Abstract:
The first experience with social work practice frequently occurs within field practicum; however, students often lack formal education on identifying helper distress. Teaching students to anticipate and manage emotions in field shifts the focus toward helper strengths and a sense of empowerment. The literature points to the salience of integrating wellness, self-care, and healthy coping strategies into field education to better prepare students for sustainable practice. This pre-experimental study evaluates the feasibility of a prevention-based curriculum for field students that includes education on the risks and protective factors associated with helper distress, the implementation of multi-dimensional self-care plans, and the facilitation of mindful self-compassion. Using a pre and post-test survey design, an availability sample of 10 BSW students was evaluated for changes in frequency of self-care and self-compassion indicators. To assess the curriculum benefits on knowledge, preparedness to practice, and satisfaction, students also completed a satisfaction survey and participated in a focus group. Students exhibited a significant change in the frequency of self-care, specifically professional self-care, mindfulness, and isolating thoughts. Positive changes noted by students’ subjective experiences included increased knowledge, engagement in self-advocacy, boundary setting, attention toward negative patterns without judgment, and the practice of self-kindness. Competing demands and financial stressors emerged as barriers to self-care, and some students reported being overwhelmed by the emotional aspects of field. Implications for field education include developing prevention-based curricula, leveraging practicum stakeholder relationships to promote student wellness, identifying student-specific vulnerabilities that impact self-care and implementing early intervention, and addressing field policies that act as structural barriers to student well-being.
