Coping Skills In Social Work

2.1 Project As a professional social worker working in the field of human services, for almost ten years, it is important that the action research project addresses one of the most common and vital issues that has affected the researcher individually, as well as other social work professionals in their career. This common issue that all social workers face is stress. Keller et al. (2012) defines stress as situations where the environmental and internal demands outweigh the resources or support systems of an individual. Within the social work profession, there are times when work-place stress becomes very overwhelming, which can cause serious effects to the psychological, mental, and physical well-being of the individual. Steiber and Pichler

For example, Michailidis and Banks (2016) state that stress can influence an individual’s decision-making abilities, by either avoiding them or making a choice that presents more of a risk. My action research project will improve on the strategies for managing stress, by evaluating coping skills to ensure that the social worker has the most effective coping skills and interventions in place that will make them effective and efficient within their

Huss (2012) shows that social workers are consistently in high crisis situations that may not provide the opportunity for support through collaboration or process of debriefing. In addition, it is important the social workers understand the levels of stress, so that they can better learn how to manage in effectively. Dollard and Gordon (2014) describe how there are three points to managing stress, such as (1) at the beginning, which help prevent stress, (2) during, which is when coping skills are utilized, and (3) at the end, which promotes a chance to treat the symptoms that have occurred from stress. Understanding these various elements is crucial for the benefit of the clients of the community being served, as well as the health and well-being of the social worker. Keller et al. (2012) states that prolonged stress can have adverse effects on an individual’s health and mortality, such as developing heart disease that can increase the chances of premature