SOCW 6103 Week 11 – Discussion: Self-Care

  

Discussion: Self-Care

Burn out is physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion is caused by long-term involvement in situations that are emotionally demanding and very stressful, combined with high personal expectations for one’s performance. Examples of burn out include emotional exhaustion, depersonalization of clients, and a lack of feelings of personal accomplishment.

—Leatz & Stolar, 1993, p. 116

Addiction treatment is a demanding profession that often involves high levels of stress. Without appropriate treatment, addiction professionals may fall prey to burnout, lack of compassion, and fatigue, leaving them unable to treat clients effectively. It is important for addiction treatment professionals to seek out support from clinical supervisors, connect with other addiction professionals, and implement self-care practices. Although addiction professionals are certainly not expected to be perfect, awareness of personal and professional stressors may greatly improve their ability to sustain long-term interest and productivity in their careers.

Self-care for mental health professionals is vital. The ability to take care of yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually is important if you are to be of service to others. To assist in this process, it is helpful to develop a self-care plan. The key is to get help when needed and to address issues when they arise.

For this Discussion, review this week’s resources and the media entitled, ” A Day in the Life of an Addiction Counselor” and create a long-term self-care plan. Support your response with references to the resources and current literature.

Provide a 300-word discussion Post:

–  Description of your long-term self-care plan. 

o Explain steps that you might take to prevent burnout. 

o Explain what work/life balance means to you and steps that you might take to achieve a healthy work/life balance. 

o Explain steps that you might take to maintain physical health.

Must contain at least 3 references and citations 

Week 11: Clinical Supervision and Self-Care

I recently noticed a drastic change in my employee Sam, who is an experienced addiction professional. He once had a cheerful personality and was well-liked by everyone in the office. Recently, I have received client complaints about Sam’s lack of compassion and empathy. Just last week, Sam told me of the stress he is experiencing at home and at work. No matter what he does, he never finds time to get away and relax. Sam has started showing up to work late more frequently and seems to be overwhelmed. I am worried about Sam, and as his clinical supervisor it is my duty to help.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

· Analyze self-care strategies to develop a long-term self-care plan

Learning Resources

Library Resources

Dalphon, H. (2019). Self-care techniques for social workers: Achieving an ethical harmony between work and well-being.

 

Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 29(1), 85-95.

Vilardaga, R., Luoma, J. B., Hayes, S. C., Pistorello, J., Levin, M. E., Hildebrandt, M. J., …Kohlenberg, M. J. (2011). Burnout among the addiction counseling workforce: The differential roles of mindfulness and values-based processes and work-site factors. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 40(4), 323–335. 

Ward, K. (2018). The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals. Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, 23(1), 331-333.

Xu, Y., Harmon-Darrow, C., & Frey, J. J. (2019). Rethinking professional quality of life for social workers: Inclusion of ecological self-care barriers. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 29(1), 11–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2018.1452814

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2012a). A day in the life of an addiction counselor [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

 

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 2 minutes.

 

Accessible player 

Discussion: Self-Care

Burn out is physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion is caused by long-term involvement in situations that are emotionally demanding and very stressful, combined with high personal expectations for one’s performance. Examples of burn out include emotional exhaustion, depersonalization of clients, and a lack of feelings of personal accomplishment.

—Leatz & Stolar, 1993, p. 116

Addiction treatment is a demanding profession that often involves high levels of stress. Without appropriate treatment, addiction professionals may fall prey to burnout, lack of compassion, and fatigue, leaving them unable to treat clients effectively. It is important for addiction treatment professionals to seek out support from clinical supervisors, connect with other addiction professionals, and implement self-care practices. Although addiction professionals are certainly not expected to be perfect, awareness of personal and professional stressors may greatly improve their ability to sustain long-term interest and productivity in their careers.

Self-care for mental health professionals is vital. The ability to take care of yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually is important if you are to be of service to others. To assist in this process, it is helpful to develop a self-care plan. The key is to get help when needed and to address issues when they arise.

For this Discussion, review this week’s resources and the media entitled, ” A Day in the Life of an Addiction Counselor” and create a long-term self-care plan. Support your response with references to the resources and current literature.

Provide a 300-word discussion Post:

· Description of your long-term self-care plan.

· Explain steps that you might take to prevent burnout.

· Explain what work/life balance means to you and steps that you might take to achieve a healthy work/life balance.

· Explain steps that you might take to maintain physical health.

Must contain at least 3 references and citations from the following materials:

Dalphon, H. (2019). Self-care techniques for social workers: Achieving an ethical harmony between work and well-being. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 29(1), 85-95.

Vilardaga, R., Luoma, J. B., Hayes, S. C., Pistorello, J., Levin, M. E., Hildebrandt, M. J., …Kohlenberg, M. J. (2011). Burnout among the addiction counseling workforce: The differential roles of mindfulness and values-based processes and work-site factors. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 40(4), 323–335. 

Ward, K. (2018). The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals. Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, 23(1), 331-333.

Xu, Y., Harmon-Darrow, C., & Frey, J. J. (2019). Rethinking professional quality of life for social workers: Inclusion of ecological self-care barriers. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 29(1), 11–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2018.1452814
Required Media
Laureate Education (Producer). (2012a). A day in the life of an addiction counselor [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu