The Social Work Environment

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

Currie, D (2010). Introduction to Human Resource Management. 2nd ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel Development. 293

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.

Stress can be caused by many different things within an organisation but the main causes of stress can be broken down into “six management standards” Anon (2009) how to tackle work related stress http://www.hse.gov.uk/ I used these areas to construct the chart below and discussed stress at a team meeting and asked my team to complete a Circle of influence around areas over which they felt they had no control Appendix 1 we also discussed what we / I could do to manage the six main causes of stress

Social workers are best known to work with clients who have experienced a form of trauma or crisis at one point in his or her life. As social workers, we help and support clients who have experienced unfortunate incidents in their lives such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, and often natural disasters. Experiencing traumatic events is in great amounts in the general population, yet it is even higher amongst the population in which social workers serve. As a result of surviving traumatic events, clients often experience high levels of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Secondary stress disorder, also known as the acronym STS, is a disorder in which an individual experiences symptoms similar to PTSD. This often occurs as a result of engaging with individuals who have experienced crisis or trauma. The study that is being described in this critique is called Prevalence of Secondary Traumatic Stress among Social Workers and it was written by Brian E. Bride. The reason why I chose the article involving this specific study is because I find it important to identify what some of the effects of being involved with clients on a daily basis can have on myself as a social worker.

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.

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.

A. Attention getter: We’ve all had days when everything seems to go wrong. You’re getting ready for work and you spill coffee on yourself. On your way to work, you get a speeding ticket. When you get to work, everyone needs your help. Your day ends at work, you finally get home to sit and relax but wait, the kids are hungry and the house is a mess. When does it end!

I have often exaggerated the workplace and lifestyle of a social worker. After meeting with a fellow social worker, I am now able to understand their busy lifestyle. A social worker has to consider the struggles clients have experienced and hear their narratives. At the same time, these social workers need to keep their life in order in a professional and healthy way. A social worker I had the chance to meet, has endured four years of training at Thompson Rivers University: he received a bachelor degree off social work with a child welfare specialization, and two practicums, as well as regular training introduced by the government; that broadened his understanding on domestic violence, child welfare, and interview training. He stated six particular duties: provide child safety, child welfare, family care, community development, assisting individuals and being a go-to person to fellow clients (personal communication, January 27, 2016).

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.

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

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.

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).

According to Elkin and Rosch (1990) workplace related stress in a major problem in the U.S. and it creates a major expense for corporations. Koeske, Kirk, and Koeske (1993) indicate that all jobs have some level of stress but jobs that are in the human services have additional stressors because they “derive from intense involvement in the lives of others”. (p.319). They also refer to the type of stress experienced by individuals working in human services as “burnout” (Koeske, Kirk, and Koeske, 1993, p.319). Another factor that can influence our stress level is how we handle life’s demands. There are different ways of reacting to the situations we face every day of our lives. We have all heard of expressions such as ‘road rage’ and ‘going postal’. These are terms that we have come to identified with violent reactions to stressors caused by situations all of us face every day. How many of us have experiences in the road that