Developing Resilience for Social Work Practice

Book excerpt: The term 'resilience' refers to a person's capacity to handle difficulties, demands and pressure without experiencing negative effects. Traditionally, social work has focused on the nature and impact of resilience in children and adults who have experienced traumatic events, but it is increasingly recognised that social workers need to develop personal resilience to manage the emotional demands of the job effectively and sustainably. Developing Resilience for Social Work Practice provides social workers with a tool-box of strategies to help them enhance their resilience and protect their wellbeing. Written by experienced practitioners in the field, the book draws on key research to present a series of evidence-based interventions. These strategies are designed to help social work students and practitioners develop important qualities that underpin resilience, such as self-awareness, time management, relaxation skills and empathy as well enable them to gain support from their personal and professional networks. Grounded in both theory and practice, each chapter explores how the various resilience techniques can be applied to help social workers manage the complexities and challenges they face in everyday practice. The use of relevant and engaging case studies throughout is particularly useful in bringing the book to life for the reader.