In the theoretical part of my thesis, I focused on self-care, burnout and compassion fatigue. I researched how different authors define self-care, what are the areas of self-care, and what are the most common self-care strategies. I was also interested in the risk factors for burnout and compassion fatigue, their causes, consequences, symptoms, and how burnout and compassion fatigue can be prevented.
I researched how social and professional workers employed at the Social Work Center in Kranj understand self-care, how they manage to take care of themselves, in which areas they are most successful, and which self-care strategies they consider most effective in avoiding negative consequences such as burnout. I also focused on the prevention of burnout and how signs of a lack of self-care manifest themselves. I conducted qualitative research to obtain in-depth answers and used the method of a partially standardized interview, which allowed the interviewees more freedom in answering the questions.
I have come to the conclusion that employees at the Social Work Center Gorenjska, in the Kranj unit, most often understand self-care as a separation between work and private life, which they see as a key condition for well-being and successful performance of their profession. Although they often think about self-care, they do not take care of themselves enough. To improve the well-being of employees at the Social Work Center in Kranj, the organisation needs to provide staff reinforcement, encourage physical activity and team activities, facilitate access to psychological support, regularly check workloads, set realistic goals, and encourage work within working hours.
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