Burnout and Self-Care in Social Work

Burnout and Self-Care in Social Work: Second Edition

A Guidebook for Students and Those In the Mental Health and Related Professions

In the new edition, SaraKay introduces Societal Burnout as an essential component of burnout and illustrates its interaction with personal, professional, relational, and physical arenas of burnout. She also explores the impact of moral distress and dysfunctional leadership in families, work settings and society; addresses differences between depression and burnout from a psychosocial perspective; and shares vital information about our “inner-self” development. This innovative study can be beneficial to all seeking insight and balance in approaching their personal and professional responsibilities, as well as a reliable “emotional sense of direction” for themselves and their families.

Click here for SaraKay’s other books and reviews.
Click here for interviews & reflections about this book.
Click here for essential themes in Edition 2 of Burnout.

Latest Articles

Letter to the Editor: Unfair Concern

Credit: Medium.com/@JoeBiden

To the editor:

At this precarious time in the life of our country and the world, it is urgent to look at why the public is so focused on President Joe Biden’s age and to shed light on this damaging disruption. At first, it may seem this is due to our fear about our president’s aging, impairment, and death. However, the real reason is that when we look at someone who’s older, we are reminded of what we do not want to face in our own lives. To avoid this, we emphasize what we see as negatives, denying countless positives. In truth, there are enormous benefits to aging. For a presidential candidate, this one is major: leaders like Biden face challenges with far wiser judgment and perspective.

Biden, who boldly fought for and won the presidency, was handed what can be called the hottest of hot messes. He has done a magnificent job, yet any little thing will feed the narrative that he has issues with his mental acuity. Take a recent news conference, where, showing respect for the press, the president returned to the podium to respond to a question about Gaza. But because he is deeply concerned by impossible conditions and suffering at our southern border, he offers the name of the Egyptian president but misidentifies the border with Mexico. Why doesn’t this make complete sense? Put differently: How many times does a parent juggling countless responsibilities, and who obviously knows who his children are, look at one child and call another’s name?

SaraKay Smullens

Philadelphia

To The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 19, 2024

Letter to the Editor: Possible Change

Peace between brothers and sisters and their loved ones must be a priority, and I am grateful that the Inquirer published the following.

Credit: David Silverman / Getty Images

To the editor:

The complex path toward resolving perilous, enduring personal tragedies sheds light on effectively addressing seemingly impenetrable political quagmires, such as the war in Gaza. Both necessitate facing unsettling truths about dangerous human beings who will not change, recognizing profiles in courage as leaders, and a community awakened to these moral imperatives. For example, abused women are told repeatedly by partners who imprison them: “If you attempt to leave, I will kill you. Or I will make your life so miserable that you will wish you were dead.” Although much work remains, domestic violence organizations provide a tireless coterie of people who provide hope, direction, and protection to those living in fear. In doing so, they transform lives.

Like abusive partners, leaders of both the Palestine Liberation Organization and Hamas have “led” with blinding corruption and a lack of concern for their suffering population, who are terrified to oppose them. Since Hamas’ long-planned Oct. 7 atrocities, the dangerous limitations of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been made shockingly clear. So, just as a determined citizenry unites to protect vulnerable families within its borders, there are powerful voices in all countries (in Israel and Gaza, as well) who insist that bloodshed between those once brothers be resolved through a two-state solution. Their commitment, determination, and grit will energize and inspire others to support this necessity and find a peaceful way to work within Israel and Palestine to make it happen.

Building a quality framework toward this goal can eventually lead to new leadership in Israel, as well as the emergence of a leader the Palestinians deserve — one with the vision, strength, and bravery of Egypt’s Anwar Sadat. Imagine his welcome to Israel by a leader like Golda Meir, who once again would ask, “What took you so long?”

SaraKay Smullens

Philadelphia

To The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 8, 2023

What is societal burnout syndrome? We are currently living it.

It meant a lot to me that the Tribune gave life to this analysis.

By SaraKay Smullens

Are you waking up with a lump in your throat that never used to be there? Is there an ache inyour chest — best described as heartache — relatively new to you? Do you look at your children, fearing for their future and well-being? Do your eyes fill with tears, but you are not sure why?

If so, I join you. We are experiencing societal burnout. We are overburdened by a perfect storm of threatening societal challenges and a fiercely divided electorate. We are overwhelmed by moral distress due to those in positions of power and influence who, rather than address grave challenges, skillfully work to pit citizens against each other, intensify fear and anxieties, and undermine the rule of law to gain control and power.

In 1974, psychologist Herbert Freudenberger was the first to identify the burnout syndrome: Due to excessive demands on energy, strength and resources, a person becomes over-whelmed, exhausted and “inoperative.” Although they did not use the term burnout in their groundbreaking 1970 book “Future Shock,” Alvin and Heidi Toffler predicted that the breath-taking pace of our technological revolution would bring unsettling change, challenge and increased crime. They warned that the illiterate of the future would no longer be those who can’t read or write but rather those unable to keep up with the demands of rapid change.

To cope, the Tofflers stressed preparing for the future with insight and creativity, implicitly calling on leaders to bring us together rather than exacerbate division.

That we as a society have failed in this eff ort became shockingly clear before the 2016 presidential election when client after client told me that America had forgotten them. This anger and frustration played an enormous role in the victory of Donald Trump, who was, and continues to be, seen as an ally of those who feel discarded and invisible.

The sense of isolation my clients shared caused me to intensify my research into the complexities of burnout — how it’s different from depression and what exactly has gone so very wrong. I’ve shared my findings at conferences, as well as social gatherings and book clubs, where I’ve focused on staying sane in a world gone mad.

Here are the basics of what I’ve learned: We are overlooking the process of how people develop into healthy, resilient, creative members of a family and a society, which is so necessary in this time of overload. There is an inevitable interactivity between personal development and the quality of political leadership.

Key to our future is offering children what they need for mature development: Specifically, children must feel loved and safe, which millions of children worldwide are denied. This said, something has gone terribly wrong in the lives of seemingly fortunate children, those who do not live in war-torn countries, are not abused in any apparent way and live in households that are economically sound. Yes, social media platforms are a monster, made more dangerous by deceptions nurtured by artificial intelligence, and tragically, our children are vulnerable to tormentors and bullies outside our homes. Yet, within our homes, far too many children are not properly nurtured.

Far too many are fed a diet of hatred and prejudice. Far too many are overindulged, raised to believe they are more special than others. And too many parents fear imposing necessary boundaries and limits. As a result, many children are denied the opportunity to develop dignity, a state of being that begins with love and is a prerequisite for mental health. It is dependent on pride — “I am a valuable human being” — and humility — “All others are as important and valuable as I am.”

Dignity is rooted in respect, self-awareness and awareness of others, and character, in other words. It allows one to listen deeply and question assumptions. It encourages respectful communication between those who disagree and fosters the ability to recognize those who cannot be trusted.

Tragically and dangerously, children denied the development of dignity express anger and emptiness through hatred and prejudice toward others. Without developing insight, they reach adulthood biologically but not emotionally. In essence, they are aging, fearful children. For them, love remains a foreign concept.

Many such “adults” become bullies and dictators. In democracies, they may assume positions of power and dominance in professional settings, on boards, and in elected or appointed office. Those without confidence or character cling to the perks their positions of power offer. Some may cling to pure fantasy: They wish to turn the clock back to a time that can never return. Still others, longing for a quality of parenting they never received, become fiercely devoted followers.

Eliminating societal burnout requires recognition of the essential link between personal development and trustworthy leadership, necessary in democracies for the survival of all we hold dear.

At the core of all trustworthy leadership is the ability to love. Dignity makes it possible.

SaraKay Smullens is an award-winning Philadelphia-based licensed clinical social worker, certified family life educator and writer whose latest book is “Burnout and Self-Care in Social Work: A Guidebook for Students and Those in Mental Health and Related Professions.”

Chicago Tribune, November 24, 2023

Events

SaraKay has presented her findings and spoken regularly at many conferences and conducted many workshops through the years. She has also been invited to book clubs and private gatherings. Additionally, she has appeared on television and radio shows.

Selected Presentations Include:
  • Presentation for Temple University Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
  • Speaker: SSWLHC 2021
  • Webinar: PA Patient Safety Authority (PAPSA): “Examination and Addressing Healthcare Professional Burnout, From Burnout to Resiliency”
  • Webinar: American College of Medical Quality (ACMQ): “Examination and Addressing Physician Burnout, From Burnout to Resiliency”
  • Webinar: Hospital Association of Rhode Island (HARI): “From Burnout to Resiliency”
  • SKMC Faculty Quality Leadership (QIPS): “Examination and Addressing Physician Burnout”
  • SKMC Student Physician Leadership (PEL): “Avoiding Burnout: Reigniting the Fire”
  • Webinar Connecticut Hospital Association: “From Burnout to Resiliency”
  • “Beyond Burnout: The Creation of a Fulfilling Marriage Between Self-Care and an Emotional Sense of Direction,” The Inaugural Mary Ann Komaran Symposium, Royal Alexandria Hospital of Alberta, Canada
  • Webinar: Child Hub for South East Europe, “The Journey From Compassion Fatigue to Compassion Satisfaction”
  • Care Gathering at the Philadelphia County Medical Society (to highlight the   epidemic of suicides among physicians and medical students)
  • The National Meeting of the National Association of Social Workers
  • “From Compassion Fatigue to Compassion Satisfaction: A Concentration on the Development of a Reliable Emotional Sense of Direction,” Tuttleman Educational Seminar, Magee Rehabilitation Hospital
  • “Beyond Burnout, Its Prevalence and Toll: The Creation of a Fulfilling Relationship Between Self-Care and an Emotional Sense of Direction,” NASW-PA
  • “Beyond Burnout, Its Prevalence and Toll: The Creation of a Fulfilling Marriage Between Self-Care and an Emotional Sense of Direction,” 30th Annual Social Work Symposium, Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minnesota
  • “The Overlooked “Self” in Self-Care: Alleviating and Preventing Burnout in Group and Therapist with Common Sense and Individualized Creativity,” AGPA
  • “A Committed and Fulfilling Marriage Between Self-Care and An Emotional Sense of Direction,” NASW-PA
  • “Achieving an Emotional Sense of Direction: A Response to Pervasive Societal Burnout,” NASW National Conference
  • The William J. Neff, Sr. Symposium: Prevention of Crimes Against Older Adults: Avoiding Burnout of Care Givers
  • “Safety and Self-Care.” NASW-PA Philadelphia Division at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice
  • Webinar: “Facing the Demons Head-On: The Impact of Burnout” NASW
  • Suicide and Depression in the Medical Profession, Pennsylvania Medical Society
  • Numerous discussions on the film, The Tale, with Jennifer Fox
  • Webinar for students at California’s Brandman University: focus individual, professional, and societal burnout
  • The Athenaeum
  • Jewish Family and Children’s Service
  • Goucher College Book Fair
  • Jewish Family and Children’s Service Viewing of THE TALE: with Jennifer Fox
  • American Group Psychotherapy Association Presentation: with Jennifer Fox
  • Rhode Island Hospital Association, With Stanton Smullens
  • American Council of Graduate Medical Education, With Stanton Smullens
  • Pennsylvania Patient Authority, With Stanton Smullens
  • Jefferson Medical School Students, With Stanton Smullens
  • Jefferson Hospital Departmental Quality Improvement Directors, With Stanton Smullens
  • SP2 Celebrates Inaugural Inductees at Alumni Hall of Fame Ceremony
  • NASW 2018 Conference: Intensive: From Compassion Fatigue to Compassion Satisfaction: The Road to An Emotional Sense of Direction
  • Panel Discussion With Jennifer Fox, writer and director of THE TALE
  • "The Meaning of Friendship" at Penn’s Village
  • An Introduction to the LiveWell Program: A Peer-Led, Guided Self-Care Wellness Program for Depression
  • The National Meeting of the National Association of Social Workers
  • The University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work (now the School of Social Policy and Practice)
  • The American Group Psychotherapy Association
  • Care Gathering at the Philadelphia County Medical Society (which highlighted the suicides of physicians and medical students)
  • The William J. Neff, Sr. Symposium: Prevention of Crimes Against Older Adults
  • Pennsylvania Chapter Of The National Association Of Social Workers 
  • Various Book Clubs, Organizations, and Living Rooms discussions
  • Child Hub for South East Europe, The journey from compassion fatigue to compassion satisfaction: addr essing burnout with an emphasis on the self in self-care
  • The American Group Psychotherapy Association Annual Meeting
  • Mayo Clinic, Full-day Symposium on Burn Out and Self-Care
  • AmeriCorps Alums: Philadelphia Chapter
  • Royal Alexandra Hospital System, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  • Magee Hospital
  • Dr. Guy Freed Educational Seminar: Tuttleman Family Foundation, Magee Hospital
  • Discussion Group: The Positive Agers: for those over age 50
  • Various book clubs and discussion groups
A photo of Sarakay Smullens

SaraKay Smullens

Social Worker, Life Activist, Educator, Psychotherapist

SaraKay Smullens, LCSW, ACSW, BCD, DCSW, CGP, CFLE, whose private and pro bono clinical social work practice is in Philadelphia, is a certified group psychotherapist and family life educator. In addition to her clinical emphasis, a long-standing professional priority has been to bring social work awareness and psychological insights to the public at large, and through this process join those devoted to addressing and alleviating divisiveness and rage in families, work settings, and society through education, advocacy, and activism.

SaraKay's activist roots began in her hometown, Baltimore, where as a child she witnessed the evils and degradation of the Jim Crow laws. While in undergraduate school at Goucher College, then a women’s college located in Baltimore, she successfully led a two-year campus coalition to end segregation in Towson, Maryland, the Baltimore suburb where Goucher College is located. A graduation award for this initiative led to an introduction to John F. Kennedy at the Democratic Convention in 1960, and subsequent employment at the Democratic National Committee, where she became a regional coordinator for young Democrats. It was President Kennedy who recommended social work to her as a profession.

In graduate school at Catholic University’s National Catholic School of Social Service in Washington, DC when President Kennedy was assassinated, she transferred to the University of Pennsylvania to complete her degree, where her scholarship and stipend were continued. The enormous impact of this year at Penn is documented in her fourth book, a second edition of Burnout and Self-Care in Social Work: A Guide for Students and Those in Mental Health and Related Professions, Work (publication date, October, 2021, NASW Press). The edition adds the dangers of societal burnout to the concentration on the personal, professional, relational, physical, and societal arenas in our lives where burnout is found — and the causes, warning signs, and evidence based self-care approaches to alleviate their danger and toll, The second edition also offers a fuller explanation of the differences between burnout and depression; and the impact of dysfunctional leadership in every facet of our lives, and democracy as a whole.

When Lynne Abraham became Philadelphia’s first woman District Attorney, she offered SaraKay an extraordinary pro bono opportunity: With the input of psychiatric consultation, she worked with staff to carefully select first offenders in domestic violence cases where there were no fatalities. In lieu of incarceration individuals and their families were offered intensive group psychotherapy, augmented by individual, couple, and family therapy and family life education. Her pro bono practice continues.

A best selling author. SaraKay’s articles and commentaries have appeared in peer-reviewed journals, newspapers, magazines, and blogs. Her articles about domestic abuse contributed to the reform of brutal, archaic Pennsylvania divorce laws. Her investigation of invisible patterns of emotional abuse, always part of physical and sexual violence, led to their independent codification. It also led to the founding of the Sabbath of Domestic Peace, an initiative focused on the involvement of Philadelphia clergy, identified as “a missing link,” in addressing the epidemic of domestic abuse and violence.

SaraKay’s professional papers and memorabilia are divided between the Archives of the University of Pennsylvania, Goucher College, and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. A recipient of numerous awards, in 2019 SaraKay was one of five graduates of the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice inducted into its Inaugural Hall of Fame.

 
      
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Awards and Honors

  • Society for Social Work Leadership’s 2021 Kermit B. Nash Award
  • Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pennsylvania chapter of NASW
  • NASW Media Award
    Best Magazine Article
  • Woman Leader of Distinction Award The Eastern Region Women's Ministry Pennsylvania Baptist State Convention
  • Honored Author, Diamond Jubilee Borrowers Ball
    The Free Library of Phildelphia
  • Louise Waterman Wise Award
    American Jewish Congress,
    Pennsylvania Region
  • Peace Medal, Women’s International
    League for Peace and Freedom
    Maryland Chapter
  • NASW Media Award
    "What I Wish I Had Known: Burnout and Self-Care In our Social Work Profession."
    The New Social Worker
 
   
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Professional Credentials and Memberships

  • Academy of Certified Social Workers
  • Authors Guild
  • Fellow, Pennsylvania Society for Clinical Social Work
  • National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
  • Pennsylvania Chapter, NASW
  • National Council on Family Relations (Certified Family Life Educator)
  • American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA), Certified Group Psychotherapist
  • Pennsylvania Chapter, (AGPA)