Self-care for Social Workers

In this podcast, Dr Johnathan Singer talks to Erlene Grise-Owens, Justin “Jay” Miller, and Mindy Eaves, the editors of the The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals, about the role of self-care in social work.

The group address some self-care myths and discuss some of the guidelines about making self-care a practice, through the use of models. In addition, the group explore SMART self-care plans, how being active is not the same as being athletic, how personal self-care requires professional self-care and that professional self-care affects organisational wellness, as well as how organisational wellness affects professional self-care.

Dr. Erlene Grise-Owens, Ed.D., LCSW, MSW, MRE, is a former faculty member and graduate program director and has implemented an initiative to promote self-care as part of the social work education curriculum in the USA. Previously, she served in clinical and administrative roles and has experience with navigating toxicity and dysfunction. As an educator, she saw students enter the field and quickly burn out. As a dedicated social worker, she believes the well-being of practitioners is a matter of social justice and human rights.

Justin “Jay” Miller, Ph.D., MSW, CSW, is an Assistant Professor in the College of Social Work at the University of Kentucky. Jay has previously worked as a social worker at the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Louisville’s Crimes Against Children Unit, and the Ireland Army Hospital at Fort Knox. Jay is dedicated to social issues and community outreach, a passion that he brings to his work as an educator and scholar. His research and academic interests focus on child welfare, particularly outcomes related to foster care and adoption.

Mindy Eaves, MSW, CSW, Ombudsman is Faculty at Western Kentucky University teaching in the social work graduate program. Her areas of interest include the “prison pipeline”, social policy, intersection of race, class and gender, conflict resolution and social work education.