Stress Awareness Month
It has been held every April since 1992 to raise awareness of the impact of stress and help people to recognise, manage, and reduce stress in their personal and professional lives.
To mark National Stress Awareness Month, we're resharing a short blog from Carmel Ruttledge and Monalesia Earl from the Strengthening Practice team who help to facilitate the Social Work Professional Support Service (SWPSS) for BASW. Carmel and Monalesia share their experiences of stress from a professional perspective and how SWPSS can support social workers to manage stress.
SWPSS offers a confidential space for social workers to reflect on and talk through issues affecting them personally or professionally with a qualified coach who is also a social worker. It is free for all BASW members in England and for both members and non-members in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. You can access up to three one-to-one video or telephone sessions at a time that suits you.
Stress Awareness Month: Carmel Ruttledge & Monalesia Earl
In our role in the SWPSS, we provide ongoing support to the volunteer coaches to ensure that they have the space and tools to manage stress. We recognise that as volunteer coaches offering support to their peers who are experiencing trauma, that there is an adverse impact on their own wellbeing. Through mechanisms such as supervision, reflective conversations and training, we enable our coaches to explore various ways of managing, as we know that having the right support is crucial.
We also know that exercise and taking time away from the demands of work, spending time with friends and families, are recognised pathways to alleviating the pressures that impact on our wellbeing. In the field of social care, professionals often experience secondary trauma, which gives rise to poor health, both mental and physical, and a high prevalence of sickness in the work place. Additionally the concomitant effect is lack of motivation, both personally and or professionally.
Find out more information about the Professional Support Service here.
