How do you handle burnout in collaborative social work?

I concur with this article, as a former psychotherapist who has worked in various demanding environment has reinforced the importance of recognizing the signs and symptoms of burnout. It’s important to practice self awareness in order to combat compassion fatigue and burnout.

I agree with this article ! Reflecting on my own journey in social work, as a former psychotherapist addressing compassion fatigue and burnout is powerful when it’s a collaborative effort. In my career, it has been essential for me to go to trainings, leaning on colleagues, getting support from mentors, supervisors, support groups to get me through challenging times. Support systems as the article suggests are vital in order to maintain longevity in the field of social work.

As the article has stated, it is pivotal to establish boundaries for your own well being and for the sake of your clients. When I worked in the field directly with a multi- disciplinary teams in psychiatric hospital with a heavy caseload it was essential to prioritize my time between juggling various clinical and administrative responsibilities. It was vital for me to strike a balance between sustaining meaningful connections while mitigating burnout and serving my clients within my capabilities. Therefore setting boundaries is an essential part of social work.

Boundaries are one of the most important things you can have to help alleviate burnout. Not just boundaries with clients but boundaries for yourself - to know when you need a mental break or when you need to step away.

As the article stated self-care is vital and it doesn’t mean going to get your nailed done or pampering. Self care in social worker has to be incorporated holistically. Social work is a demanding field and in order to maintain longevity, it is vital to practice holistic self-care. So what does that look like? For example, I exercise, practice daily mindfulness meditation, eating healthy, seeking mentorship and support for other social work colleagues, incorporating daily activities that bring me joy outside of social work and spend time with my children and family. Look at self care as an investment in your professional and personally life . When you are taking care of yourself, you are also taking care of your clients.

I concur with this article! I am a life long learner. The old saying goes that the more you learn, the more you earn. Knowledge is something that can’t be taking away from you. In my experience of being a social worker, acquiring knowledge was always to enhance the lives of my clients. For example, when I worked at the psychiatric hospital as a psychotherapist, I acquired over 23 specializations, to serve my clients in making specialized groups based on the credentials I acquired thought workshops and certification programs. Such as becoming a certified grief counselor to built a grief and loss program for my clients was an essential part of their treatment process.