SWHELPER: Kate Chaikovsky (MSW’22) Addresses Social Worker Mental Health
Social work can be exhausting for one’s mental health, and oftentimes social workers’ mental health is overlooked or under-addressed in the field. In her article, “Social Worker Mental Health: An Ethical Dilemma?” BU School of Social Work student Kate Chaikovsky (MSW’22) discusses what can be done to address social workers who are exposed to others’ traumas and can be triggered from their own past experiences.
Excerpt from “Social Worker Mental Health: An Ethical Dilemma?” by Kate Chaikovsky on SWHELPER:
Increasing internship autonomy for students could also be beneficial in allowing students to avoid triggering populations. At Boston University School of Social Work, students are able to list populations that they would be interested in working with, as well as populations that they do not feel as comfortable working with. While it is important to expose students to many different populations throughout their internship experience, allowing social work students to avoid select populations could minimize triggering social work experiences and help to prevent social work burnout. In the full time professional world, social workers are often able to choose to work with populations that do not trigger them, and students should be allowed this same opportunity.”