Does social work have to be stressful?

Pressure in the care sector is inevitable but stress isn’t, and professionals should support each other to counter its effects, by Dr Neil Thompson
  To answer this question we need to be clear about the distinction between pressure and stress. Pressure is neutral, in the sense that it can be either positive (rewarding, stimulating, enriching) or negative (demoralising, anxiety-provoking, confidence-sapping) depending on the circumstances. Stress, by contrast, as currently defined (for example, by the Health and Safety Executive) is always negative. It refers to situations that are doing us harm in some way (our health, wellbeing, relationships, quality of work and so on).

It is therefore important to recognise that pressure is inevitable – there is no escaping the fact that demands will be made on us in any job, and especially in a job as challenging as social work. But pressure can be a positive thing, a source of pleasure and pride as well as motivation and job satisfaction. Stress, though, is not inevitable. Whether social workers experience stress will depend on a number of factors, not least the following:

1. The level, type, intensity and duration of pressure. This will vary from person to person, in the sense that what one person finds an unbearable pressure, someone else may actually relish (public speaking would be a good example of this).

2. The quality and quantity of support offered. I regularly encounter social workers who receive regular, high-quality supervision that they find very supportive, but sadly I also regularly encounter workers whose supervision is non-existent, poor quality or even counterproductive (for example, in terms of undermining confidence). This, together with other support issues, can be crucial in determining whether or not pressures cross that line and become stress.

3. The culture in which we work. Are we lucky enough to be part of a supportive team that helps to energise us or are we saddled with a low-morale culture that saps energy and confidence?

4. Our response to the situation. There is a strong subjective dimension involved in stress, as much will depend on how we respond to the pressures and the circumstances we find ourselves in:

a. Do we have well-developed coping skills and methods for dealing with our pressures? Do we feel confident about rising to the challenges involved?

b. If we are not receiving proper support do we seek it out elsewhere or just do without? Do we collude with a lack of support or do we raise it (tactfully and assertively) as an issue?

c. Do we allow ourselves to become “culture victims” by uncritically following group habits or do we make efforts – individually and collectively – to challenge morale-sapping negative and cynical cultures?

This is not to say that, if we experience stress, it is our own fault. Indeed, that sort of tendency to individualise stress and ignore wider factors has been a major obstacle to progress, as the false assumption that stress is the sign of a weak individual will prevent many people from seeking the support they need and have a right to receive.

Social work does not have to be stressful. However, it would be naive not to recognise that social work is characterised by a wide range of pressures, some very intense indeed (responding to abuse, loss, trauma, conflict and so on), with practitioners facing a variable level and quality of support, organisational cultures that can often hinder more than they help and various other challenges to boot. As such, stress is a constant danger and therefore something we need to take very seriously if we are to avoid it and the immense harm it can do.

A key part of this is being realistic. Stress is not inevitable, but the pressurised nature of the social work role means that it is always a possibility. There is no cause for panic about stress, but nor should there be any room for complacency. There is much we can do by being alert to the dangers and supporting each other in addressing the challenges involved.

Dr Neil Thompson is an independent writer, educator and adviser