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: Hope and Promise

I'm very pleased the Inquirer printed my letter addressing the Harris-Trump debate.

To the editor:

The pervasive question about Tuesday evening’s debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump: Could Kamala hold her own with a devious showman skilled in the use of invectives? A two-word response: Yes, brilliantly! For me this event awakened precious, hopeful, sleeping memories. 

Dr. Mildred Otenasak, Maryland’s national committeewoman, was a devoted John F. Kennedy supporter who became my mentor and friend. She appointed me “page” to our Maryland delegation at the 1960 Democratic Convention. Otenasak introduced me to Sen. Kennedy; many of my college friends and I worked tirelessly for him. He urged me to begin working toward my master’s degree in social work. During my first year, he was assassinated.    

Kennedy’s short time in office was filled with optimism, based on his deep belief that our brave experiment in democracy could and would succeed because — as Kamala Harris reminded us — we have far more in common than what divides us. Americans want the same things for our children, and what we hope and dream of is possible. It has been unsettling at best to see how so many wish to tarnish the positives that JFK and his brother Robert brought us. But I was there; I saw firsthand what both men believed about America’s potential. 

Not long before the 1968 assassinations of each, Robert Kennedy heard these values put into words by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” At a time of debilitating division and hatred permeating America and the world, at Tuesday’s debate we, the people, became Harris’s jury — her professional training, experience, adversarial skill; authenticity and passion; and studious prep in perfect harmony.  The vice-president’s argument that all we have in common and yearn for can be achieved together parallels the hope and promise of King’s words. Harris won handedly over a ruthless performer. And so did we.

Sincerely,
SaraKay Smullens

Published in The Philadelphia Inquirer September 13, 2024

Film Review: It Ends With Us

Dear friends and colleagues, After a few moments of watching this film, extreme discomfort set in. Marketed in the "romance genre," many will see "It Ends With Us" over the holiday weekend. The film offers an alarming resolution. Women and children die at the hands of batterers, and holiday periods can be perilous. The resolve offered in this film cannot be trusted in the real world.

Image Credit: 2024 SONY PICTURES DIGITAL PRODUCTIONS, INC.

by SaraKay Smullens, MSW, LCSW, DCSW, CGP, CFLE, BCD

“I want people to devour my books in one sitting because the storyline and dialogue are too gripping to put down. I don’t try to write heavy books that educate, inform, and impress. My only goal is to entertain, and hopefully that’s what I’m doing.” Colleen Hoover 

What follows is a review of the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel, It Ends With Us, which addresses domestic violence. It is not a review of the book the film is based on, which I have not read. Hoover has fully endorsed all aspects of the film, describing herself as “extremely happy“ with its completion, and á la Hitchcock, is seen in a fleeting scene.   

After an introduction to Hoover, a remarkable social media genius with a strong presence on BookTok, I will discuss the film in detail. Its positives—all discussion of domestic violence leading to societal and personal awareness is meaningful. Plus, the acting and set/costume design of the film, even when in contradiction to the character portrayed, provides a gifted ensemble and A-plus entertainment/diversion until, as the drama unfolds, discomfort sets in. The film’s dangers—it presents an over-simplification of the complex topic of domestic (or intimate partner) violence, where the circumstances of the woman abused and her path to peaceful resolve offered in the film are pure fantasy.     

Colleen Hoover has seen domestic violence up close. Her earliest memory is being awakened at age two by screaming as she witnessed her dad throwing a television set at her mom, who subsequently divorced him. Hoover’s followers are aware of her respect for, devotion to, and cherishment of her mom, echoed by their matching heart shaped tattoos inside their wrists.

Read the full review on socialworker.com

The following letter was sent to the New York Times on July 7th

To the editor:

During his mother’s reign, King Charles, reportedly a supporter of newly elected Keir Starmer, was stymied at every turn in his passionate support of a revised Crown, one more responsive to the suffering of his subjects, intensified since Brexit, in ways other than appearances and public relations. So here’s an idea: Since Starmer has inherited a next to impossible task, “a legacy of ashes,” why not sell a few tiaras, and maybe some other jewels, and a property or two? Or three? What a difference that would make in housing, hospitals, and hope. And how many tiaras does one family require?

Sincerely,
SaraKay Smullens

Sent to The New York Times, July 7, 2024

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)