Exploring social workers’ self-care in Spain: Strategies, barriers, and proposals

Social workers often deal with stressful and emotionally demanding working conditions. Self-care is key to preventing the negative consequences of these difficulties. This study used thematic analysis to explore the meaning of self-care among 18 professionals, who identified different self-care strategies and barriers, some of which lie within the organizations. Although self-care is primarily considered an individual responsibility, participants propose ways for organizations to promote a change in perspective on self-care. Participants indicated barriers, such as misconceptions about self-care, and lack of training and involvement of organizations. They suggest designing comprehensive plans involving organizations in promoting self-care and preventing barriers.