Why Is Self-Care Important In Social Work?

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Self-care is an essential part of effectively coping with stress, improving mood, and increasing satisfaction in various domains for social workers and social work students. Individuals practicing social work are subjected to a number of intense and stressful circumstances that come with the demands of the job or MSW curriculum. These circumstances can negatively impact overall wellbeing and quality of life (Bonifas & Napoli, 2014). Research suggests that high stress can lead to burnout and an overall decrease in work performance which not only negatively effects the social worker, but the client as well (Newell, & MacNeil, 2010). An increase in self-care activities and behavior increases mood and wellbeing, which also results in improved …show more content…

Research suggests that short term consequences for lack of sleep include negative affect on judgement and mood, ability to remember information, and the heightened risk of accidents (Lemola, Ledermann, & Friedman, 2013). Long term consequences include poor health conditions as sleep deprivation has been proven to cause many diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiac issues (Lemola, Ledermann, & Friedman, 2013). Furthermore, individuals who are poor sleepers report higher levels of anger, depression, irritability, tension, and overall poor mood as opposed to those who get a full night of sleep (Stasio, Curry, Wagener & Glassman, 2011). According to Newell, & MacNeil (2010), graduate students and social work professionals commit long hours to the field, resulting in stress, anxiety, and the need for self-care, to include sufficient amounts of sleep. The client for this research study identified his poor sleep patterns and his need for adequate sleep as the target behavior. Intervention …show more content…

During the 7 day intervention period, the client was asked to abstain from caffeinated beverages and track his ability to implement the intervention, as well as the amount of sleep he got on a daily basis. Per client report and tracking log, he was able to slowly cut down on his normal caffeine intake from energy drinks and coffee. From day 5 to day 7, he was able to abstain from caffeine completely. On day 7 of the intervention period, the client was administered his second PANAS survey to complete. At that time, the total sum for positive affect was 39 and the sum for negative affect was 32. In comparison to the research, the data suggests that the client is in above average range with his experience of positive mood and emotions and scored 7 points higher than he did during the baseline period. The client continues to be at above average range with his experience of negative mood and emotions, however he scored 1 point lower than he did during the baseline period. The client reported wedding planning, school assignments, and extra work hours to be added stressors during this time

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