Promoting Professional Wellbeing in an Emancipatory Perspective. A Research-Training Experience among Professionals Working with Vulnerable Children and their Families

Abstract

Although most professionals who have chosen to work with children and families living in vulnerable situations are motivated by a genuine desire to care for people, when they go through some emotionally challenging experiences, they are also exposed to various syndromes such as compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma and burnout. The aim of this article is to present a research-training course that has been implemented to promote greater professional wellbeing and the co-construction of supportive working communities among social work professionals. In line with a critical-emancipatory approach, a research-training pathway was chosen, which also allowed the outcomes of the pathway to be evaluated using qualitative interviews and validated tests. The study involved 75 professionals from central-northern Italy. The analysis of the data collected showed that workshops and various activities proposed gave the professionals the opportunity to share their vulnerability with others, and to feel a greater sense of belonging to a supportivecommunity.