Why Self Care is Crucial for Social Workers

Abstract

Practicing self-care is crucial for social workers. The field of social work contains many professions that are rewarding and fulfilling, but they can also be draining for those professionals. Many social workers have reported experiencing burnout, or beginning to feel drained due to a consistent large amount of stress. Another thing social workers have experienced is compassion fatigue, which is a feeling of mental and physical exhaustion brought on by being exposed to the stress, pain, and emotions of people that social workers are helping. If social workers never learn to practice self-care regularly, they will have a difficult time recovering from experiences, which can affect their performance within their careers and lead to their clients not receiving the help they need. In this paper, examples of self-care and the benefits of it are discussed, and it is reiterated why this practice is so important for professionals within the field of social work. With the right amount of self-care, a social worker can provide the best help possible, which will ultimately make this world a better place.