Sustaining yourself in social work
This work is a long journey, not a sprint. Small, steady habits and good support can help you stay well and stay in it.
By the numbers
Why sustaining social workers matters.
Staying in the work
Self-care
Sustaining yourself is part of the job
Self-care is an ethical duty, shared with your employer.
The NASW Code of Ethics says professional self-care is paramount for competent and ethical social work. It also asks agencies and schools to support self-care through their policies and practices.
Self-care is not bubble baths and guilt. It is the everyday skills, supports and limits that let you keep doing hard work well. And it works best when your workplace does its part too.
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Examples
- Asking for help early
- Protecting breaks and time off
- Using supervision for how you feel, not only for cases
- Winding down after work
A national study of social workers found self-care was linked to things like health, education, finances and being a supervisor. Self-care is harder when life is already stretched, and that is not a personal failure.
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The IFSW ethics statement says social workers and their employers should work together to create workplace conditions that support ethical practice.
Agency practices the NCTSN recommends
- Flexible schedules
- Making it OK to ask for help
- Protecting lunch breaks
- Respecting home-work boundaries
To understand the pressures first, see Social workers’ mental health.
Getting the most from supervision
Supervision can support you, not just check your work.
The NASW and ASWB supervision standards describe three functions of supervision: administrative, educational and supportive. The supportive part aims to reduce job stress and build a climate of safety and trust.
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The three functions
- Administrative: agency policy, workload and assignments
- Educational: skills, cases and ethics
- Supportive: easing job stress and growing your professional identity
If your supervision is mostly administrative, it’s OK to ask for time for the other two.
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The NCTSN recommends reflective supervision, which explores the personal impact of work with clients and the feelings that may be affecting your work.
Supervisors can also practice skills like reframing and mindful breathing with staff, to help reduce reactivity and build a sense of control.
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The standards recommend a written supervision agreement covering goals, responsibilities, time frames, feedback and a way to resolve problems.
The standards also say supervisors should watch for signs of job stress in supervisees and themselves, and offer resources or referrals when needed.
Preparing for a supervision session
- Jot down the cases or situations on your mind.
- Note one thing that is weighing on you emotionally.
- Pick one skill you want to grow.
- Name one thing you need from your supervisor.
Peer support & mentoring
People who get it, without needing to explain.
The NCTSN says formal peer mentoring can support staff, especially newer workers whose expectations don’t match the reality of the job. Mentors can help spot unhealthy changes and point to more support.
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Places to look
- A former field instructor or professor
- An experienced colleague you trust
- Your agency’s mentoring program, if it has one
- Your local NASW chapter or another professional group
A study of clinical social workers recommended informal mentoring from experienced to newer clinicians as one way to support self-care.
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The NCTSN suggests ongoing small-group check-ins and coaching to practice coping skills together, so resilience becomes part of team culture.
Ideas
- A monthly peer consultation group
- A short check-in at the start of team meetings
- A walking or lunch group with colleagues
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When talking with peers outside formal consultation, focus on your own reactions rather than client details.
If you also provide therapy, see Therapists’ own therapy, supervision & peer support.
Boundaries that protect your energy
Limits that help you care without burning out.
Boundaries help you show up fully for clients during work time, and rest outside it. They protect the relationship and protect you.
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Ideas
- Give clients clear crisis options for after hours
- Keep work email off your personal phone if you can
- Set an end-of-day time and leave when you can
- Take your full leave
The NCTSN says leaders should model work-life boundaries, not just talk about them.
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The NASW Code says social workers should avoid personal technology-based contact with clients, and should not accept clients’ friend requests on social media.
Using an agency phone instead of your own can also protect your privacy.
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You can care about someone and still accept that you can’t fix everything in their life. Their journey belongs to them.
Phrases that can help
- “I did what I could today.”
- “I’ll pick this up tomorrow.”
- “This is theirs to carry, and I can walk beside them.”
For more on boundaries and ethics, see Boundaries, ethics & countertransference for clinicians, and Setting boundaries & saying no.
Managing caseload pressure
Practical ways to cope when there’s too much to do.
Understaffing and large caseloads are a known source of stress in social work. You can’t always change your caseload alone, but you can make it more visible and more manageable.
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Try
- Batch paperwork into set blocks
- Pick your top three tasks each morning
- Sort tasks by safety, deadlines and everything else
- Use templates for common notes
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Try
- Ask which tasks can wait or be shared
- Bring a list of your cases and deadlines to supervision
- Name what isn’t possible in the time you have
- Write down when your caseload grows
The supervision standards include workload as part of administrative supervision.
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The NCTSN says staff who feel they are growing in their job skills generally experience less secondary traumatic stress.
Ask for training in the areas that drain you most, such as court reports, documentation or hard conversations.
Small daily recovery habits
Tiny resets that add up over a career.
Recovery doesn’t only happen on vacation. Short breaks and simple rituals during the day help your body and mind come down from stress.
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Ideas
- Drink some water
- Play one song you love in the car
- Stretch your neck and shoulders
- Take three slow breaths
The NCTSN suggests practicing skills like mindful breathing and visualization to reduce reactivity.
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Ideas
- Change clothes when you get home
- Take a short walk before going inside
- Wash your hands and imagine rinsing the day away
- Write tomorrow’s list, then close the laptop
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Ideas
- Friends who talk about things other than work
- Hobbies that use your hands or body
- Regular sleep and meals
- Time in nature or faith communities, if they matter to you
Holding on to meaning
Remembering why you do this work.
Compassion satisfaction is the good feeling that comes from helping others. The NCTSN names it as a protection against secondary traumatic stress.
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In high-stakes work, attention often goes to what goes wrong, while the many things that go right are overlooked. The NCTSN suggests intentionally recognizing the positive impact you have.
Ideas
- Keep a folder of thank-you notes
- Share one win at each team meeting
- Write down one good moment at the end of each week
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The NCTSN suggests helping staff stay in touch with what motivated them to join the field.
Social work values such as service, social justice and the dignity and worth of every person can be a guide when the system feels heavy.
Your burnout plan: early signs & next steps
Know your warning signs, and what you’ll do about them.
The World Health Organization describes burnout as coming from chronic workplace stress that hasn’t been well managed. It involves exhaustion, feeling distant or cynical about your job, and feeling less effective.
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Keep up
- Regular supervision
- Time with people you love
- Using your leave
- Your daily reset rituals
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Signs
- Dreading work more days than not
- Feeling short with clients or colleagues
- Skipping breaks and staying late most days
- Trouble switching off at night
Actions
- Ask for a workload review
- Bring it to supervision this week
- Book something restful soon
- Talk to a peer you trust
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Signs
- Feeling hopeless or numb most of the time
- Relationships or health suffering
- Thoughts of suicide
- Using alcohol or other things to cope
Actions
- Call or text 988 if you are in crisis
- Contact your EAP or a therapist
- Talk with your clinical provider
- Tell your supervisor you need support
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Social workers work in many settings, from government agencies and schools to hospitals and clinics. Moving to a different setting or population can renew your energy without leaving the profession.
Taking a break, or leaving, can also be the right choice. For more, see Recovering from burnout and the “Pause, pivot or stay?” worksheet in For therapists & counselors: caring for the carers.
For more on burnout itself, see Understanding burnout.
Sustaining each other: teams & speaking up
Change is easier, and safer, together.
The NASW Code asks social workers to promote ethical practices in the organizations they work with. Raising concerns about workload, safety or support is part of that, and it’s easier with others beside you.
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Ideas
- Bring solutions as well as problems
- Gather examples of how the issue affects clients
- Raise it through team meetings or staff surveys
- Use your professional association or union, if you have one
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Ideas
- Celebrate team wins, big and small
- Check in after a hard case or incident
- Cover so colleagues can take breaks
- Welcome and mentor new staff
The NCTSN says support after critical incidents should encourage mutual support while respecting different ways of coping.
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The NCTSN says leaders should model self-care themselves, and avoid mixed messages such as praising boundaries while expecting emails at night.
See also Leading a mentally healthy team.
When and where to get help
Signs it’s time to reach out, and where to start.
Reach out if
- Rest and time off no longer help you recover
- You are drinking or using other things to switch off
- You feel hopeless, trapped, or have thoughts of suicide
- You feel numb or cynical most days
- Your relationships or health are suffering
Where to start
- Talk with your supervisor, a trusted colleague or a mentor.
- Contact your employee assistance program (EAP) if you have one.
- Find a therapist of your own. Social workers see therapists too.
- Talk with your clinical provider about your health.
- Call or text 988, or chat at chat.988lifeline.org, any time you need to talk to someone right now.
You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line, free and any time, in the U.S.
Outside the U.S., findahelpline.com lists free, confidential helplines in many countries.
📝 Worksheets for this guide
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Sources
- National Association of Social Workers (NASW) (2021). 2021 Amendments to the NASW Code of Ethics: Self-Care and Cultural Competence
- National Association of Social Workers (NASW) (2021). Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers
- International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) (2018). Global Social Work Statement of Ethical Principles
- National Association of Social Workers (NASW) & Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) (2013). Best Practice Standards in Social Work Supervision
- National Association of Social Workers (NASW) (2013). Guidelines for Social Worker Safety in the Workplace
- National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). Secondary Trauma and Child Welfare Staff: Guidance for Supervisors and Administrators
- Social Work (peer-reviewed) (2020). Self-Care Practices of Self-Identified Social Workers: Findings from a National Study (Miller JJ, Grise-Owens E, Owens L, Shalash N, Bode M)
- Child Abuse & Neglect (via PubMed Central) (2020). Secondary trauma and impairment in clinical social workers (Armes SE, Lee J, Bride BE, Seponski DM)
- Children and Youth Services Review (via RePEc/IDEAS) (2018). Characteristics of the front-line child welfare workforce (Edwards F, Wildeman C)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Social Workers: Occupational Outlook Handbook
- World Health Organization (WHO) (2019). Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon”: International Classification of Diseases
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- Crisis Text Line. Crisis Text Line
- Find A Helpline (ThroughLine). Find A Helpline
This guide is for education and self-care. It is not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional care. Please talk to a counselor or clinical provider about your health. Reviewed October 2026.
