WEEK 8 DISCUSSION SOCIAL SUPPORT
WEEK 8 DISCUSSION SOCIAL SUPPORT
Ecomaps are powerful tools in visualizing the social environment of a client. But they are useful on a personal level for social workers, too. Mapping one’s current relationships, connections, and support systems can provide insight into their degree of social wellness. It can also reveal the network of support that exists for them, in guarding against burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma. Social workers draw on colleagues, friends, licensed therapists, spiritual organizations, and more in order to gain community and decompress. But how exactly do these interpersonal relationships help foster resilience? What kind of care do you currently receive from friends and family? And, if you do not have an extensive social network, how can you develop one?
For this Discussion, you create and analyze your personal ecomap and consider how to boost your social connectedness as a protective factor.
READINGS
• GarcÃa, G. M., Desrumaux, P., Ayala Calvo, J. C., & Naouële, B. (2022). The impact of social support on emotional exhaustion and workplace bullying in social workersLinks to an external site.. European Journal of Social Work, 25(5), 752–765. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2021.1934417
• van Dernoot Lipsky, L., & Burk, C. (2009). Building compassion and community. Download Building compassion and community.In Trauma stewardship: An everyday guide to caring for self while caring for others (pp. 184–188). Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Credit line: Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others, 1st Edition by van Dernoot Lipsky, L.; Burk, C. Copyright 2009 by Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Reprinted by permission of Berrett-Koehler Publishers via the Copyright Clearance Center. Licensed in 2023
MEDIA
Family Finding and Engagement Tools. (2020, March 10). How to make an ecomapLinks to an external site. Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTjrkFneXr8&
To prepare:
• Review the Learning Resources on social support and community. Reflect on these concepts within the context of burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma.
• Review the video on creating an ecomap. Then, make an ecomap of your own, representing your social connections and support systems. Consider what the ecomap shows about your social connectedness. (Note that you will not share your actual ecomap with others, so it need not be polished.)
Explain how social support helps to prevent and/or mitigate the development of burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma. Then, analyze your ecomap. What conclusions can you draw from this display of your social connections? How do you currently use this support, and how will you do so in the future? What opportunities might exist for increasing your social connectedness.