justice for individuals, groups, communities, and society as a whole. Social workers are called to work on behalf of the most vulnerable people in our society, and as such, the hazards of our helping profession are abundant. Though the literature offers numerous frameworks that can be used by social workers in a variety of settings, many issues that are unique to community practice settings can lead to professional burnout and compassion fatigue for social workers. At present there are no comprehensive models for self-care that attend specifically to the unique needs of the community practitioner. This article presents the iM-PAACT model, a four-part conceptual framework that helps to fill this gap in the literature. This practical self-care model has been designed specifically for social workers engaged primarily in community practice settings, including the community activist, community organizer, and community-engaged scholar.

Racism

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selena T. Rodgers
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Native Americans ◽  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
American Indians ◽  
Mexican Americans ◽  
Historical Trauma ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Social

Racism is pervasive, endemic, and historically rooted in systematic assumptions inherent in superiority based on race and requires the critical attention of all social workers. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has made strides in tackling racism as demonstrated by the social worker and civil rights activist Whitney Young Jr. (1921–1971), other pioneers, and more recently, the NASW zero-tolerance racism policy. Undergirded in empirical discussion, this article leads with the etymology of race(ism), followed by a discussion of Racial Formation Theory and Critical Race Theory. The article gives a historical sketch of racism, followed by examples of its contemporary indicators—throughout social institutions—in the United States. Racism is pervasive and impinges on micro-level and macro-level systems. It is, therefore, beyond the scope of this article to address how racism impacts each group in America. Social work scholars and other experts have provided extensive empirical documentation about the historical trauma and sufferings of other racial groups (e.g., Native Americans/Native peoples/American Indians, Mexican Americans) discussed elsewhere. Specifically, the racism endured by blacks in America is the emphasis of this article. Themes of “colorism” and historical trauma are provided to contextualize advances in national reform and encourage a broader conversation about the racism that blacks experience globally. In addition, this article highlights strides by the social work profession to eradicate racism. Implications for social work are discussed.

scholarly journals New wine from old wineskins, a fresh look at Freire

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 47-56
Author(s):  
Shayne Walker
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Historical Trauma ◽  
Intergenerational Trauma ◽  
Professional Relationships ◽  
Work Process ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
The Social ◽  
Culture Of Silence

Recently, I re-read Freire’s (1972) Pedagogy of the oppressed and found his emphasis on love inspiring. I was left wondering why this is not often quoted regarding Freire. As an educator (University of Otago), regulator (SWRB), whānau worker and supervisor (NGO staff), I believe my work here in Aotearoa New Zealand is about creating contexts within which it is easier to love. I view love broadly as a set of attitudes, actions and thoughts. It produces a professional set of skills that is a personal journey of completion. I am not patient, tolerant or fair all the time, but I should at least try to be. Perhaps love in the context of professional relationships within the social work process is at the heart of a 21st century emancipation and liberation of Māori and other oppressed groups in Aotearoa. Freire understood that treating people as ‘fully human’ in the social work process was in itself an act of love, otherwise it would be dehumanising.In this article I will be discussing:conscientisation, colonisation, dehumanisation, historical trauma and intergenerational trauma;Freire’s (1972) notion of a ‘culture of silence’;identity;transformative relationships;love in social work;Freire’s virtues and qualities for social workers; andfully human practice.

Congressional Social Work Caucus

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles E. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Affordable Care Act ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Work Organizations ◽  
Public Events ◽  
Member Organization ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Work Education

The Congressional Social Work Caucus is a bicameral authorized Congressional Member Organization (CMO) founded by former Congressman Edolphus “Ed” Towns In November 2010 during the 110th Congress. The mission of the caucus is to provide a platform in Congress that will allow social workers to engage the federal government. The Social Work Caucus consists of members of the House of Representative and the U.S. Senate who are professional social workers or who generally support the ideals, principles, and issues germane to the social work profession. Because of House Ethic rules, CMOs are prohibited from possessing resources of its own and must depend on the office budgets of its members. Consequently, the Social Work Caucus participated in a number of congressional briefings and seminars in conjunction with other social work organizations such as the National Association of Social Worker (NASW), the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), and the Social for Social Work and Research (SSWR). These public events covered a wide range of topics such as social workers roles in the Affordable Care Act, military social work, funding for mental health research, and trauma-based practice in child welfare.

scholarly journals Resiliency-Focused Supervision Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 596-614
Author(s):  
Brenda M. Mack
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Client Care ◽  
The Social ◽  
Supervision Model ◽  
Mental And Physical Health

Social workers often deal with complex, challenging, and emotionally exhausting situations that can negatively impact their mental and physical health. When a helping professional is in distress, client care may be compromised. Therefore, the necessity of wellness practices to reduce stress and mitigate burnout is gaining recognition in the social work profession. The National Association of Social Workers (2013) asserts that supervisors are responsible for recognizing and responding to supervisees’ work-related angst. However, there is little research published that addresses pre-burnout symptoms and self-care practices in the supervisory process. The Resiliency-Focused Supervision Model (RFSM), a culturally-responsive, strengths-based framework, was developed to assist supervisors in helping supervisees to manage stress, avoid burnout, and be successful in the workplace. The RSFM’s interrelated domain areas include: 1) structural/environmental, 2) relational, 3) work self-care, and 4) life self-care. The RFSM is a practical, pragmatic option for supervisors to use in partnership with social workers to promote good health, well-being, and resiliency.

Increasing adolescent girls’ social competence through cognitive counseling by social workers

2021 ◽  
pp. 146801732110102
Author(s):  
Chau-kiu Cheung
Keyword(s):  
Social Competence ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Young Female ◽  
Common Basis ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Common ◽  
Lower Education

Summary Despite the common basis of cognitive theory for cognitive counseling and social competence development, no research has charted the effectiveness of the counseling in raising social competence in young female residents of the residential service. To examine the effectiveness, this study analyzed data gleaned from monthly surveys of young female residents and their social workers regarding the latter’s daily life cognitive counseling. The data consisted of 391 cases pairing the female residents and social workers in Hong Kong over 33 months. Findings The cases afforded a cross-lagged analysis showing the raising of the girl’s social competence by the worker’s cognitive counseling earlier in the previous month. In substantiating this raising, the analysis also indicated that earlier social competence did not affect the counseling. Applications The findings imply the worth of promoting the social worker’s daily life cognitive counseling to advance girl residents’ social competence. Such counseling is particularly helpful to girls with lower education, who are lower in social competence.

scholarly journals “When we talk about intimate partner violence we talk in an adult way” – Social workers’ descriptions of intimate partner violence between teenagers

2021 ◽  
pp. 147332502110028
Author(s):  
Emmy Högström Tagesson ◽  
Carina Gallo
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Treatment Quality ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Gender

This article examines how seven social workers within the Swedish social services describe intimate partner violence between teenagers (IPV-BT). The article adds to the literature by examining IPV-BT outside a U.S. context, where most studies have been conducted. Based on semistructured qualitative interviews, the authors analyze descriptions of IPV-BT in relation to Charles Tilly’s notion of category making through transfer, encounter, negotiation, and imposition. They also analyze how the social workers’ descriptions of IPV-BT relate to the intersection between age and gender. The results show that the social workers mostly described IPV-BT by referring to encounters with teenagers and by transferring knowledge and theoretical definitions from their specialized working areas, primarily intimate partner violence between adults (IPV-BA) and troubled youth. More rarely, the social workers based their definitions of IPV-BT upon negotiating dialogues with teenagers. Also, those who worked in teams specialized on IPV had the mandate to impose their definitions of IPV-BT to other professionals and teenagers. When taking age and gender hierarchies in consideration, the results show IPV-BT risks being subordinate IPV-BA on a theoretical level, a practical level and in terms of treatment quality. The study suggests that social work with IPV-BT needs to be sensitive to the double subordinations of the teenage girl and of the teenagers who do not follow gender expectations.

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