The use of self in social work

Abstract

This dissertation aims at correlating the use of the self with the social work field. The self was amalgamated with the social work profession as it is the main instrument used by social workers (Kaushik, 2017). A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was carried out. Ten social workers were interviewed and questioned about their personal experiences working in the field. In total, five different themes were identified, through the conducted interviews. The first theme looked at the participants’ personal characteristics which have helped them in their work as social workers. The second theme which emerged shed light on the skills which have been found most useful in this field, especially during client interventions. The third theme expressed the importance of adopting values which are intrinsic to the social work profession, in order to provide an adequate service to the clients. Despite no direct questions about it being asked, self-awareness was emphasised as fundamental by all the participants, as this characteristic was found useful to develop awareness of one’s own perceptions and mental schemas. In the fourth theme, the respondents outlined certain challenges which arise on the field, such as burnout, boundaries, countertransference and transference and pondering about service users after office hours. The final theme which emerged diverted its focus towards implementing coping strategies such as supervision and the significant need of developing self-care techniques. The main recommendation which was outlined is the importance of developing self-care techniques, both as social work students and when becoming social workers.