Self-Preservation in the Workplace: The Importance of Well-Being for Social Work Practitioners and Field Supervisors

Abstract

The risks in the human services workplace to social workers' emotional, psychological, and physical well-being is well known. Self-care is seen as a way to minimize workplace risks, including burnout, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and vicarious traumatization. This article examines the reported self-care practices of social work practitioners and their agencies, and the barriers that get in the way. Forty-two participants worked in agency settings and supervised students. All reported engaging in some type of self-care practice, and almost all reported some type of support from their workplace; however, 38 reported barriers to self-care. Even with self-care practices in place personally and in the workplace, obstacles remain. Social work educators need to be cognizant of these factors to ensure that field supervisors are well supported in their own self-care practices and are equipped to assist students in developing these positive practices early in their careers to help sustain workers in the social work profession.