Chapter 12

Resilience and Social Work Practice

Chapter 12

I. Resilience for Social Workers

II. Negative Consequences and Coping Strategies III. Creating a Culture of Resilience in Social Work Context

IV. Case Example

【 Key Points 】

1. Resilience is an important capability for social workers, especially those who are working with trauma victims (e.g. domestic violence survivors, or children who are neglect and abused).

• 2.The definitions and coping mechanisms of burnout, secondary trauma and compassion fatigue.

• 3.To build and maintain resilience in social work practice, both self-responsibility and organizational support are significant.

I. Resilience for Social Workers

1.How to Define “Resilience”?

Two determining factors: The social workers’ experiences of adversity and their positive adaptation in response to these stressful situations.

Definition: The experience of adversity and positive adaptation in response to this. [ Adapted from Cleveland, M., Warhurst, A., & Legood, A. (2019). Experiencing resilience through the eyes of early career social workers. The British Journal of Social Work, 49(6), 1434-1451.]

I. Resilience for Social Workers

2.Why Resilience is Important for Social Workers

First, resilience enables an individual to develop mechanisms to deal with negative experiences which could be overwhelming.

• Second, resilience helps people to maintain balance during stressful time in their lives.

Third, resilience protects people from the development of other mental health issues.

II. Negative Consequences and Coping Strategies

1.Burnout

Burnout is characterized by exhaustion, cynicism[n. 愤世嫉俗 ], and feelings of decreased professional ability, burnout is the result of prolonged or repeated stress. Often associated with an individual’s professional life, burnout can technically stem from other life stressors as well such as parenting or caretaking. Burnout is not the same as feeling overworked but being overworked can contribute to burnout.

II. Negative Consequences and Coping Strategies

1.1 Signs of Social Workers’ Burnout

Struggling to Maintain Focus: Struggling to maintain focus means the overwhelmed brain needs a break. Losing focus may be expressed in different ways among people. You open a file on a new client, read a few pages, and then completely forget what you read, so you have to go back and read it again, but the same thing happens.

• Lack of Patience: When you are easily frustrated or angry at the slightest inconvenience, your patience is slipping and you are at high risk of burnout.

II. Negative Consequences and Coping Strategies

Loss of Enthusiasm: Individuals who are losing the desire to help their clients or encountering difficult situation which sap their energy toward social work practice may feel a loss of their enthusiasm and burnout.

• Pain and Illness: Burnout itself

• Physical may express physically, such as headaches, stomachaches, increased blood pressure and so on. Moreover, burnout may weak your immune system which leads to more physical illness.

II. Negative Consequences and Coping Strategies

1.2 Beating Burnout

Prioritize self-care: Prioritizing sleep habits, nutrition, exercise and social connections can help individuals replenish[v. 补充 ] their physical and emotional energy. Moreover, mediating, journaling and enjoying nature can promote equanimity[ ( 尤指 处于震惊 、 失望或困境时的）镇静 ] and self well-being.

• Shift your perspective: Social workers should spend some time to take a close look at their mindset[n. 思维倾向 ] and preassumptions and consider which aspects can be changed.

II. Negative Consequences and Coping Strategies

Build a support network: Social workers are encouraged to build a support network for themselves. Then, you can discuss your struggles and suffering with burnout in safe environment. The professional support can dramatically reduce your stress level and facilitate healing. Furthermore, this process will reinforce solidarity with those around you in your workplace.