The importance of Self-care by professionals in helping professions

Dušan Šlosár1 , Zuzana Šoltésová2, Jana Plavnická3

Abstract

In the paper, we focused on Self-care, which plays an important role in the context of helping professions, as the
part of self-control, self-confidence, self-regulation, self-help, and self-awareness. At the same time, it can be the
source of the information that is needed for professionals to improve their ability to deal with the high workload
they face everyday. Because it influences mental and physical processes that create the state of balance and
imbalance, we see the necessity of Self-care for helping professionals, who are working to help others, because
they are the ones who should be not only in great physical but especially in mental wellbeing, in order to work
effectively.

Keywords: Self-care. Helping professions. Helping professionals.

Introduction
The main purpose of helping professions work is the caring for others. According to
Brnula et al. (2011, in: Čavojská and Vaska 2012), we can define even the social work in
context of praxis as a helping activity, whose purpose in humanely way is to stabilize or to
increase the quality of the life for people, who have limited or threatened quality of life. It has
to be done in such approach, that the process of help would be in harmony with the
expectations and needs and it would eventually lead to self-help.
Social workers, as well as workers in other assisting professions, encounter many problems in
their day-to-day work that pose high demands on their psyche, so it is very important that they
find time for themselves. However, it is interesting to note that these workers, who teach their
clients how important it is to take care of space and time, usually don’t care about themselves
(Williams et al. 2010).
But the Self-care presents the key ability for professionals helping other people to face
their problems. It helps them to get the satisfaction from work, to preserve the strength to
provide help, to eliminate the negative effects of their profession and to sustain emotional,
physical and mental wellbeing, which is necessary for their ability to provide help to people
they are working with. In this connection Atkinson (2005) states, that the Self-care means the
right care about self as well as for the others, because only if we are able to help ourselves, we
are able to help other people.

1. Self-care

1
Department of social work FA Univerzity P. J. Šafárik; e-mail address: dusan.slosar@upjs.sk
2
Department of social work FA Univerzity P. J. Šafárik; e-mail address: zuzana.soltesova89@gmail.com
3
Department of social work FA Univerzity P. J. Šafárik; e-mail address: j.plavnicka@gmail.com
 Self-care is usually perceived as obvious, natural motion associated with activities essential
for regular life (Lovaš et al. 2014) and it is multidimensional concept, which is been engaged
by different disciplines, each examining and evaluating the Self-care from its perspective,
ergo differently (Lovašová 2016). These differences might result from the object of
examination of various disciplines, from different working conditions, or from the level of
workload placed on professionals, who are working in given profession of a given discipline.
According to Hoy et al. (2007), it is possible to look at Self-care from the perspective of
medicine, sociology, nursing, psychology and public health.
In the medical field, this concept began to emerge in the 1970s and relates mainly to the
treatment of diseases. From this point of view, care is also taken in the sense of helping to
develop patient's abilities and skills to be able to carry out Self-care activities. Simplified, it
aims to lead the individual to the highest degree of self-sufficiency as fast as possible
(Špirudová et al., 2006). In this area of medicine and nursing, Dorothea Oremová has become
the pioneer in this issue, introducing the theory of Self-care deficit (Oremová 2001).
According to this theory, a deficit of care arises when the need for Self-care exceeds the
actual competence of the individual in that situation (Halmo 2014). Social support, the social
environment and social relations are important in the sociological approach. In nursing, Self-
care focuses on the ability of the sick to undertake basic activities related to Self-care and
managing common activities. The psychological view of this theme deals with how Self-care
works internally, what backgrounds and what phenomena are underneath (Lovašová 2016). At
the same time, from the point of view of psychology, Self-care is combined with the inner
well-being of a person, his mental health, self-understanding and other cognitive processes. In
public health, we can talk about identifying and avoiding risk factors (Hoy et al., 2007). From
the point of view of social work, Slovakia does not yet have the concept of using it, even
though the individual components (supervision, training, lifelong learning) are part of
professional performance or training for it. It is not working with it in its entirety (Lovašová
2016).
In general is Self-care professional term used in various meanings (Lovaš et al., 2014),
whereby it is a necessary part of everyday life (Fries 2013). It is the ability of man to take care
of himself in everyday life, which is considered to be the natural and basic ability of an
individual (Lovaš et al., 2014). Cambell, Assanand and Di Paula (2003) also declare that Self-
care is characterized in particular by the day-to-day responsibility of the individual for
subjective well-being and the ability to seek help when needed, which according to Rigins
(1995) leads to reduced use of health services and increased control of their health. Even
Kumar (2007) understands Self-care as a set of activities that individuals try to do in their
own interests, in order to maintain their own health, life and subjective well-being. Lee and
Miller (2013) also state that Self-care can not only be crucial in preventing stress, burnout and
burden, but can also serve as an instrument of strengthening empowerment, which enables,
for example workers in helping professions to engage actively and deliberately in their health,
wellbeing and resistance.
We are mostly talking about three basic types of Self-care, namely health care,
psychological Self-care and spiritual Self-care. According to Williams et al. (2010) it consists
from four components:
1. Psychological component of Self-care – related to personal counseling, which is
helpful for self-understanding and for solving personal problems.
2. Physical component of Self-care – related to the exercise of physical activities,
to movement and to consumption of energy that leads to the overall wellbeing of
a person
 3. Spiritual component of Self-care – related to various activities, such as
meditation, where spirituality is connected mainly with the mental health of
a person and with the awareness of the meaning of the life.
4. Support – implemented on two levels – professional and personal. Professional
support performed through supervision and consultations by colleagues and
supervisors and it is done in working environment. Personal support lies in
positive relationships between the person and the immediate surroundings.
The Self-care can often be affected by number of factors ( For example objective factors,
subjective factors, social environment, environmental factors, the policy of the country which
the person lives and others, while in the formation of person, his values and direction play
according to Eksi and Kaya (2016) especially subjective factors. Other factors that may
influence Self-care include self-perception, individual's past, personal experience, health and
social literacy, personal choice, self-confidence, self-esteem, availability of information and
services, cognitive abilities and others (Lee and Miller 2013).

2. Self-care related to experts in helping professions

In relation to previous parts it is necessary to point out, that the violation of physical or
mental health in higher degree can especially affect the experts in helping professions, as
their work consists of day-to-day contact with clients, on who they primary pocus and therefor
they repress their own needs (Schmidbauer 2000). For the most effective solution of sketched
negative impacts considers Mathieu (2007) the complex care about self-consisting of
following strategies: realization of self-inventory of life, workload balance, openness to the
new possibilities and opportunities. The element of everyday life should therefore be Self-
care, impersonalisation from work, learn to say „no“ to others, to be able to divide the
working life from personal life, to back up each other with the colleagues in the workplace,
special education, shortened working days, preservation of emotional wellbeing and physical
activity. To all of above Kramen-kahn and Downing Hansen (1998) are adding the finding the
meaning of life and continual progressing.
Department of Health (2005) perceives the Self-care as the basic element of general health
of individual, which features not only self-help but even the cooperation with another experts
competent to influence his survival and perception, but also to help him gain control over his
own life.
Baker (2003) perceives it as a combination of three methods: Self-awareness, self –
regulation and self-help. According to him, a helping professional can improve how he sees
the importance of Self-care and the overall satisfaction with life, based on personal choice,
situation control and solution orientation. In this context, Lopez (2007) sees the importance of
Self-care in helping professions because of its necessity in day-to-day customer care
solutions, in order to help to maintain positive approach for helping professions and because
of its need to maintain the ethics and professionalism of experts in helping professions. At the
same time, the author emphasizes Self-care as an important part of personality formation, as
well as a pillar of integrity preservation or tool of prevention.
Number of risks are brought to attention by Department of Health (2005), which are
connected with the insufficient or low level of individuals which is necessary for Self-care.
Those risks can be applied even to experts in helping professions and they are particularly
connected to the focus orientation to the problematic fields and specific problems solution.
Moreover they are connected with the processes of decision-making, planning and adopting
measures, plan fulfilment, using of support instruments and with the development of effective
cooperation with the expert community the expert is working with. We can state, that there
rises a need of Self-care strategy emphasis for the experts in helping professions. In general,
the strategies can be defined as systematic building of the future state of directed process or
object through sharply defined paths enabling flexible reaction to external forces influence on
the way to reach objectives (Vodáček, Vodáčková 1999). However self-oriented strategies are
considerably more complex. Self-care strategies related to the experts in helping professions
can be divided into personal development strategies, emotional strategies and strategies
oriented on physical health and healthy lifestyle.
Self-care personal development strategies focus on physical as well as on mental wellbeing
related to experts in helping professions by pointing out satisfying their needs and
expectations (Beauchamp, Childress 2001). Systematic and continual education is by
Skovholt et al. (2001) considered as an important process, on which the personal development
of worker in helping profession depends. However many of them are not attaching sufficient
importance to Self-care, in result of which they suffer from lower self-confidence. In context
of those strategies brings Ruiselová et al. (2006) into attention the mental self-regulation
theory, which presents the choice and adoption of such managerial styles from the side of
helping professionals, which brings them the highest level of success in dependence on
situation they are actually facing . The importance of self-regulation has been engaged
even by Blair a Diamond (2008). According to them it influences the different parts of
personal development, as it involves various domains, for example self-regulations of
emotional or cognitive abilities are connected, that means cognitive development affects the
emotions and vice versa.
Self-care emotional strategies are related to self-realization. The degree of self-realization
and wellbeing are further related with the concept of quality of life introducing manifestation
of man’s autonomy (Hartl, Hartlová 2000). Multidimensional inventory prepared by Janke
and Erdmannová (2003) contains strategies, which are oriented on various Self-care strategies
and which can be split into positive (understate strategies) and negative. The base of positive
strategies is the level of helping professional management and the management of his actual
situation, while the negative strategies are related to self-incrimination and resignation and
therefor it presents the escape oriented strategies. These negative strategies are understood by
Austinom et al. (2005) as ineffective, while physical activity is considered effective.
Self-care strategies oriented on physical health and healthy lifestyle are related to the
importance of mobilization and motivation of helping professionals in subsidization and
preservation of own health (Barofsky 1978, in: Bhuyan 2004). It is very demanding task to
measure the physical health level not only for experts in helping professions, but for the
others as well, as the number of people suffering from physical and mental deceases increases
constantly. In the context of stated, World Health Organization (WHO 2015) designed the
global strategy focused on improving the life of individuals. The strategy involves two main
health influencing risk factors, namely physical activity and nutrition. The main objective of
this global strategy is to decrease the risk factors acting in society as a result of unhealthy
nutrition and physical passivity of the people. The second objective is the complex increase of
awareness about the effect of nutrition and the physical activity for the health and its
understanding. Supporting the development and implementation of global, national, regional
and local policies, action plans, non-governmental organizations, the media and private
sectors leading to improve nutrition and increase physical activity is also an important goal set
by the presented strategy. The last objective is to support research in the responsible areas as
well as to provide sufficient resources to support and sustain health. (www.who.sk)
3. Conclusion

The seriousness of working of experts in helping professions rests in day-to-day solution of

various problems and in providing assistance to clients. The approach of these professionals is
very unique mostly because their effort lies in helping clients to acquire the optimal
functioning in their natural environment. On the other hand, at the same time they are at risk
of burnout syndrome, the occurrence of client violence, they have to face a high level of
workload or stress.
All of this is related to the concept of Self-care. The meaning of this concept lies in the fact
that it is equally important to an individual, but also to the surroundings in which he or she is
located, as it teaches the individual how to set functional limits, realize needs, dreams, or
desires.
Especially the helping professions are very sensitive for the area of Self-care and even
despite the importance of this concept its profession-aiding practitioners are doing little.
Because their work is to help others, they often forget about the importance of Self-care. It is
necessary to realize, that the Self-care cannot be considered natural or automatical, but
something that requires special attention on their part. The objective of the paper was to point
out at the importance of the concept of Self-care among the helping professionals, which on
one hand, allows to strengthen various areas of life, and on the other hand, improves their
professional work.

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