There is no one in America that understands the fragility of mental health and wellness better than social workers. You go through your days grateful to have the life that you do, enjoying every minute because you see people less fortunate all the time. An accident, a disease, a lost job, or just the march of time may be all the separates you from folks who have a genuine struggle getting through every single day.
Social workers are also constantly and repeatedly exposed to a shattering amount of stress through the daily course of their jobs.
A client threatening suicide and Niagara beckoning from only miles away; children without a home and no shelters open as the first flakes are coming down through the lights of Broadway; a long-time sober client relapsing and overdosing and now in restraints in the ER screaming for your help… it all falls on your shoulders. And it is frequently overwhelming.
That’s why almost every kind of social work degree program in New York and across the country today gives attention to the importance of self-care and mental wellness for social workers. The first rule of rescue, we are taught, is to not become a victim ourselves.
You can help no one if you are the one who is in crisis.
The idea is to build these protective mechanisms into your professional practice right from the start. So it’s important for students in social work to develop a familiarity with the processes and resources available for themselves—and for their clients.
So we’ve put together a long list of resources for New York social workers and students of social work to refer to for their own self-care and mental health needs.
What Are the Mental Health Risks of Working as a Social Worker in New York?
One of the big risks for social workers is that they are, by inclination, more focused on taking care of others than themselves. This isn’t a profession you get into if you aren’t all about giving your all to other people and causes. You care deeply and sometimes give a little too much. It’s the classic cobbler’s kids have no shoes scenario: you can be so good at taking care of others that you spend too little time thinking about taking care of yourself.
Pile on the stresses of helping people who are hanging on by their last thread, and it’s a recipe for trouble.
Compassion fatigue is one major factor social worker must guard against. It’s the nature of humans to become desensitized to stressors they experience repeatedly. Seeing the same kinds of people experiencing the same kinds of problems day after day can make you tune out and do less than your best to maintain empathy and assist them as they deserve.
Compassion fatigue is real, and it is devastating for the very people you signed up to help.
Secondary traumatic stress is something that social workers constantly grappled with. As humans, we are primed to take on some of the emotional anguish of those we care about. Since social workers are almost constantly helping people in trauma, they are right in the impact area for that secondary stress. Cumulatively, it can be just as damaging as direct and personal traumatic experiences, and social workers face it almost every day.
A 2005 survey of social workers found that around 40 percent reported a high rate of emotional exhaustion, with almost three-quarters experiencing it at some point in their career. This is known as burn-out, which often leads to a failure to perform professionally as well as issues in your personal life. The chronic nature of the stress social workers face is found in the second number, which shows that it never really goes away even with experience.
Chronic stress can lead to burn-out, which is bad enough. But there are also studies that connect it to your physical health. In fact, it hammers your body at the molecular level, damaging your brain structure, lowering your immunity to disease, and increasing the odds of cardiovascular disease.
Tapping Into Professional Networks and Support Resources by and for Social Workers
Clearly, the profession of social work is no stranger to the kind of trauma and stress that this work can produce. Both in terms of education and professional support, the field has greatly improved in preparing social work students and assisting active social workers in dealing with these issues.
So probably the first and best place to turn for an introduction to the kind of resources you need to stay mentally healthy and happy in social work is the professional associations created for social workers themselves.
National Association of Social Workers
NASW is the premier national organization for social workers and has done more than any other group to bang the drum about the need for social workers self-care and mental health supports. In addition to research studies on the impacts of stress and trauma on social workers that help illuminate the problem, the organization also publishes self-care resources and promotes events and study groups to help address the problem.
In fact, since 2021, self-care has been part of the NASW Code of Ethics, enshrining it as a concept that is one of the core responsibilities of social workers everywhere.
This is the code you’ll be adhering to as an NASW member and as part of any of the specialty role certifications you might earn through the organization. So chances are, you’re already personally motivated and professionally obligated to keep yourself in the know about self-care in this context.
NASW also started a self-care resource hub during the coronavirus pandemic to offer links to best practices and assistance. It’s still in place and just as useful for any other kind of stress.
Learning To Lean on Local Peers and Mental Health Resources for New York Social Workers
Something you learn in your social work training is that the social system itself is often one of the most effective mental health and wellness supports. Having friends and peers in your life, people who understand you and can sympathize with what you are going through each day is critical. They both make you feel seen and give you a non-judgmental resource for talking over and working out what may be bothering you.
National Association of Social Workers – New York Chapter
A ready-made peer group comes to you via that New York state chapter of NASW. With Specialty Practice Session discussion groups that foster engagement with others in your role, frequent events and conferences that build your network, and strong advocacy support for social worker needs, the group is always looking out for you. The organization also runs dedicated BIPOC and LGBTW+ peer support groups for social workers facing the unique challenges of those communities.
There are local divisions around the state that reflect the unique cultural settings and needs of social workers in your area:
- Western
- Genesee Valley
- Central
- Mohawk Valley
- Northeast
- Hudson Valley
- Westchester
- Nassau
- Suffolk
National Association of Social Workers – New York City Chapter
If you noticed that NYC didn’t make the list of the divisions in NASW-NYS, it’s because the city is big enough for its own dedicated chapter of NASW. For social workers in the city, this offers many of the same kinds of supports as the state chapter: frequent meetings and networking events as well as advocacy for social worker interests.
There’s also NASW-NYC CARES (Collaboration, Advocacy, Resources, Engagement, & Support), which connects New York City social workers with mentors who can help them work through the tough spots on the job.
New York State Society for Clinical Social Work
More mentorship opportunities for clinical specialists come from the NYSSCSW, a networking and advocacy group with eight chapters around the state. With the strict ethical and professional standards required for clinical practice, this is an excellent resource for professionals facing self-care challenges that may also introduce ethical quandaries.
The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress
AAETS explores treatment and best practices for survivors of trauma. But it also has an online frontline assistance program that supports responders to traumatic events—including social workers. Several of these operate in New York and offer networking and support from people who know what it’s like to deal with trauma first-hand.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America
Similar to AAETS but with a different topic, ADAA focuses on research and treatment for anxiety and depression. Free professional resources that offer evidence-based practices for treatment are valuable in your daily work as well as your daily life. This also offers another venue to connect with other clinicians who are in the same boat, and may have valuable advice and support to keep your spirits high too.
New York State Mental Health Resources Available to Social Work Students and Providers
You’ll work with state government and local non-profit organizations every day lining up mental health supports for your clients. Those same resources are also available to support you with your own mental wellness needs.
New York State Office of Mental Health
Just like any resident of New York, social workers can always turn to the NYS OHM when looking for assistance in maintaining their own mental well-being.
OMH doesn’t directly offer counseling services, although it does publish a wide range of resources dealing with all kinds of common mental wellness issues that New Yorkers experience, from Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder to depression. It also offers guides in line with some of the roles that New York social workers fill, spotlighting challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ People of Color, immigrants and refugees, older New Yorkers, and more. You can also find an extensive catalog of available mental health programs and providers in your area.
Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health
Filling a similar role but within the city of New York is the NYC Office of Community Mental Health. With localized resources and support systems, social workers or their clients in the city don’t have far to go for mental health support.
SAMSHA Self Care for Healthcare Workers Modules
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has put together a three-module package guiding participants through considerations in stress mitigation, avoiding compassion fatigue, and developing coping strategies for managing the most intense social work situations.
Therapy Aid Coalition
Offering free and low cost short-term therapy directly for healthcare professionals and first-responders, this organization has participating therapists in all 50 states… including New York. With a mission to support mental wellness among those who are doing the most to care for communities, TAC is an organization that can run in both directions for social workers—as a resource for your mental wellness, but also as a place to volunteer your own clinical services for other front-line professionals when you are in a position to give back.
Exploring Online Guidance and Continuing Education To Keep up With Self-Care Needs for New York Social Workers
You will study how to take care of yourself as you earn your degree in social work, but, just as important, you will learn how to become a life-long learner in the critical skill of self-care. Part of the gift of a liberal arts degree is teaching you how to be engaged and enquiring on your own, long after your last term paper is turned in and the last test has been taken.
So many of the resources you find in the social work world for staying sane on the job will come in the form of self-study. You’ll find options such as:
- Books written by other social workers
- Inspirational material, including art and poetry, that reinforces your faith in humanity and commitment to services
- Websites offering self-assessment and care strategies
- Meditation guides
- Physical health and well-being instructions for stress management
You will also find that there are many resources for self-care training that come through continuing education options for social workers in New York. Since you are going to need to accrue CE hours at the rate of 12 per year to keep your license for as long as you practice here, that’s also a great way to stay informed and engaged with self-maintenance.
Introduction to Self-Care – University at Buffalo School of Social Work
It turns out that one of the best and best-known self-care resources in the social work world is built and maintained right here in New York, at one of the premier schools for social work in the country. SUNY’s University at Buffalo has a comprehensive and well-built online self-care starter kit aimed at social work students from anywhere. It includes concrete information on developing your own plan, assessing your needs, conducting exercises and activities, and offers a list of additional resources when you are ready for more.
Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project
Compassion fatigue is a tough threat to stay ahead of in social work, so it’s useful to have an ongoing gauge to measure where your levels are at. The Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project offers exactly that, with a set of online self-tests you can use regularly to monitor your levels and act accordingly to keep your caring topped up.
The 3 S’s: Supervision, Self-reflection, and Self-care
This webinar offers a practical look at how to weave self-reflection and supervision into your self-care strategy. Offered by NASW, you can get a discount with membership, and apply the 1.5 CE credits to your renewal requirements in New York.
NAMI New York State – Support for Mental Health
The National Alliance on Mental Illness New York chapter offers links to local affiliates across the state. The organization provides advocacy and support to all individuals with mental health issues and their families can build better lives. The site offers a wealth of resources for health and wellness, New York state mental health programs, and treatment support that social workers can access for themselves or their clients.
Mental Help
All kinds of diagnostic and self-help resources can be found for the full range of mental health issues that may confront social workers either personally or on the job from day to day. Mental Help offers clear, well-organized articles on diagnosis and various treatments and interventions for common health and mental wellness issues.
Mental Health: MedlinePlus
The National Library of Medicine has been compiling a wealth of information on both health and mental health issues for more than 25 years. Social workers can rely on that time-tested and updated store of data for their own needs or for client treatment purposes by referring to the online Medline Plus mental health information system.
Freedom From Fear: Anxiety and Depression Resource Organization
While Freedom From Fear operates nationally, it’s based right here in Staten Island. As an advocacy group for helping those impacted by anxiety, depression, and related disorders, it provides education, research, and community support.