by Larry W. Owens, EdD, CSW
Crisis
For many years, I was an administrator at an emergency shelter for children and youth. As such, my work was crisis-oriented. Currently, as a faculty member, I’m helping students navigate this time of upheaval and anxiety, particularly in their field practica. As a pracademic (one who moved from agency practice to academia), I always apply classroom learning with “real life” practice. In that spirit, I share some lessons from my experience as an administrator in a crisis context to inform practice in this pandemic crisis.
Lesson 1. Slow It Down
In work, and in life in general, some events call for quick action and swift decisions. However, when I look back, practically any error I made was because I didn’t slow down the process or decision. A crisis environment feeds a constant sense of urgency. If not critically considered, everything is seen as an emergency. In that mindset, fast decisions and hasty actions can too often result in situations that require much more energy and resources to clean up or correct later.
I saw early into my role at the emergency shelter that adrenaline addiction is real. Many folks attracted to the field, and to crisis work in particular, are prone. If a crisis doesn’t exist, they make one. In this adrenaline-rush mind-set, group-think and other fallacies in thinking run rampant.
Emergencies must be dealt with decisively. However, once an immediate life endangerment situation is handled, it’s important to slow down and thoughtfully consider next steps. And “slowing it down” may simply mean 20 minutes of thoughtful consultation with a colleague. Also, protocols should be in place to help discern and deal with urgent matters competently and ethically. Hopefully, these protocols are in place before an initial crisis, but certainly as soon as possible afterwards. Instead of charging ahead, it’s important to slow it down to respond efficiently and effectively, not react frantically.
Current Application: Even amidst this global crisis, be intentional about slowing down decisions for more deliberative and efficient practice.
Lesson 2. Be Vigilant About Your Own Well-Being
The adrenaline addiction noted above is complementary to a sense of constant availability. Need complex is common. My years in this emergency services environment were some of the most stressful of my career. Residential care is 24/7! As an administrator, I was constantly on call. For years after leaving that position, I flinched when I heard a phone ring. It was associated with knowing any call could be a crisis.
This adrenaline addiction, constant availability, need complex, and other toxic phenomena dominated the organizational culture. I learned quickly, although not easily, that I had to take care of myself, because the agency wouldn’t. I realized that, as a supervisor, I had a further responsibility to model and try to foster self-care for my staff. I learned to practice self-care, as a matter of survival. Yes, in a crisis-driven context, I began treating my own well-being as an urgent priority.
Current Application: Although it might seem like the worst time, this COVID-19 crisis context can be the best time to learn how to prioritize your self-care.
Lesson 3. No Superheroes!
In the emergency shelter, the work was essential and resources were insufficient. One of the most important self-care strategies I instituted was leaving work—at the end of the day, on weekends, and during vacations! The work was never done. But I knew I couldn’t do it all. I learned to know my limits, build a good team, and seek out trustworthy colleagues. Mostly, I learned that being a dedicated social worker doesn’t require me to be an invincible, self-less superhero who soars into the crisis. It requires me to be a competent professional who cares about people, including myself.
Current Application: You’re a social worker, not a superhero. Be ethical and competent, which includes practicing self-care.
During crises, often our first instinct is to sacrifice our own needs for the sake of serving others. It’s imperative to always balance caring for others with maintaining our own health. Slowing things down, being vigilant about our own self-care, and recognizing that we aren’t superhuman are some of the ways we can sustain ourselves during challenging times, such as this COVID crisis, and throughout our careers.
Larry Owens
Larry W. Owens, EdD, CSW
Larry W. Owens, EdD, CSW, is Associate Professor of Social Work at Western Kentucky University, Elizabethtown Regional Campus, in Elizabethtown, KY. Beginning as a child care worker, Dr. Owens has more than 25 years of direct care, clinical, and administrative child welfare experience. His experience has included working in outpatient mental health services, foster care, group homes, residential treatment, emergency shelters, adoption, and independent living services. His scholarship areas include leadership, scholarship of teaching-learning, child welfare, and international social issues.