Understanding the Lived and Learned Self-Care Experiences of Social Work Students

Overview: This workshop will focus on the lived and learned self-care experiences of social work students currently in their final field education placement, examine what internal and external factors inform how self-care is understood and practiced, and discuss the interface between systems and the practice of self-care.Proposal text: This workshop will inform attendees of the results of research conducted with both BSW and MSW students currently enrolled in academic courses and completing the final field education placement of their respective programs. The research, using a grounded theory approach and utilizing mixed methods of data collection including a survey and focus group, seeks to answer the following questions: What are the learned and lived experiences of social work students regarding matters of self-care? What internal and external factors inform how students understand and practice self-care? and What is the interface between systems in which students are involved and the practice of self-care?

This research is rooted in person-in-environment and strengths-based perspectives, and informed by systems and constructivist theories. The workshop will provide a forum for understanding the interface between students past and present system involvement and their current self-care understanding and practice. Exploration of this interface includes developing an emerging understanding of how students’ systems promote or inhibit self-care approaches, the implications of student self-care onto their respective system(s), the role of culture in the practice of self-care, and the student perception of how systems respond to the active engagement in self-care practice. Additionally, the internal and external barriers students face when attempting to engage in self-care will be introduced while also addressing a strengths based perspective on what promotes and supports self-care. The importance of examining the perceptions students have of the self-care practices modeled to them in the field, academic domains, and in their personal lives will be noted. Implications of the research findings for teaching self-care to social work students in a meaningful way that contributes to the advancement of self-care beyond the individual level and into systemic and collective dimensions will be highlighted.