Social workers are often faced with emotional distress, feelings of powerlessness and systemic barriers that hinder effective support for their service users. One of the consequences of prolonged emotional distress is the occurence of compassion fatigue, defined as “the formal caregiver’s reduced capacity or interest in being empathic or bearing the suffering of clients” (Adams et al., 2006, p. 103). The aim of my research was to investigate how social workers experience their professional role and what factors motivate them to stay in their profession despite highly demanding interactions. I focused on their professional identity, work motivation, coping with compassion fatigue and emotionally demanding situations, organisational factors, and reflections on a possible exit from the profession. The study was conducted among social workers employed in social work centres in different regions of Slovenia.
The empirical part of the study was conducted using a qualitative methodology. I conducted semi-structured interviews with six social workers on the basis of a pre-prepared guidelines. I analysed the collected data using open and axial coding. The results show that social workers often perceive their work as a mission. However, they also face significant emotional stress, compassion fatigue, feelings of being overwhelmed, and systemic obstacles. Despite these challenges, they persevere in their work, driven by strong intrinsic motivation, a love of their profession, and a sense of professional identity. Based on the findings, I concluded the research with suggestions on what could help social workers cope with emotionally challenging situations and potentially reduce their occurrence.
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