Context and relationship: defining resilience in health social workers

1. Context and relationship: defining resilience in health social workers Dr Carole Adamson School of Counselling, Human Services and Social Work University of Auckland New Zealand c.adamson@auckland.ac.nz Liz Beddoe, University of Auckland Allyson Davys, WINTEC, Hamilton

2. Research into the resilience of social workers • Theoretical perspectives on resilience – a move from a focus on the individual towards relational characteristics; from pathology to a dynamic, meaning-making and contextualised process • Significant research on service user resilience not yet fully matched by focus on ourselves • Potential to strengthen arguments for supervision, other professional supports & organisational responsibilities • Impetus for ongoing curriculum design focused on developing robust social work graduates

3. The research projects • Mental health, physical health and social work student supervisors (Adamson, Beddoe & Davys) • Semi-structured, qualitative interviews (27) • Self-defining the concept of resilience • Participants initially defined resilience as a personal characteristics but all then ‘unpacked’ it as a strongly contextual and relational construct • Literature review and research findings both suggest a three part framework that interrelates self, context and mediating factors • Linking feature between these factors is self-awareness, capacity to reflectand make meaning

4. Self Mediating factors Practice Context Work-life balance Attributes Personal history & sensitisation Moral & ethical code Developmental learning Organisational structures Political & legal frameworks Coping behaviours & relational skills Supervision & peer support Professional identity Knowledge, education & theory

5. Future imperatives (1) • Social work education: • the research suggests the need for assessing, developing & sustaining mindfulness and reflection • Using the ‘big picture’ of theory to assist reflective meaning-making • The centrality of practice learning • The relational and the reflective space in practice: • Importance of supervision as a space to reflect, on make linkages and process experience • Organisational contexts & systems have crucial role responsibility for determining resilience as an outcome of professional activity

6. Future imperatives (2) • Defining the social work role in relation to other professionals and the public image of social work • And finally: clinical/practice focus of social workers – thinking about the ‘other’: wellbeing is linked to professional identity & role and the wellbeing of others

7. Resilience as a fluid & dynamic, contextually-dependent process: “What holds me firm [is] client-centredness and transparency of practice ... buttressed by the strong connection that I have with social work values and my legitimacy in terms of the social structures around me. So in my job description, the organisation I work for, the legislation that has certain expectations of me, [these] orient me in terms of not only my professional identity but my personal one as well and it’s that strong sense of ethic ... [that allows me] to go home and feel like despite a lot of the messages I’ve received on that day, that on a cognitive level I can say ‘well, I’ve done a good job’.” ‘Chris’, Mental Health

8. Publication for this study • Beddoe, L., Davys, A., & Adamson, C. (2011). ‘Educating resilient practitioners’. Social Work Education, 1-18. doi:10.1080/02615479.2011.644532 • Two other publications pending by same authors.

9. Kia ora and thank you! The New Zealand silver fern