Question

For an addiction agency that treats through group or individual settings. Interview at least two experienced social workers in your agency or another community agency. Ask about their level of job satisfaction, as well as their strategies of self-care. What do they think job satisfaction is related to? Self-care, job requirements, or something else? Ask them what stressors they deal with and what advice they may have for how you should deal with them: focus specifically on those stressors related to the field of social work. Were you surprised about what they said? Prepare a one- to two-page report that summarizes the interviews. Write an additional page on how you plan to integrate self-care while completing the program and your field placement, and then throughout your social work career. Also, address how you will deal with stress as a social worker. Your submission should be two to three pages in length.

Answer 1

Social worker 1

He said that he hasn't had enough time for himself for the mere reason that he is mostly and usually preoccupied with someone or something or the other.

As far as self care is concerned, he was recently pushed into meditation as the stressor weere building in his life, which he said were a consequence of his job and his personal life.

He said that the main strssors for him, while on field, is the fact that he has heard so many stories and so many instances that rotate around not the happiest of instances, that he didn't realise when he started to internalize the stories and started suffering as a consequence from minor depressive disorder.

Social worker 2

She said that she manages to squeeze in fine for herself, but the job always keeps her mentally occupied. She has been able to understand the complexities of it, so she doesn't fight then anymore and has been able to live comfortably.

She says that she meets many people in her job and she doesn't let herself be affected, she says that she has mastered the art of desensitization, which doesn't not mean losing empathy, but knowing when to disconnect to self preserve.

I, for one, believe that self care is an utmost to be integrated within the job regime as it is important to be sane yourself in order to continue helping those you have come to help.

This would be done by desensitization as well, where I can be able to divorce others problems from my own, and be able to help them without being completely sucked into it