The Social Work Environment

Social workers deal with intense situations daily. It is important that social workers are aware of how they are affected by these interactions. Priscilla Dass-Brailsford explains in her book, that countertransference, vicarious trauma (VT), secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue and satisfaction, and burnout are all different ways that counselors can be affected (Dass-Brailsford, 2007). This is where it is important for social workers to have a plan of self-care and stress management resources to use.

I have yet to encounter a social worker who entered the profession for acclaim or prestige. It is a demanding career with long hours and ceaseless paperwork. Social workers are frequently overburdened in addition to being underpaid. Occasionally, they witness agonizing tragedy, fundamentally changing them. Having worked in social services for a number of years, I have had these experiences.

It is clear that social workers play an important role in society; it would therefore make sense to ensure that the working conditions of social workers are kept to a high standard. Without these good working standards it is likely that social workers might be affected by the job related stresses that are inherent to jobs dealing with troubled people. These high job stresses may lead to greater turn over and unwillingness amongst students to become social workers. Consequently the methods by which social workers and their respective employers have been discussed in this essay and include things like being given greater autonomy over their own scheduling and how they choose to deal with clients. Social workers may also be able to improve their

Social Work is a helping profession that strives to help the community on micro, mezzo, and macro levels. It is an investment of self to offer services and help to those in need. Areas of service can include, but are not limited to, traumatic situations, family situations, and child protection. As in most social service professions, the field of social work can often times take a toll on the emotional and physical stability of a social worker. One side effect from working in a helping profession is compassion fatigue. As a result, the National Association of Social Workers stresses the importance of self-care and its vitality in ensuring the social worker does not get burnt out by the profession.

Social work is a professional and academic discipline that works to improve the quality of life and enhance the wellbeing of individuals, families, couples, groups, and communities. Heather Holland is a Social Worker at Uniontown Hospital who has over 12 years’ experience in the field. She explains that a typical day on the job is far from easy. “Days in this career are crazy, busy, and mostly, undetermined” Holland explains of her days on the job. Social work is a very important job. Social workers work with clients who are vulnerable and in need of serious help. It is so extremely important that social workers are properly trained and are always giving their best in their work because client’s lives often depend on it. Social workers are

Social workers deal with a wide variety of people from all walks of life. There are challenges that people in the social work field deal with that most people do not take in to consideration. Whatever job position social workers are in; they connect with a lot of difficult experiences and deal with a little bit of everything.

Social Workers (SWs) come across different issues affecting the society and are required to play their role and reduce the adverse effects of the problem. The social work profession is faced with challenges and must keep themselves up to date with the necessary information and practice ethics. (Asquith, Clark, and Waterhouse, 2005). They work with individuals to make sure that the issues that are keeping them down are solved, and the community becomes a better place to live in.

Social work can be a stressful career, you need to be well organised as there is a significant level of administrative work - and time management skills are crucial. A social worker is expected to assess, review and maintain

That is why I believe that anyone that wants to be a social worker should take the time to watch a video, read some pamphlets, periodicals, or do a job shadowing of a social worker to see if that is the right profession for you. As a first responder, we are at risk of seeing a lot of traumatic situations. I know a lady that has gone through nursing school and decided to pursue another career after experiencing a day in the surgical room. However, you have to have some love for people and a willing heart to be a good social worker. I am not yet a social worker, but I know that I have a big heart which I believe is not enough to stay in this profession, but I am willing to try. If I notice that because of my stress level, I am not doing well at my job, I planned on seeking a professional help to assist me or join a group session. For me, PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder) can be one of the long-term impacts of social work first responders because of what we see or experience on a regular

Stress is a big issue when it comes to working as a DCS Caseworker. Stress means that someone is emotionally and physically drained. In a survey that includes more than 2,000 frontline staff and managers says; at least 80% of social workers stress levels are affecting their ability to do their job. They found out that a third of social workers responding to the survey were using alcohol and 17% were using prescription drugs such as anti-depressants to cope with stress; 97% said they were moderately or very stressed.

It is a slow process that occurs overtime. There are ways that a social worker can notice if they are experiencing burnout or compassion fatigue. These include feeling tired, hopeless, frustrated, and like work is no more meaningful ("Compassion Fatigue | The American Institute of Stress," n.d.). Other ways to tell that you are starting to feel the effects of burnout and compassion fatigue are the constant feeling of aches and pain (back, neck, head), having a hard time getting motivated to go to work in the mornings, and loosing compassion for others ("Compassion Fatigue | The American Institute of Stress," n.d.). It is important to be able to recognize these warning signs as soon as possible in order turn things around before they get any worse or cause physical and emotional health issues on the social worker. Emotional and physical effects of burnout and compassion fatigue on a worker include hypertension, aggression, and obesity (Jackson, 2014, p.

It is evident that the relationship between work stress and mental health has been established by numerous research studies. As discussed in Koesky (1993), the fact that all jobs involve some degree of stress makes it all the more alarming as to the level of stress experienced by individuals working in the human services. That is, given that these individuals are heavily involved in the lives of others, they often develop mental health symptoms that are characteristic of work-related stressors. In fact, “This involvement, which requires caring commitment and empathic responding, places workers at risk for a special type of strain commonly referred to as 'burnout'” (Koesky, 1993, p. 319).

In the reading “The Work Culture of Latin Domestic Workers” By Pierrette Hondagnu-Sotelo it discusses how the interaction between the domestic workers and the importance within a social setting and how it impact the work culture. Often immigrants arriving to the United States have a difficult time finding employment creating an environment of connection spreading through word of mouth by friends and family to help seek opportunities. Women who did not have these connections and attempting to find employment “unable to break into domestic work, or languished on the margins of the occupation” Many workers having difficulties finding a job were able to find a profession under subcontracting arrangements. This is where individuals subcontract their

In this paper, I will be discussing of an organization that caters social services and contributes to the social work field. In addition, I will go in details where the organization is financed from and what is the mission of the organization. Moreover, I will discuss of the structure that the organizations conduct to accomplished their missions and explain the organization 's different services provided under their organizations umbrella. Furthermore, I will discuss of the organization accountability to their services, overall impact, and the power in organization. Lastly, I will explanatory the workers role in the organizations and discuss of my overall experience referring to my future social work profession.

A way one can manage stress is to build their physical reserves. This includes exercise for cardiovascular fitness three to four times a week (moderate, prolonged rhythmic exercise is best, such as walking, swimming, cycling, or jogging), eat well-balanced, nutritious meals, maintain your ideal weight, avoid nicotine, excessive caffeine, and other stimulants, mix leisure with work, take breaks and get away when you can, get enough sleep, and finally be as consistent with your sleep schedule as possible.