By: Stephanie Gallardo
March is Social Work Month. A month dedicated to bring awareness and celebrate the great profession of Social Work. The theme for Social Work Month 2024 is “Empowering Social Workers!”[1]
According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the 2024 theme of Empowering Social Workers brings attention to need for social workers to be compensated adequately for the important work they contribute to our society [1]. Increased rates of homelessness, opioid use crisis, mental health crisis, poverty, humanitarian crises- Social Workers are key agents in supporting our most vulnerable populations [1]. Social workers are uniquely trained to address societal troubles and examine the human experience through an Ecological Systems Lens.
The Ecological Systems Theory suggests that an individual’s development is influenced by a series of interconnected environmental systems, ranging from immediate surroundings (e.g., Family) to broad societal structures (e.g., Culture). These systems include the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem, each representing different levels of environmental influences on an individual’s growth and behavior. [2]
Understanding the many facets of the human experience- social workers enter the profession because they truly want to help others. They go through years of education, training, and supervision so they can do the delicate but important work of meeting people where they are and helping them achieve their goals [1].
I too entered the social work profession to make a difference in people’s lives. I find value in helping individuals live their most meaningful life. The social work profession has given me the flexibility to be of service to others in various settings (e.g., community mental health clinics, private practice, residential treatment centers, hospitals, universities, and social service agencies) experiences that demonstrate that all human beings benefit of support regardless of socioeconomic status.
Often social workers, myself included are busy filling everyone else’s cup when they come to realize that they have not sufficiently filled their own cup, leading to exhaustion and burnout. The social work profession is emotionally, mentally, and physically intense. Daily exposure to the effects of trauma, poverty, and social or racial inequalities; social workers spend a lot of time and energy thinking about, attuning to, and caring for their clients’ needs.
High caseloads, high client acuity, and low wages are well-known causes of social worker burnout. A recent study found that, following the start of COVID-19, 26.21% of social workers met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, 16.22% reported severe grief, 63.71% reported burnout, and 49.59% reported secondary trauma [3]. These statistics of burnout and grief, are a similar representation for our providers in the healthcare field. Serving as a medical social worker during and post-covid, most of my healthcare colleagues felt that heaviness on their shoulders.
As advocates, and professionals who are devoted in serving individuals and communities that are most vulnerable; it is equally important for the community to support legislation and initiatives that empower and support the social work profession. This includes the Improving Access to Mental Health Act, student loan debt relief, and social work safety legislation [1].
We are all human. Let us all, Empower one another.
1. Theme and Rationale for Social Work Month 2024. (1 C.E., March). National Association of Social Workers. Retrieved March 6, 2024, from https://www.socialworkers.org/News/Social-Work-Month/Theme-and-Rationale-2024
2. Bronfenbrenner, U., & Ceci, S. J. (1994). Nature-nurture reconceptualised: A bio-ecological model. Psychological Review, 10 (4), 568–586.
3. Holmes, M. R., et al. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Posttraumatic Stress, Grief, Burnout, and Secondary Trauma of Social Workers in the United States. Clinical Social Work Journal, 1–10. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-021-00795-y
