Free Essay Example: Self-Care in Social Work

As a social worker, I would focus on helping people afflicted with various traumatizing incidences achieve stable mental well-being. It is worth noting that a fire incident, though devoid of casualties, may lead to prolonged trauma, particularly in children. My first reaction towards children who have undergone a traumatizing occurrence akin to that of Nadia's case study would be to ensure their physical conditions are pleasant and stable. I would see to it that they regularly attend the hospital for a checkup to ascertain their lungs and the rest of the respiratory system are effectively working. Regular checkups may seem uncomfortable to children, but I would insist while educating them on the importance of medical checkups. Children also need subtle social interaction, more so with people of their age. Taking children to places of fun would be an opportune moment to help children resonate with life before a calamity such as a fire. Eventually, a cordial and robust friendship bond would be formed.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Pertinent to caregivers in Nadia case, chances are tremendously high that a close relative would be profoundly affected by the fire incidence. I would, therefore, build a strong relationship with close relatives and children by aggregating them for comforting messages that illuminate compassion. Caregivers need to rekindle spirits that existed before the calamity occurred. Connecting caregivers with children and other family members is an appropriate strategy capable of easing and helping the impacts of the fire calamity.

In one way or another, caregivers need to feel involved in efforts applied to ameliorate issues emanating from calamity aftermath. Caregivers would, therefore, be involved in the wake of the calamity in various ways. They may, for instance, opt to offer accommodation and food for the affected family before the family regains its lost momentum. During the tentative stay, caregivers should be counseled alongside the affected family. Counseling the family alongside caregivers is deemed a prudent endeavor because it allows for a unified strategy that will help the family get through the matter with ease. Caregivers are crucial in offering support to the family, particularly in sensitive issues that other members of the society may disregard or overlook—allowing caregivers to spearhead solutions of problems emanating from the fire calamity.

Fire extinguishing professionals also require help as a preserve of mental wellbeing. In as much as professional may be deemed sufficient in matters of advice and decision making, they may suffer either in the short or long-run intrigues of the fire incidence. As pertains to dealing with professionals providing services in calamities, advice coupled with referrals and psychological professionals is recommended. Fire-fighters are likely to be affected by vicarious trauma as they watch property getting consumed by fire and vulnerable people in the social struggle through the fire. By advising fire-fighters to seek psychological help after the fire incidence would imbue a lasting cordial relationship; this is because psychological support would help in subduing negative thinking that emanates from scaring and traumatizing scenes from the fire incidence.

Other grown-ups from the incidence, such as Nadia, her cousins, and her mother, require a comforting environment both physically and psychologically. Parents and guardians may not be comfortable when their siblings or children are uncomfortable. An ideal mitigating strategy would, therefore, involve ensuring children are comfortable before attending to adults. Mature people would require financial and psychological mitigating approaches. The best endeavor would, therefore, be to help the adults access activities that will enhance their mental wellbeings such as physical exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate financial advice.

My Self-Care Strategies

A traumatizing incident affects all people, including professionals and onlookers. It is worthwhile noting that victims are affected by direct trauma while the rest are perturbed by vicarious trauma, also known as compassion fatigue. It is a type of traumatic stress that afflicts people who help others in a calamity. Vicarious trauma is quite challenging to deal with, particularly because it is associated with professionals. Some vital signs that may indicate a person is suffering from vicarious trauma include reluctance to talk about traumatizing incidences, unnecessary anger, and feeling trapped by their profession, mainly if it is a counseling job (Good Therapies, 2016). Eventually, vicarious trauma is detrimental to a person's mental well-being and productivity. To avoid vicarious trauma, counselors, and other professionals who help victims in calamities should seek psychological help; it will amount to something.

I would, therefore, consider seeking professional help in that regard. I would also enhance my mental well-being by exercising regularly, undertaking regular nature walks and self-care tips, and reading books, particularly philosophy. Regular exercise is deemed to be an effective strategy of boosting one's mind and igniting energy in the morning (Dalphon, 2019). The nature walk is another strategy that acts as therapy, but it works well when combined with philosophical knowledge. Nature walks form a link between the existence of people and life. On the other hand, philosophical knowledge enables a person to understand the position of a person in nature. Self-care trips are also imperative at allowing one to forget about other paraphernalia while they concentrate on personal mental well-being.

References

Dalphon, H. (2019). Self-care techniques for social workers: Achieving an ethical harmony between work and well-being. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 29(1), 85–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2018.1481802

Good Therapies. (2016, July 14). Vicarious Trauma. GoodTherapy.Org Therapy Blog. https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/vicarious-trauma