The year 2020 presented unprecedented challenges for social workers. A global pandemic, widespread demonstrations against racial injustice, and a highly charged national election significantly amplified the demands placed on their services. This surge in demand coincided with an increased risk of burnout within the profession, highlighting the critical need for effective self-care strategies. Recognizing this growing imperative, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) in 2021 made a landmark revision to their code of ethics, explicitly incorporating self-care for the first time since the organization’s inception in 1955.
The updated NASW Code of Ethics emphasizes that “Professional self-care is paramount for competent and ethical social work practice. Professional demands, challenging workplace climates and exposure to trauma warrant that social workers maintain personal and professional health, safety and integrity.” This pivotal change underscores that self-care is not merely an optional extra but an essential component of ethical and effective social work practice. The International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) further corroborated this in a report, noting the emotional strain on social workers due to difficulties in client connection during lockdowns, increased client distress, and anxieties surrounding the coronavirus. Fatigue and the urgent need for self-care were prominent concerns highlighted by the IFSW.
Acknowledging the escalating pressures, professional bodies have championed the integration of self-care into the social work ethos. The NASW’s ethical code revision reinforces that self-care is not an adjunct to social work but fundamental to its practice. It empowers social workers to deliver competent client services while safeguarding themselves from the detrimental effects of burnout.
The Vital Role of Self-Care for Social Work Professionals
The significance of self-care is a recurring theme in social work discourse, integrated into job training, professional development, and industry conferences, as noted by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The pervasive stress extends to social work students, indicating that individuals drawn to helping professions are paradoxically vulnerable to compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, and burnout, according to CSWE.
This challenge is not unique to social workers. Professionals in allied fields such as psychology and nursing also recognize the benefits of proactive self-care practices. The American Psychological Association, for instance, actively encourages its members to prioritize self-care to mitigate stress and prevent it from escalating to debilitating levels.
The well-being of social workers and students is paramount to meeting the escalating needs of communities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects approximately 78,300 annual job openings for social workers between 2020 and 2030. To effectively support communities disproportionately affected by racial injustice, economic instability, and ongoing public health crises, the practice of self-care is not just beneficial—it is indispensable for social workers.
Social Work License Map has compiled a comprehensive list of resources designed to support social workers and students in prioritizing their mental health and integrating self-care strategies into their demanding professional lives.
45 Essential Self-Care Resources for Social Workers and Students
Explore the following resources, categorized for ease of navigation, to discover tools and strategies for nurturing your mental health and implementing effective self-care practices within the social work profession:
Self-Care Apps for Social Workers
These apps provide accessible and convenient tools for mindfulness, meditation, and stress reduction, directly on your mobile device.
Calm: Available on the Apple Store and Google Play, Calm offers guided meditation sessions and mindfulness exercises designed to promote relaxation and improve mental well-being.
Happify: Downloadable from the Apple Store and Google Play, Happify uses gamified activities to help users manage stress, reduce anxiety, and overcome negative thought patterns through personalized daily exercises.
Headspace: Accessible via the Apple Store and Google Play, Headspace provides guided mindfulness meditations aimed at enhancing focus, improving mood, decreasing anxiety, and boosting overall productivity.
SuperBetter: Found on the Apple Store and Google Play, SuperBetter employs a game-like format to build resilience, encouraging users to achieve goals such as hydration, social connection, and physical activity to improve mental fortitude.
Self-Care Articles, Tools, and Toolkits for Social Workers
These resources offer in-depth information, practical advice, and actionable strategies for social workers to implement self-care effectively.
Caring for Your Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): This comprehensive hub from NIMH offers vital information on self-care practices, guidance on when to seek professional help, and immediate steps to take during mental health crises.
Coping With Stress, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): The CDC provides insights into healthy coping mechanisms for stress and its effects on both physical and mental well-being, crucial for managing professional pressures.
Did You Know Burnout Is Real? NASW: This NASW article provides a clear overview of burnout, including recognizable signs, immediate actions to mitigate it, and long-term prevention strategies tailored for social workers.
Distress, Therapist Burnout, Self-Care and the Promotion of Wellness for Psychotherapists and Trainees, Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy: Focused on therapeutic professions, this resource details how to identify burnout warning signs, offers a positive coping behaviors checklist, and provides extensive resources for maintaining wellness.
Find Three Good Things Each Day, Action for Happiness: Action for Happiness offers a video and article outlining strategies to cultivate gratitude daily, enhancing perspective and overall happiness through simple, actionable exercises.
How to Create Your Own Self-Care Plan, Mental Health First Aid: This resource guides social workers through creating personalized self-care plans, posing key questions and suggesting domains to consider to ensure personal well-being while supporting others.
Health Care Professionals, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): NAMI provides specific warning signs of mental health challenges in healthcare professionals, alongside resilience-building tools and resources designed to support those in helping professions.
Introduction to Self-Care, University at Buffalo School of Social Work: This toolkit from the University at Buffalo offers assessments, activity suggestions, and step-by-step guidance for social work students and professionals to develop effective self-care plans.
Mental Health and Resiliency Tools for Health Care Workers: COVID-19, Minnesota Dept. of Health: Developed in response to the pandemic, this resource offers strategies and advice for managing common mental, emotional, and psychological concerns experienced by healthcare workers during crises.
Managing Fatigue During Times of Crisis: Guidance for Nurses, Managers and Other Healthcare Workers, CDC: The CDC offers practical tips to help healthcare and social service workers effectively manage fatigue risks, crucial during high-demand periods.
Mindfulness: 10 Lessons in Self-Care for Social Workers, The New Social Worker: This article from The New Social Worker explores mindfulness techniques specifically tailored for social workers to reduce stress and enhance coping capacities.
Practical Guide to Self-Care for Helping Professionals, Children’s Mental Health Network: This guide focuses on enhancing professional self-care through supportive supervision, self-monitoring techniques, and structuring work environments to prioritize and encourage self-care.
Provider Self-Care Toolkit – PTSD, National Center for PTSD: Designed for those working with trauma survivors, this toolkit includes self-assessments, coping strategies, and resources to mitigate stress, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress.
Quick Coherence Technique for Adults, HeartMath Institute: The HeartMath Institute provides a technique to quickly release stress and negative emotions like frustration and anxiety in approximately 60 seconds, promoting emotional regulation.
Screeners for Secondary Traumatic Stress, Center on Trauma and Children: The Center on Trauma and Children offers assessment tools for secondary traumatic stress, burnout, moral distress, and general stress levels, aiding in early identification and intervention.
Employee Whole Health, Department of Veterans Affairs: The VA provides quick, virtual self-care tools specifically designed for professionals caring for veterans, their families, and communities, addressing unique stressors.
Self-Care A-Z: Three Tips for Tending a Self-Care Garden, The New Social Worker: Using the metaphor of a garden, this article illustrates how consistent and attentive self-care practices are essential for personal and professional growth and well-being.
Social Worker Success & Self-Care Toolbox, The New Social Worker: A medical social worker shares insights and tools to reduce workplace stress, offering practical advice within a social work context.
Staying Mentally Healthy During a Pandemic, NASW: NASW provides strategies for maintaining calm, managing stress, and overcoming anxiety and depression specifically during crisis situations like pandemics.
Taking Care of Your Mental Health in the Face of Uncertainty, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention offers suggestions to help individuals struggling with mental health during uncertain times, relevant to the unpredictable nature of social work.
Taking Care of Yourself, The National Child Traumatic Stress Network: This resource lists self-care ideas to aid in coping after exposure to difficult or traumatic events, essential for social workers dealing with challenging client situations.
Vicarious Trauma & Self-Care Toolkit, Toronto Youth Equity Strategy (PDF, 2.1 MB): This comprehensive guide offers frontline workers information and tools to mitigate the effects of vicarious trauma experienced through their work.
Self-Care Books for Social Workers
For deeper exploration and sustained strategies, these books offer comprehensive guides to self-care tailored for social work professionals.
The A-To-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals, Edited by Erlene Grise-Owens, Justin “Jay” Miller, and Mindy Eaves: This handbook provides a structured framework for creating personalized self-care plans with realistic goals and actionable guidance.
Burnout and Self-Care in Social Work, by SaraKay Smullens: This updated guide helps students and mental health professionals navigate their careers with direction and balance, enhancing their capacity to serve clients effectively while protecting their well-being.
Disaster Mental Health Counseling, Fourth Edition, Edited by Jane M. Webber and J. Barry Mascari: This book examines the emotional toll of disaster and trauma work on counselors, detailing the types of traumatic stress experienced by mental health responders and offering interventions to reduce compassion fatigue and PTSD risks.
Practicing Mindfulness: 75 Essential Meditations to Reduce Stress, Improve Mental Health and Find Peace in the Everyday, by Matthew Sockolov: This book offers 75 mindfulness exercises tailored for various situations and emotions, designed to integrate mindfulness into daily routines for stress reduction and mental health improvement.
The Resilient Practitioner: Burnout and Compassion Fatigue Prevention and Self-Care Strategies for the Helping Professions, by Thomas M. Skovholt and Michelle Trotter-Mathison: This resource includes a self-care action plan, self-reflection exercises, and a resiliency inventory, aimed at students and practitioners in helping professions to build resilience and prevent burnout.
Self-Care in Social Work, by Kathleen Cox and Sue Steiner: This book explores self-care approaches through the development of self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-efficacy, aligning personal well-being with agency structure and culture.
Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, by Kristin Neff: This book provides exercises and action plans for cultivating self-compassion to navigate emotionally challenging situations, fostering resilience and emotional health.
Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others, by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky and Connie Burk: This guide offers strategies for social workers and those in trauma-exposed professions to overcome fatigue and emotional numbness, promoting long-term sustainability in demanding roles.
A Year of Self-Care: Daily Practices and Inspiration for Caring for Yourself, by Zoe Shaw: This book provides daily exercises and inspirational prompts to initiate and maintain consistent self-care habits throughout the year.
Self-Care Podcast Episodes for Social Workers
Listen and learn on the go with these podcast episodes that address burnout, self-care strategies, and mental wellness in social work.
Battling Burnout, NASW Social Work Talks Podcast, Episode 68: This episode discusses practical approaches to reduce stress, enhance overall wellness, and build a supportive workplace culture within social work settings.
Burnout and Self-Care in Social Work: We Share Our Stories, The Social Work Stories Podcast, Episode 58: This episode features personal narratives about the impacts of burnout and compassion fatigue, emphasizing the crucial role of self-care in effective coping and resilience.
Justice and Joy: Self-Care, NASW Social Work Talks Podcast, Episode 61: Focusing on uncertain times, this episode highlights the importance of self-care and community support, particularly for social workers of color, addressing unique challenges and needs.
Self-Care and Avoiding Burnout, NASW Social Work Talks Podcast, Episode 17: This episode provides actionable strategies for both preventing and addressing burnout, offering practical advice for maintaining professional and personal well-being.
Self-Care During the Coronavirus Pandemic, NASW Social Works Talks Podcast, Episode 48: Specifically addressing the challenges of the pandemic, this episode offers timely tips for social workers to cope with crisis situations and maintain self-care amidst widespread disruption.
Self-Compassion and Secondary Traumatic Stress, Center on Trauma and Children Well@Work Podcast, Episode 8: This episode explores the development of resilience through self-compassion practices, offering strategies to mitigate secondary traumatic stress and enhance emotional robustness.
Self-Care Initiatives and Organizations for Social Workers
Connect with these organizations and initiatives that provide ongoing support and resources dedicated to the well-being of social workers.
The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress (AAETS): AAETS offers a directory of online support groups specifically for emergency responders, healthcare workers, and social service providers, fostering peer support and community.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA): ADAA provides a wealth of resources including webinars, articles, guides, and a therapist directory, focusing on the prevention, treatment, and understanding of anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and co-occurring disorders relevant to social workers’ mental health.
International Self-Care Foundation (ISF): As a UK-based global charity, ISF serves as a platform to share innovative ideas and increase global awareness about the multifaceted importance of self-care across professions, including social work.
Therapy Aid Coalition: This coalition offers access to free and low-fee short-term therapy for essential workers, including social workers, ensuring mental health support is accessible to those on the front lines.
By integrating these self-care tools and resources, social workers can proactively manage the demands of their profession, enhance their well-being, and sustain their capacity to provide compassionate and effective services to those in need. Prioritizing self-care is not just a personal benefit; it is a professional imperative for ethical and competent social work practice.
