Self-Care for Social Workers

Title: Self-Care for Social Workers: Interview with Erlene Grise-Owens, Justin “Jay” Miller, and Mindy Eaves

What is it? A podcast 

Author: The Social Work Podcast -- a free podcast that does interviews with social workers who are experts in a wide range of topics, including direct practice, human behavior/mental health, policy, education, and research.    

Who should read it? Anyone that wants a fresh take on self-care. Sick of hearing that self-care means you need to get massages, take bubble baths, and meditate all the damn time? This podcast is short and sweet and gives you a unique framework for thinking about self-care, as well as the tools for developing a self-care plan that is actually sustainable and helpful.  

Two Minute Skinny: The podcast focuses on individuals developing a self-care plan that is unique to their needs, interests, and lifestyle. The interviewees make sure to emphasize that what works for one person may not work for you and that being good at self-care does not mean you have to be a yoga-loving, marathon-running athlete (thank god, right?). Self-care should be thought of as a framework for a balanced life -- and managing that balance and integrating rewarding activities into your routine is a skill that needs to be practiced and honed like anything else. 

The interviewees challenge the listener to make a self-care plan that includes SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant & Timely) goals about which activities and practices they want to utilize to take better care of themselves. They also tackle myths about self-care and burnout - ideas like burnout should be seen as a badge of honor (or conversely, something to be ashamed of), that self-care is selfish, and that self-care is a privilege.   

Lastly, the podcast covers organizational wellness and organizations’ responsibility to their employees to create wellness initiatives and opportunities for personal growth and self-care. They urge listeners to advocate for wellness within their organization and to try to model the practice of intentional self-care. 

Best Quote(s):

“There is no self-care pill or prescribed “to-do list” of activities. Self-care is personal, specific, and has a lot more to do with knowing ourselves, identifying triggers, recognizing cues or signs that things are not going well, and negotiating self-protection with vulnerability.”

“Self-care is a skill to be practiced” 

“Self care is not what we do when we get home from work. It needs to be integrated into our professional lives as well.”

Rating/Is it worth your time?: This podcast is 100% worth your time. At right around 50 minutes, you can easily listen to it in the car, while you work out, or (if you’re me) while drinking hot chocolate in your pajamas. This is one of the only resources I have found that presents self-care in a way that is not trying to sell something or that isn’t totally kitschy and superficial. It doesn’t matter if you are a social worker or in a totally unrelated field, everyone will come away with new perspectives and ideas for taking better care of themselves. 

Listen guys, I’m not really into podcasts: This podcast was partially to promote the interviewees’ book - The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals. I bought it, read it, and honestly wasn’t impressed. You get better information and better inspiration from the podcast - I wouldn’t waste the money or the time on the book. I’ve honestly had a hard time finding books/videos/activities about self-care that aren’t a waste of time. If you know of any, please hit me up. 

If you’re really not feeling the podcast, use this takeaway to do some self-care planning of your own: the interviewees say that we need to engage in activities that fill us up psychologically, physically, socially, professionally, and spiritually. Brainstorm your own list of activities to practice self-care in each of those spheres of life!