Posted: March 15th, 2023
5320: U10 D1: Ethics of Self-Care
Management of self-care includes preventive measures important for avoiding burnout or compassion fatigue. Helpers can struggle with keeping a balance between care for others and care for themselves. Review Exercise 14.2, the Self-Care Worksheet, in your textbook.
In your initial post, discuss one of the items in each domain (physical health, social connections, psychological domain, affective domain, inner life, professional domain) that you engage in regularly and explain how that activity helps you maintain balance in your professional and personal life.
347
CHAPTER 14
Competence and the Ethics of Self-Care
I don’t know if it is I’m just overworked or whatever. I’m having trouble sleeping, don’t want to do anything or go out with friends, and truthfully, I look at my appointment schedule and start hoping clients cancel. I’m not sure what’s up, but I sometimes wonder if it’s time to simply get out of this profession?
The experience being described by the human service provider who opened this chapter is sadly neither unique to this profession nor that unusual. For all who work as human service providers, the
mental fatigue and emotional exhaustion that accompany the intense work we do can be destructive to our health, mental well-being, and ability to provide ethical and effective service to our clients.
Table 14.1 highlights the fact that our professional codes of ethics are clear in their mandating of professional competence as a primary ethical requisite to providing service.
As suggested in the codes posted (see Table 14.1), the primary focus rests on competence as defined by one’s knowledge, skill, and experience. While these are clearly essential to effective, ethical practice, they are not the only considerations that should be made when assessing one’s ability or one’s competency to perform professional service
SOLUTION
In the social connections domain, spending time with family and friends is a critical self-care activity that can help reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness. Social connections are essential for building support networks and for developing a sense of belonging. I enjoy connecting with my colleagues, friends, and family members over video calls, and it helps me to feel more connected to them.
Place an order in 3 easy steps. Takes less than 5 mins.