Social work is extremely demanding, as it is based on empathy and helping people in need. Despite this, social workers often forget about themselves, even though they encourage self-care in their clients. This paradox points to the need for self-care to become a part of everyday life for professional workers as well. Self-care is becoming increasingly important, both at the individual and organizational levels. It is crucial to be aware that organizations play an important role in identifying the needs and well-being of their employees, in providing support, and in creating conditions where self-care is not a privilege, but a part of everyday practice.
In my research, I focus on the forms of self-care implemented by the Gorenjska Social Work Center and on the role of the organization in preventing employee burnout and exhaustion. First, I introduce the concept of self-care, both in a general sense and from the perspective of social work, and the obstacles that professional workers encounter in implementing it. For a better understanding, I define compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary trauma, as well as the factors that contribute to their occurrence. I emphasize the importance of both individual and organizational self-care, especially supervision and intervision, as well as other forms of organizational self-care.
The results of the study show that among the more common individual forms of self-care are physical activity, sleep, socializing and meditation, while supervision and intervision stand out as key organizational forms of support. Other organizational forms of self-care that ensure an appropriate working environment include task adjustments, training, a suitable workspace, and supportive leadership. The combination of inadequate individual care and various organizational factors increases the risk of developing compassion fatigue and burnout.
The research is qualitative, as the data collection method is interviewing, and the measuring instrument consists of interview guidelines.
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