In the Zone for Self-Care

How do we know when we have practiced good self-care?? How do we know if we haven't? If we are self-aware (see Standard #2 of the NASW Standards for Cultural Competence for details), we will have a lot of clues and signals that tell us we are in trouble or are "in the zone." I have read a LOT of books and journal articles about when we are in trouble (burnout, compassion fatigue, secondary post traumatic stress), but I have not read much about the positive side of good self care.

What are the clues that we are doing well or "in the zone" for healthy social work practice? Here is my big clue: The last time I woke up at 3:00 am and couldn't go back to sleep was so long ago I can't tell you exactly when it was.

When I started this post, I imagined having a long list of clues. Hmmm. Not that easy. This will be a work in progress. Share your clues that you are "in the zone" and doing well.

P.S. I just discovered Amy Baird's Life in Brief blog (what a great example of how a Web 2.0 social worker). Keep up the good work Amy!

Self-Care Strategies

How do we teach new social workers strategies for self-care? Why is it so hard for social workers to take care themselves when they are SO good at taking care of clients?

I have been wrestling with these questions recently as I have seen several students come close to falling apart under the stress of their internship, family problems, financial difficulties, etc. At BPD conference in Arizona last month, I learned how one social work program requires their students to have a self-care plan as soon as they declare social work as their major. What a great idea! They also require their students to update their individual self-care plan every year, so that when their students enter their Field Education experience, they already have an effective self-care plan that helps them succeed in their internship. I think this is an excellent idea and hope that we integrate this into our updated curriculum.

I also have realized how I have NOT done a good job of intentionally following an updated self-care plan. What strategies do I have to insure I am protected from burnout, compassion fatigue, and the other occupational hazards of the profession?

One of my new strategies is to go geocaching. This quote from Geocaching.com summarizes of my new self-care strategy:

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment.

I started at the end of January 09 and so far have discovered 113 caches! (My husband has over 200!) There are many benefits to geocaching. Here are a few:

1. Gets me out of the house and into the community
2. Takes me on a journey of discovery to places I would not have found on my own
3. Exposes me to amazingly creative geocachers who hide caches in the most amazing places
4. Introduces me to new friends (Wee Willie, TreasureNut, and others)
5. Creates another way for me to spend time with my spouse and best friend!

Geocaching is one strategy in my self-care plan - more are needed. If you want to know more about geocaching, check out this VERY detailed blog.

I'm off to go caching with my hubby. Take care!

P.S. Check out the photos from today's geo-journey

Social Work 2.0

This blog is a place for me to understand, analyze, evaluate, and reflect on the major themes of my professional life as a social work educator. I am trying to model in the digital 2.0 world what it means to be a "life long learner" to my students and colleagues. I also want this blog to be a place where I practice the core skills of mindfulness.

My work on this blog has been inspired by what Michelle Martin shares in her blog "The Bamboo Project." Her goal is to help people like you and me "use best practices and social media tools to construct life-long learning." I love that! Every time I read her blog, I discover so many new ideas! I feel like my head and heart are exploding with the tons of new information and ideas about social media and Web 2.0. It is very exciting and also a bit scary as I realize how BIG the 2.0 world is.

So, what the heck is web 2.0? This diagram was an "ah HA!" moment for me that explains what web 2.0 is all about. It is from Dr Barret's online tutorial Web 2.0 Tools for Lifelong & Life Wide Learning.

Which leads me to my big questions: how can social work practice utilize the 2.o tools for best practices AND how can I as a social work educator utilze web 2.0 tools to help my social work students develop and demonstrate competency as new professionals?? These questions are the heart of this blog.

Finally, I am curious about where social work as a profession is in the web 2.0 world. My simple analysis is that we are way behind the curve. Our clients, especially the younger Milennials, are deeply involved in the web 2.o world, but most social workers are not using those tools in their professional work. They may be Twittering, LinkedIn, or on Facebook for personal reasons, but not for their professional practice. The exception I have found so far is NASW's twitter and facebook, but these are examples of large organizations using web 2.0 tools. How are individual practitioners and social work educators using web 2.0?

Let me know how you are using web 2.0 and join in this discussion about the advantages, disadvantages, and ethical challenges associated with this professional practice in the web 2.0 world.





Credit for Cartoon

Spring Break

TCU was on spring break this week, and I was in Phoenix AZ for the BPD Conference.  I went to as many workshops or presentations about Field Education as possible, and also was very interested in the CSWE 2008 EPAS that requires us to change our curriculum from objectives to compentencies.

We have a LOT of work to do.