Publication Cover
Journal of Social Work Practice
Psychotherapeutic Approaches in Health, Welfare and the Community
Volume 38, 2024 - Issue 3
175
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

Self-care among Slovenian social workers: understanding and barriers to self-care

ORCID Icon & ORCID Icon
Pages 349-362 | Received 24 Jul 2023, Accepted 24 May 2024, Published online: 06 Jun 2024

References

  • Acker, G. M. (2018). Self-care practices among social workers: Do they predict job satisfaction and turnover intention? Social Work in Mental Health, 16(6), 713–727. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332985.2018.1494082
  • Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Prentice Hall.
  • Barnett, J. E., Baker, E. K., Elman, N. S., & Schoener, G. R. (2007). In pursuit of wellness: The self-care imperative. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 38(6), 603–612. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.38.6.603
  • Beck, J. S. (2021). Cognitive behavioural therapy. Basics and beyond (3rd ed.). The Guildford Press.
  • Bell, H., Kulkarni, S., & Dalton, L. (2003). Organizational prevention of vicarious trauma. Families in Society, 84(4), 463–470. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.131
  • Bent-Goodley, T. B. (2017). Being intentional about self-care for social workers. Social Work, 63(1), 5–6. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swx058
  • Blomberg, H., Kallio, J., Kroll, C., & Saarinen, A. (2015). Job stress among social workers: Determinants and attitude effects in the Nordic countries. The British Journal of Social Work, 45(7), 2089–2105. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcu038
  • Bloomquist, K. R., Wood, L., Friedmeyer-Trainor, K., & Kim, H. W. (2015). Self-care and professional quality of life: Predictive factors among MSW practitioners. Advances in Social Work, 16(2), 292–311. https://doi.org/10.18060/18760
  • Bober, T., & Regehr, C. (2006). Strategies for reducing secondary or vicarious trauma: Do they work? Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 6(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1093/brief-treatment/mhj001
  • Bride, B. E., & Fingley, C. (2007). The fatigue of compassionate social workers: An introduction to the special issue on compassion fatigue. Clinical Social Work Journal, 35(3), 151–153. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-007-0093-5
  • Brinkborg, H., Michanek, J., Hesser, H., & Berglund, G. (2011). Acceptance and commitment therapy for the treatment of stress among social workers: A randomized controlled trial. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 49(6–7), 389–398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2011.03.009
  • Brown, M. E. (2020). Hazards of our helping profession: A practical self-care model for community practice. Social Work, 65(1), 38–44. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swz047
  • Butler, L. D., Mercer, K. A., McClain-Meeder, K., Horne, D. M., & Dudley, M. (2019). Six domains of self-care: Attending to the whole person. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 29(1), 107–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2018.1482483
  • Collins, S. (2008). Statutory social workers: Stress, job satisfaction, coping, social support, and individual differences. British Journal of Social Work, 38(6), 1173–1193. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcm047
  • Cox, K., & Steiner, S. (2013). Self-care in social work: A guide for practitioners, supervisors, and administrators. NASW Press.
  • Dalphon, H. (2019). Self-care techniques for social workers: Achieving an ethical harmony between work and well-being. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 29(1), 85–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2018.1481802
  • Frieiro Padin, P., Verde Diego, C., Arias, T. F., & González-Rodríguez, R. (2021). Burnout in health social work: An international systematic review (2000–2020). European Journal of Social Work, 24(6), 1051–1065. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2020.1870215
  • Godfrey, C. M., Harrison, M. B., Lysaght, R., Lamb, M., Graham, I. D., & Oakley, P. (2011). Care of self-care by other-care of other: The meaning of self‐care from research, practice, policy and industry perspectives. International Journal of Evidence‐Based Healthcare, 9(1), 3–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-1609.2010.00196.x
  • Grant, L., & Kinman, G. (2012). Enhancing wellbeing in social work students: Building resilience in the next generation. Social Work Education, 31(5), 605–621. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2011.590931
  • Grant, L., & Kinman, G. (2014). Emotional resilience in the helping professions and how it can be enhanced. Health and Social Care Education, 3(1), 23–34. https://doi.org/10.11120/hsce.2014.00040
  • Grant, L., Kinman, G., & Alexander, K. (2014). What’s all this talk about emotion? Developing emotional intelligence in social work students. Social Work Education, 33(7), 874–889. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2014.891012
  • Grant, L., Kinman, G., & Baker, S. (2014). Put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others’: Social work educators’ perspectives on an ‘emotional curriculum. The British Journal of Social Work, 45(8), 2351–2367. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcu066
  • Griffiths, A., Royse, D., Murphy, A., & Starks, S. (2019). Self-care practice in social work education: A systematic review of interventions. Journal of Social Work Education, 55(1), 102–114. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2018.1491358
  • Grise-Owens, E., Miller, J. J., Escobar-Ratliff, L., & George, N. (2018). Teaching note—Teaching self-care and wellness as a professional practice skill: A curricular case example. Journal of Social Work Education, 54(1), 180–186. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2017.1308778
  • Hamama, L. (2012). Differences between children’s social workers and adults’ social workers on sense of burnout, work conditions and organisational social support. British Journal of Social Work, 42(7), 1333–1353. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcr135
  • Harris, S., & Stout, B. (2022). ‘Caring and connected’: Technology and social worker self-care. Journal of Social Work Practice, 36(3), 359–372. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2021.2000945
  • Hayes, C. S., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, G. K. (2012). Acceptance and commitment therapy. The process and practice of mindful change. The Guildford Press.
  • Hurley, D., & Kirwan, G. (2020). Exploring resilience and mental health in services users and practitioners in Ireland and Canada. European Journal of Social Work, 23(2), 340–352. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2018.1530644
  • Killian, K. D. (2008). Helping till it hurts? A multimethod study of compassion fatigue, burnout, and self-care in clinicians working with trauma survivors. Traumatology, 14(2), 32–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534765608319083
  • Kim, H., Ji, J., & Kao, D. (2011). Burnout and physical health among social workers: A three-year longitudinal study. Social Work, 56(3), 258–268. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/56.3.258
  • Kim, G. M., Lim, J. Y., Kim, E. J., & Park, S. M. (2019). Resilience of patients with chronic diseases: A systematic review. Health & Social Care in the Community, 27(4), 797–807. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12620
  • Kinman, G., & Grant, L. (2011). Exploring stress resilience in trainee social workers: The role of emotional and social competencies. The British Journal of Social Work, 41(2), 261–275. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcq088
  • Kodeks etičnih načel v socialnem varstvu. (2014). Code of ethical principles in social care. Uradni list RS, št. 50/14.
  • Kodeks etike socialnih delavk in socialnih delavcev Slovenije. (1998). Code of Ethics of Social Workers of Slovenia.
  • Krivec, J., & Rakovec, P. (2018). Kognitivno-vedenjski profil stresne izkušnje med slovenskimi študentkami in študenti. [Cognitive behavioural profile of stress experience among Slovenian students]. Kairos–Slovenska revija za psihoterapijo, 12(1–2), 67–86.
  • Kuhar, U. (2024). Spoprijemanje socialnih delavk s stresom na delovnem mestu na centrih za socialno delo [Social workers coping with workplace stress in social work centres][Doctoral dissertation, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Work]. Repository of University of Ljubljana. https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/IzpisGradiva.php?id=153545&lang=eng
  • Lee, J. J., & Miller, S. E. (2013). A self-care framework for social workers: Building a strong foundation for practice. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 94(2), 96–103. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.4289
  • Lloyd, C., King, R., & Chenoweth, L. (2002). Social work, stress and burnout: A review. Journal of Mental Health, 11(3), 255–265. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638230020023642
  • Maddock, A., & McCusker, P. (2022). Implementing the learning from the mindfulness-based social work and self-care programme to social work student practice during COVID-19: A qualitative study. The British Journal of Social Work, 52(8), 4894–4913. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcac094
  • Mali, J. (2010). Social work in the development of institutional care for older people in Slovenia: Razvoj socialnega dela v slovenskih domovih za stare ljudi. European Journal of Social Work, 13(4), 545–559. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691450903403784
  • Matthews, R. A., Bulger, C. A., & Barnes-Farrell, J. L. (2010). Work social supports, role stressors, and work–family conflict: The moderating effect of age. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 76(1), 78–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2009.06.011
  • McFadden, P. (2020). Two sides of one coin? Relationships build resilience or contribute to burnout in child protection social work: Shared perspectives from leavers and stayers in Northern Ireland. International Social Work, 63(2), 164–176. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872818788393
  • McFadden, P., Campbell, A., & Taylor, B. (2015). Resilience and burnout in child protection social work: Individual and organisational themes from a systematic literature review. The British Journal of Social Work, 45(5), 1546–1563. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bct210
  • Mesec, B. (2020). Development of social work education in Slovenia. In S. S M, R. Baikady, C. Sheng-Li, & H. Sakaguchi (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of global social work education. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39966-5_30
  • Mesec, B., Rape Žiberna, T., & Rihter, L. (2009). Metodologija raziskovanja v socialnem delu 1: Načrtovanje raziskave. Študijsko gradivo za interno uporabo. [Research methodology in social work 1: Research planning. Study material for internal use]. University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Work.
  • Mešl, N., Leskošek, V., Rape Žiberna, T., & Kodele, T. (2023). Social work during COVID-19 in Slovenia: Absent, invisible or ignored? The British Journal of Social Work, 53(2), 737–754. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcac149
  • Miller, J. J., & Grise-Owens, E. (2020). Self-care: An imperative. Social Work, 65(1), 5–9. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swz049
  • Miller, J. J., Lianekhammy, J., & Grise-Owens, E. (2018). Examining self-care among individuals employed in social work capacities: Implications for the profession. Advances in Social Work, 18(4), 1250–1266. https://doi.org/10.18060/22320
  • Moore, S. E., Bledsoe, L. K., Perry, A. R., & Robinson, M. A. (2011). Social work students and self-care: A model assignment for teaching. Journal of Social Work Education, 47(3), 545–553. https://doi.org/10.5175/JSWE.2011.201000004
  • Morrison, T. (2007). Emotional intelligence, emotion, and social work: Context, characteristics, complications, and contribution. The British Journal of Social Work, 37(2), 245–263. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcl016
  • Norcross, J. C., & VandenBos, G. R. (2018). Leaving it at the office: A guide to psychotherapist self-care. The Guilford Press.
  • O’Neill, M., Yoder Slater, G., & Batt, D. (2019). Social work student self-care and academic stress. Journal of Social Work Education, 55(1), 141–152. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2018.1491359
  • Posluns, K., & Gall, T. L. (2020). Dear mental health practitioners, take care of yourselves: A literature review on self-care. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 42(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-019-09382-w
  • Pyles, L. (2020). Healing justice, transformative justice, and holistic self-care for social workers. Social Work, 65(2), 178–187. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swaa013
  • Radey, M., & Figley, C. H. (2007). The social psychology of compassion. Clinical Social Work Journal, 35(3), 207–214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-007-0087-3
  • Rakovec, P., & Videmšek, P. (in press). Skrbimo za druge, kaj pa zase: Skrb za poklicni razvoj in preprečevanje izčrpanosti zaradi sočutja. [Caring for others but not for ourselves: Caring for professional development and preventing compassion fatigue.] Socialno delo. Social work.
  • Riegel, B., Dunbar, S. B., Fitzsimons, D., Freedland, K. E., Lee, C. S., Middleton, S., Stromberg, A., Vellone, E., Webber, D. E., & Jaarsma, T. (2021). Self-care research: Where are we now? Where are we going? International Journal of Nursing Studies, 116, Article. 103402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.103402
  • Robertson, D. (2010). The philosophy of cognitive behavioural therapy. Stoic philosophy as rational and cognitive psychotherapy. Karnac Books Ltd.
  • Saakvitne, K. A., & Pearlman, L. A. (1996). Transforming the pain – a workbook on vicarious traumatization. W. W. Norton.
  • Salloum, A., Kondrat, D. C., Johnco, C., & Olson, K. R. (2015). The role of self-care on compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary trauma among child welfare workers. Children and Youth Services Review, 49, 54–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.12.023
  • Scanlan, J. N., & Still, M. (2019). Relationships between burnout, turnover intention, job satisfaction, job demands and job resources for mental health personnel in an Australian mental health service. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-018-3841-z
  • Shepherd, M. A., & Newell, J. M. (2020). Stress and health in social workers: Implications for self-care practice. Best Practices in Mental Health, 16(1), 46–65.
  • Smullens, S. (2015). Burnout and self-care in social work: A guidebook for students and those in mental health and related professions. NASW Press.
  • Southwick, S. M., Bonanno, G. A., Masten, A. S., Panter-Brick, C., & Yehuda, R. (2014). Resilience definitions, theory, and challenges: Interdisciplinary perspectives. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 5(1), 2–14. https://doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v5.25338
  • Stephens, T. (2013). Nursing student resilience: A concept clarification. Nursing Forum, 48(2), 125–133. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12015
  • Tham, P., McFadden, P., Russ, E., Baldschun, A., Blakeman, P., & Griffiths, A. (2023). How do we prepare students for the challenges of social work? Examples from six countries around the world. Social Work Education, 42(4), 494–510. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2021.1976135
  • Turner, S. G. (2001). Resilience and social work practice: Three case studies. Families in Society, 82(5), 441–448. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.176
  • Van Breda, A. D. (2018). A critical review of resilience theory and its relevance for social work. Social Work, 54(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.15270/54-1-611
  • Videmšek, P. (2021). Supervizija v socialnem delu: Učenje na podalgi dobrih izkušenj. [Supervision in social work: Learning through good experiences]. Fakulteta za socialno delo.
  • Videmšek, P. (2023). Supervision in social work. Learning from success. Fakulteta Za Socialno Delo.
  • Wagaman, A., Geiger, J. M., Shockley, C., & Segal, E. A. (2015). The role of empathy in burnout, compassion satisfaction, and secondary traumatic stress among social workers. Social Work, 60(3), 201–209. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swv014
  • Walsh, R. (2011). Lifestyle and mental health. American Psychologist, 66(7), 579–592.
  • World Health Organization. (2021). What do we mean by self-care. https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/self-care-interventions/definitions/en
  • Xu, Y., Harmon-Darrow, C., & Frey, J. J. (2019). Rethinking professional quality of life for social workers: Inclusion of ecological self-care barriers. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 29(1), 11–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2018.1452814
  • Zizolfi, D., Poloni, N., Caselli, I., Ielmini, M., Lucca, G., Diurni, M., Cavallini, G., & Callegari, C. (2019). Resilience and recovery style: A retrospective study on associations among personal resources, symptoms, neurocognition, quality of life and psychosocial functioning in psychotic patients. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 12, 385–395. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S205424