Self-Care: Essential PPE for Essential Social Workers

By Veronica Molina, DSW, LMSW, ACSW, and Nicole Willis, PhD, LMSW

Social workers are essential! This is the central theme of Social Work Month in 2021. It’s a fitting description for social workers this year. During the pandemic, social workers have fought through the unique stresses of being frontline workers, managing blurred boundaries at home, balancing work and family, working through the drought of isolation, caring for loved ones who were infected with COVID-19, and even witnessing close family, friends, and community members lose their battle with the virus. And yet, as we experience this ourselves, we find the strength and creativity to deliver essential services to our clients and client systems.

Social workers have not just been in the trenches during the pandemic—they have also gained national attention through the presidential appointments made by the new Administration. The essential contributions social workers make in the lives of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities has been acknowledged at the national level through the appointments of several social workers, such as Meg Kabat (transition team for the VA), Jared Bernstein (Council of Economic Advisors), and Wendy Sherman (Deputy Secretary of State).

Social workers are at the forefront of the pandemic chaos doing what we do best—using our knowledge, skills, and abilities to empower our clients and client systems. However, this work does not come without risk to our mental health and overall wellness. For better and worse, this is our year. Now more than ever, essential social workers need to practice essential self-care.

Self-Care Is Professional and Personal
Practicing self-care is encouraged in both our Code of Ethics as our ethical obligation and Social Work Speaks. However, as Willis and Molina explain, the messages in the two guiding documents are not congruent. Self-care is presented as a “reactive” action in the Code of Ethics, but is encouraged as a “proactive” action in Social Work Speaks. In 2014, Jackson argued that self-care was a core competency and provided examples of how it could be specifically outlined. Willis and Molina further illustrated how self-care should be added to the Code of Ethics, either as the seventh Core Value, or a stand-alone Practice Standard.

Even though the incongruence between the Code of Ethics and Social Work Speaks still exists in regard to self-care, it is urgent—during this historic time—to proactively practice self-care. Not just as our duty to providing competent services but also as our duty to ourselves—our own self-preservation.

Self-Care Is PPE
As social workers, we must think of self-care as our professional PPE (personal protective equipment). This PPE is essential for ethical professional practice and essential to our survival in our personal lives. Essential self-care should be part of our daily routines—not just an afterthought.

Much like the face masks, Lysol spray, Clorox wipes, sanitizer, or desk shield we use, essential self-care is ongoing and must be applied before entering work, between client meetings, and after work to help recharge and manage the disruption to our personal lives caused by the pandemic. By committing to make self-care essential PPE, social workers can continue to not just survive but also thrive.

Self-Care Is Proactive
Our essential self-care needs to be addressed on the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Much like the systematic biopsychosocial approach we use to get to the root of the problem, we should be self-aware of our own biological, psychological, and social determinants needed to promote our own well-being. We should avoid feeling guilty about taking care of our own needs.

Cacchioli argues, “If social justice work is your calling, then now is the time to look after your mental and physical wellbeing. Take that walk. Take that lunch break. Say “No.” Talk to a professional when you need it. Turn the music up. Meditate. Ask for help. Grab that yoga mat. Reach out to your social circle. Why? Because celebrating our essential role shouldn’t end at the end of this month. Because THIS year, more than ever, WE are essential.

— Veronica Molina, DSW, LMSW, ACSW, is the assistant professor and MSW field director at Tarleton State University.

— Nicole Willis, PhD, LMSW, is the associate professor of social work and interim chair at Texas Southern University.

References
Houseworth, L. E. (2021, January 14). The radical history of self-care. Teen Vogue. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/the-radical-history-of-self-care.

Jackson, K. (2014). Social worker self-care: The overlooked core competency. Social Work Today, 14(3), 14. https://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/051214p14.shtml.

National Association of Social Workers. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved March 3, 2021, from https://www.facebook.com/naswsocialworkers/.

National Association of Social Workers. (2017). Code of ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Washington, DC: Author.

National Association of Social Workers. (2018). Professional self-care and social work. In Social work speaks: National Association of Social Workers policy statements 2018–2010. 11th edition. (pp. 257-264). Washington, DC: NASW Press.

NASW. (2021). Social workers are essential: Theme & rationale for social work month — March 2021. https://www.socialworkers.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=etD90pK30Bg%3d&portalid=0.

NASW. (2021). Social work month 2021: Social workers are essential. https://www.socialworkers.org/News/Social-Work-Month.

Willis, N. & Molina, V. (2019). Self-care and the social worker: Taking our place in the code. Social Work, 64(1), 83-85.

Oncology Social Workers: Helping Heal the Wounds We Can’t See

Among the doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other specialists, there is another important member of the health care team at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey: the oncology social worker. Social workers in the oncology field play a critical role in cancer care, helping patients and their families and caregivers successfully navigate many of the challenges they face.

An Important Resource for Help and Support
Oncology social workers have specialized training to assess, process, and address the psychosocial needs of patients and are able to focus on the multidimensional impact of a cancer diagnosis on patients and their families.

Services provided by oncology social workers include facilitating support groups and connecting patients to additional support services, providing individual counseling for anxiety and depression, and helping with the complicated emotional and psychosocial aspects of cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. Services also include explaining diagnoses to friends and family, mediating patient-caregiver conflicts, counseling for physical changes and body image and identity issues, supporting patients during palliative care and end-of-life discussions, participating in advance care planning discussions regarding a patient’s goals of care, helping patients address chronic pain with mindfulness interventions, and providing culturally competent care.

An Evolving Role
The barriers patients face with a cancer diagnosis are always evolving and social workers must stay educated and informed about the resources that will best serve their patients. Oncology social workers attend regular continuing education courses to stay updated on the most current evidence-based practices to best serve their patients.

With increased focus on patient-centered care and mental health education and treatment, oncology social workers have the opportunity to provide compassionate care and make a difference in the lives of more patients and families.

Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19
The pandemic has added an additional layer of complication to patients already dealing with the stress of a cancer diagnosis. Some of the stressors that social workers are addressing include increased isolation, additional barriers to care, grief and loss, and financially surviving during an economic recession. Social workers help patients navigate these especially difficult times and overcome barriers to care with access to resources and providing mental health support and advocacy.

Social workers are essential. Don’t hesitate to ask to be connected to your oncology social worker. For more information, visit https://cinj.org/patient-care/social-work-services.

Elizabeth Brady, MSW, LCSW, and Diana Brodowski, MSW, LCSW, are licensed clinical social workers at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

— Source: Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey