1 00:00:06,700 --> 00:00:10,200 Do you social worker? Welcome to the podcast that 2 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:14,100 prioritizes the person behind the title social worker. 3 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:16,500 I'm your host. Lisa ran. 4 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:18,900 And I'm here to inspire and encourage your personal 5 00:00:18,900 --> 00:00:22,000 development, promote, your well-being and leadership 6 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:23,700 development for your social work. 7 00:00:23,700 --> 00:00:28,200 Practice, I transition from a decade in social work to an 8 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:30,700 author and leadership development coach for social 9 00:00:30,700 --> 00:00:34,700 workers Nationwide, to help you overcome your personal, or 10 00:00:34,700 --> 00:00:38,500 professional challenges, through the social work coaching herb. 11 00:00:38,700 --> 00:00:42,800 Of the brand new Social Work coaching Hub offers resources 12 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:45,900 books, journals and Social Work events. 13 00:00:46,500 --> 00:00:51,800 Visit Social Work coaching, Hub.com today, we're going to 14 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:54,600 talk about overcoming moral distress. 15 00:00:55,700 --> 00:01:11,500 Let's talk. Moral distress, may not be a 16 00:01:11,500 --> 00:01:15,800 term that you've heard before, but it's likely because you're a 17 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:18,000 social worker, it something you've experienced. 18 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:23,300 So let's start by defining what moral distress is then. 19 00:01:23,300 --> 00:01:27,300 We'll talk about the different types of moral distress the 20 00:01:27,300 --> 00:01:30,600 impact and then we'll give you some tips to overcome. 21 00:01:32,900 --> 00:01:36,000 So, moral distress is an internal struggle. 22 00:01:37,100 --> 00:01:40,400 And it arises when You Face an ethical dilemma. 23 00:01:41,100 --> 00:01:45,700 So feeling trapped between your professional obligation and the 24 00:01:45,700 --> 00:01:51,000 limitations of the systems that we work with in There are three 25 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:55,800 primary types of moral distress. Moral uncertainty, moral 26 00:01:55,800 --> 00:02:00,300 constraint and moral residue. I'm going to walk you through 27 00:02:00,300 --> 00:02:05,200 all three, and then we'll talk about the impact followed by 28 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:11,400 some tips to overcome. Number one model uncertainty. 29 00:02:11,900 --> 00:02:17,300 So this occurs when social workers you are unsure about the 30 00:02:17,300 --> 00:02:20,300 morally, right? Course of action in a given 31 00:02:20,300 --> 00:02:24,900 situation. Now, it may be due to not having 32 00:02:24,900 --> 00:02:28,500 a clear understanding of ethical standards policies or best 33 00:02:28,500 --> 00:02:32,300 practices. But this is about being in a 34 00:02:32,308 --> 00:02:37,200 place where you're unsure. You're unsure how to get from 35 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:42,000 place a to place, B, and how to do that correctly. 36 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:49,600 I know in my experience, you want to make sure I wanted to 37 00:02:49,608 --> 00:02:54,400 make sure I was making the right decision and in social work, 38 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:57,100 you're faced with something new every single day. 39 00:02:58,100 --> 00:03:00,000 And an all my coaching sessions that I had. 40 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:04,800 Last week, I had a few of my Cochise that was saying I'm not 41 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:08,800 sure I'm actually doing the right thing, I feel like I'm 42 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:12,600 just winging it basically, that's moral uncertainty. 43 00:03:13,900 --> 00:03:17,400 Because they want to make sure they're doing the right thing. 44 00:03:18,700 --> 00:03:21,400 It's unclear for whatever reason. 45 00:03:21,500 --> 00:03:24,400 If they are doing the right thing, perhaps you couldn't get 46 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:26,500 the advice from Management in time. 47 00:03:27,100 --> 00:03:30,600 Perhaps they couldn't find the policy that they needed in time. 48 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:37,600 There's so many possibilities. But essentially, it's a bridge 49 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:40,600 between what you think is right and the system. 50 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:46,600 This can happen a lot when you're working with other 51 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:52,200 agencies, right? You may say as that advocate for 52 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:55,400 the family, this is the direction of travel that we all 53 00:03:55,400 --> 00:04:00,500 need to be working with it. However, the system with housing 54 00:04:00,500 --> 00:04:04,700 or the mental health profession, and professionals that you're 55 00:04:04,700 --> 00:04:09,300 working with say, well, this is our system and based on our 56 00:04:09,300 --> 00:04:14,300 system based on our policies, based on what it is, the way 57 00:04:14,300 --> 00:04:17,600 that we work. We can't meet this particular 58 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:20,700 need. Often it's we can't meet this 59 00:04:20,700 --> 00:04:24,500 need at this time. They don't meet the eligibility 60 00:04:24,500 --> 00:04:27,800 criteria. And you're the advocate and 61 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:31,500 you're saying, well, it's clear, this family, need this type of 62 00:04:31,500 --> 00:04:35,700 support. We are not the experts in this 63 00:04:35,700 --> 00:04:37,900 area. We are going to need support 64 00:04:37,900 --> 00:04:44,700 from from this agency. I've had so many meetings where 65 00:04:44,700 --> 00:04:48,900 I've had professional say, that's not within our remit or 66 00:04:48,900 --> 00:04:52,300 they don't meet the criteria to access this service and then it 67 00:04:52,300 --> 00:04:56,400 leaves this family in a place of limbo and it leaves you in a 68 00:04:56,407 --> 00:05:00,300 place of limbo you have that moral uncertainty, because it's 69 00:05:00,300 --> 00:05:04,100 clear what's needed. But the systems that are around 70 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:08,900 are not giving way and not making a way for you to to meet 71 00:05:08,900 --> 00:05:13,000 that need That is my role uncertainty. 72 00:05:16,500 --> 00:05:19,700 The other element of Maryland certainty that it will be remiss 73 00:05:19,700 --> 00:05:21,700 of me. Not to mention this. 74 00:05:23,500 --> 00:05:26,000 It's around employment challenges. 75 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:31,400 There's so many social workers that I speak to you, that have 76 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,100 employment challenges, there will be in all professions. 77 00:05:35,500 --> 00:05:39,800 We're not special, but it will be in all professions. 78 00:05:41,300 --> 00:05:46,500 However, there's moral uncertainty in those spaces as 79 00:05:46,500 --> 00:05:53,300 well because you can be very clear about something you have 80 00:05:53,300 --> 00:05:55,800 said, or done that you felt was right. 81 00:05:58,700 --> 00:06:03,000 Or you may be in a position where someone has said something 82 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,600 to you, done something to you in an employment capacity. 83 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:13,400 And you're unsure morally, what is the right course of action to 84 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:18,300 take? If you raise it, if you escalate 85 00:06:18,300 --> 00:06:22,700 it, this may be the consequence. If you don't raise it or 86 00:06:22,700 --> 00:06:25,800 escalate it, this could be the consequence. 87 00:06:26,500 --> 00:06:30,700 And as a result, you're in his place of moral uncertainty and 88 00:06:31,100 --> 00:06:33,900 that can cause a lot of distress. 89 00:06:35,500 --> 00:06:38,300 Because often what I've come across is. 90 00:06:40,100 --> 00:06:43,600 They don't want to put themselves in a position. 91 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:49,200 Well, they'll be a vulnerable but be there's a consequence for 92 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:53,100 saying something. Now this conversation is moving 93 00:06:53,100 --> 00:06:54,700 into a different realm, as you can. 94 00:06:54,700 --> 00:06:56,200 Probably see. There's a slight shift. 95 00:06:56,200 --> 00:07:00,000 I'm not going to delve into it too much on this podcast episode 96 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:06,200 where I just want to give you a 360 view of what moral distress 97 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:10,700 can include. It can be about the systems that 98 00:07:10,900 --> 00:07:16,300 were working with in, but it also can be about you personally 99 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:22,500 and your personal experiences on your experiences with employment 100 00:07:22,900 --> 00:07:26,200 with local authorities which are it is whoever you work for. 101 00:07:29,300 --> 00:07:32,800 Feeling uncertain about what you're going to do. 102 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:38,800 Particularly, if you want to, you know, you're the kind of 103 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:41,300 person you really want to take the right course of action. 104 00:07:41,300 --> 00:07:43,800 You want it to be perfect. You want to make sure the 105 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:49,700 message that you want to get across is expressed in the right 106 00:07:49,700 --> 00:07:55,200 way and to the right people. But for whatever reason, The 107 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:57,100 Clarity on what decision to make. 108 00:07:57,100 --> 00:08:02,400 It's just not there. That can cause distress. 109 00:08:10,300 --> 00:08:13,900 My brand new publication the south care journal for social 110 00:08:13,900 --> 00:08:17,500 workers is tailored specifically just for you. 111 00:08:18,100 --> 00:08:20,500 It's a vibrant Journal designed to guide. 112 00:08:20,500 --> 00:08:25,300 You towards a happier, healthier and more balanced, professional 113 00:08:25,300 --> 00:08:28,600 life. It is a six-month undated 114 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:33,299 journal, and it is available on Amazon and, uh, Nettie. 115 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:47,200 So, go ahead and treat yourself. Let's talk about moral 116 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:51,200 constraints. This is a second type of moral 117 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:55,800 distress and this can arise when, you know, the ethically 118 00:08:55,800 --> 00:09:00,200 correct course of action, but are unable to follow through due 119 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:03,800 to organizational policies resource constraints. 120 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:07,400 We know all about those post covid or external pressures. 121 00:09:08,900 --> 00:09:11,900 So you are constrained in the action that you can take. 122 00:09:12,500 --> 00:09:15,900 So, similar to what we talked about in moral and certainty, 123 00:09:15,900 --> 00:09:18,800 when we were talking about, you're asking other agencies, 124 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:21,700 can you do these piece of work and they're like, no, this is 125 00:09:21,700 --> 00:09:26,200 not within my my remit but you know, that is the right service. 126 00:09:26,300 --> 00:09:29,200 That is the right piece of work. It's the right intervention for 127 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:33,200 that family. But for whatever reason, for 128 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:37,600 whatever reason you're unable to follow through with that plan. 129 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:41,900 Due to organizational policies and you know, resource 130 00:09:41,900 --> 00:09:45,200 constraint service, changes, budget changes. 131 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:48,400 All of those elements can create constraint for you. 132 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:54,100 Being able to successfully intervene with the right service 133 00:09:54,100 --> 00:09:57,800 for that family. Again that can lead to moral 134 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:01,000 distress, you know, very clearly, what needs to happen 135 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:04,300 for whatever reason? It cannot happen or it's taking 136 00:10:04,300 --> 00:10:07,000 too long to happen. That's another thing waiting 137 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:11,600 times can cause a lot of distress and let's think of this 138 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:13,700 from the family's perspective as well. 139 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:16,800 If you're distressed about something being in place to 140 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:22,500 support you and to say, and they have course to impact on to have 141 00:10:22,500 --> 00:10:24,600 a positive impact. Excuse me, on the family. 142 00:10:25,500 --> 00:10:27,200 It's Keep the same for the family. 143 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:31,500 Imagine that moral distress that they are experiencing. 144 00:10:34,100 --> 00:10:36,900 The third type of moral distress that we're going to talk about 145 00:10:36,900 --> 00:10:42,200 today is moral residue. So this is referring to the 146 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:46,500 emotional and psychological impact that can linger after 147 00:10:46,500 --> 00:10:50,900 making a decision that conflicts with your moral values. 148 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:56,400 So these are feelings such as guilt, or regret, or self-doubt. 149 00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:01,000 Briefly, I want to share with you, I remember. 150 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:06,700 Carrying out a group coaching session and it was with an IR o, 151 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:12,200 a senior practitioner, and a social worker, and they have 152 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:16,400 been working with the family for a considerable amount of time. 153 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:23,500 Long story short, They had lots of feelings of Shame and guilt 154 00:11:23,500 --> 00:11:27,900 and regret because there had been some changes within the 155 00:11:27,900 --> 00:11:31,300 family unit and they felt as a professional group. 156 00:11:33,300 --> 00:11:35,500 There was action that they could have taken. 157 00:11:35,700 --> 00:11:39,100 That may have prevented what happened? 158 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:45,300 As a result of that they sought coaching, and it was a very 159 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:50,900 difficult session for them. There was lots of tears and lots 160 00:11:50,900 --> 00:11:57,800 of soul-searching. And when it came down to it, it 161 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:00,000 was clear. They were in moral distress. 162 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:07,100 And some of that moral distress was linked to moral constraints. 163 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:13,500 and as a result of those constraints, they had to make 164 00:12:13,500 --> 00:12:17,300 the best of the situation. They were faced with they had to 165 00:12:17,300 --> 00:12:22,900 offer the best service that they could given the Direct Services. 166 00:12:22,900 --> 00:12:25,700 They wanted them to work with for example accessing 167 00:12:25,700 --> 00:12:29,600 counseling. And as a result of that 168 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:33,800 intervention, not being as accurate as they wanted it to 169 00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:37,600 and being in a timely way. There were some changes within 170 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:41,300 the family and that caused a lot of distress for them. 171 00:12:44,500 --> 00:12:47,400 This can happen in many ways for many different reasons. 172 00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:50,600 It doesn't have to be that extreme, but my hope is 173 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:53,400 listening to this. This is resonating with you in 174 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:57,500 some way. The different stages of moral 175 00:12:57,500 --> 00:13:00,700 distress, the different types of mold distress and, and how that 176 00:13:00,700 --> 00:13:05,300 can come about. Sometimes you just do not have 177 00:13:05,300 --> 00:13:10,100 the power or the influence to make certain changes or to 178 00:13:10,100 --> 00:13:16,600 intervene in a certain way. You Advocate, absolutely. but 179 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:21,400 there are moments in time where we've all had to, in quote 180 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:27,200 settle, And it's unfortunate but particularly after covid, there 181 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:30,500 was a lot of settling because a lot of budgets had been cut. 182 00:13:30,500 --> 00:13:34,900 So a lot of services that were available before before they're 183 00:13:34,900 --> 00:13:39,000 no longer available. So, what is? 184 00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:44,000 What are we supposed to do? Where are we supposed to go? 185 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:47,200 Where do we send that family? How do we support them in the 186 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:49,500 right way that they need to be supported? 187 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:55,300 And the impact of that is what we're going to talk about next. 188 00:14:03,100 --> 00:14:06,300 if you want to promote your service or product on this 189 00:14:06,300 --> 00:14:12,800 podcast, get in touch, email info at Social Work, coaching 190 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:25,400 hub.com Let's talk about the impact of moral distress. 191 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:28,100 I'm going to raise three things here. 192 00:14:30,100 --> 00:14:33,500 Normalizing, complacency and confidence. 193 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:40,400 Let's start with normalizing. If we feel, we're unable to 194 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:47,400 influence change. And we have constraints. 195 00:14:48,700 --> 00:14:53,200 That continually limit what we can offer families and limit our 196 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:58,200 capacity to support. Sometimes this can lead to 197 00:14:58,700 --> 00:15:07,600 normalizing. and, You're demotivated. 198 00:15:08,700 --> 00:15:14,000 To continue to challenge others and to advocate. 199 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:17,900 Because you're aware that the system. 200 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:22,900 Whichever system. That that is relevant for you. 201 00:15:22,900 --> 00:15:27,700 The system for whatever reason is creating some constraints for 202 00:15:27,700 --> 00:15:32,200 you. And as a result that can just be 203 00:15:32,300 --> 00:15:37,600 over time, normalized. Almost like you're in submission 204 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:41,100 to it because you know you can't influence it all or change it 205 00:15:41,500 --> 00:15:45,300 and that's something we have to be very careful of in social 206 00:15:45,300 --> 00:15:48,100 work. We have to be very careful of 207 00:15:48,100 --> 00:15:51,600 that because when we start normalizing things, that 208 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:56,600 shouldn't be normalized, we begin to not see things. 209 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:00,200 That should be seen. That should be called out. 210 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:04,300 That should be challenged. Number two. 211 00:16:06,300 --> 00:16:11,500 Complacency. So similarly, similar, sorry to 212 00:16:11,500 --> 00:16:16,400 normalizing complacency is where you just going through the 213 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:20,000 motions, you just accept, what's happening. 214 00:16:20,700 --> 00:16:25,700 And when you work in that way, It can make it more challenging 215 00:16:25,700 --> 00:16:33,400 for you to to see risk. To analyze to critically 216 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:37,600 analyze. And that can lead to you. 217 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:41,800 Not challenging enough. That can lead to your 218 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:45,900 assessments, not being in-depth enough and not showing the the 219 00:16:45,900 --> 00:16:51,100 length and breadth and the ecological model of what's 220 00:16:51,100 --> 00:16:56,700 happening for that family. Complacency is a dangerous place 221 00:16:56,700 --> 00:16:58,200 to be. If you feel, you're becoming 222 00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:01,900 complacent and just be nonchalant. 223 00:17:02,100 --> 00:17:07,400 Essentially, That is a very clear indication that your 224 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:10,900 distress has gone beyond just being distressed. 225 00:17:10,900 --> 00:17:15,099 You're now in a place where anything goes You could argue. 226 00:17:16,900 --> 00:17:19,200 And we have to question. Are we being effective when 227 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:23,099 we're in that place? My answer to that would be no. 228 00:17:23,900 --> 00:17:27,500 And that will be a time that you seek support from your 229 00:17:27,500 --> 00:17:32,200 management seek coaching or counseling somewhere. 230 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:38,100 Something that is going to help you a Be Inspired again and be 231 00:17:38,100 --> 00:17:42,700 be motivated to challenge. Be motivated to look at the 232 00:17:42,700 --> 00:17:45,600 things that are causing you some distress and look at ways that 233 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:49,200 you could influence or help to change these things. 234 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:52,400 You may be rolling your eyes at me and thinking. 235 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:56,100 Well, clearly, I can't that's I've become complacent, but this 236 00:17:56,100 --> 00:18:00,100 is what coaching can offer. It can offer you a place of 237 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:05,900 developing, a fresh new perspective, challenging, some 238 00:18:05,900 --> 00:18:12,500 of the thoughts that you have developing a new narrative. 239 00:18:14,900 --> 00:18:18,200 At least, if you were to come to coaching, or come to Canton and 240 00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:24,200 wherever at least, just the act of that is not being complacent. 241 00:18:25,500 --> 00:18:30,900 Thirdly, your confidence. When you feel you can't 242 00:18:30,900 --> 00:18:36,500 influence or make change when you are suffering moral distress 243 00:18:36,700 --> 00:18:40,000 particularly over a period of time, maybe you've 244 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:45,000 compartmentalised it. Maybe it's something that you 245 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:48,300 are fighting every day, fighting those fires every day. 246 00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:52,100 Either, one of those spectrums can lead you to a place where 247 00:18:52,100 --> 00:18:56,500 you are, losing your confidence in your social work practice. if 248 00:18:56,500 --> 00:18:59,600 you feel you're not making the impact that you want to make, 249 00:19:01,700 --> 00:19:05,100 You feel you're not making the intervention at the right time 250 00:19:05,500 --> 00:19:12,400 for the right family. You feel like, what's the point? 251 00:19:14,100 --> 00:19:18,000 if I can't access this service for this family, if I can't 252 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:25,300 challenge my manager positively, Well, what is the point of that? 253 00:19:26,500 --> 00:19:29,300 And as a result you can just very slowly. 254 00:19:29,300 --> 00:19:33,000 It can chip away at your confidence to perform at the 255 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:37,300 best of your abilities. So essentially what I'm saying 256 00:19:37,300 --> 00:19:43,700 here is is moral distress is Must you must pay attention to 257 00:19:43,700 --> 00:19:49,200 it when it's happening because the impact can be so subtle, but 258 00:19:49,200 --> 00:20:01,500 it can be significant. Ever thought about joining the 259 00:20:01,500 --> 00:20:04,700 swish Community. That's the social work coaching 260 00:20:04,700 --> 00:20:07,400 Hub community. We're going to be joining 261 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:11,400 together at four events later on this year, you can access 262 00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:15,000 resources journals. You can have money off the 263 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:17,500 journals and books, all of that good stuff. 264 00:20:17,700 --> 00:20:20,200 So get involved and go to Social Work. 265 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:23,300 Cultural Hub.com and join the swish Community. 266 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:33,500 I'll see you there. We've talked about the different 267 00:20:33,500 --> 00:20:36,600 types of moral distress. They'll forget, there are more, 268 00:20:37,300 --> 00:20:39,400 there are more, there's moral injury, and all of those 269 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:42,900 elements there, but perhaps will carry that on to next week, 270 00:20:42,900 --> 00:20:46,700 we'll see. Secondly, we talked about the 271 00:20:46,700 --> 00:20:52,200 impact of moral distress. And its importance of paying 272 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:56,500 attention to when you are feeling distressed. 273 00:20:57,700 --> 00:21:00,700 And lastly, we're going to give you some tips. 274 00:21:01,500 --> 00:21:06,500 I say we but I mean, I going to give you some tips. 275 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:10,500 I like recording raw, I like recording, but when it's too 276 00:21:10,500 --> 00:21:13,000 perfect, it's like, that's not, that's not normal. 277 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:15,700 That's not human. You do make these mistakes 278 00:21:15,700 --> 00:21:17,500 sometimes though, it is what it is. 279 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:22,000 Okay, it is what it is. So I'm going to give you 3 tips. 280 00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:27,500 On how you can attempt to overcome moral distress. 281 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:34,600 And they're actionable tips and it's going to help you to build 282 00:21:34,700 --> 00:21:39,200 resilience in your practice. It's going to help you to build 283 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:44,200 in confidence to challenge. So, let's get into this. 284 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:49,200 Tip, 1 cultivating, ethical awareness and reflection. 285 00:21:50,300 --> 00:21:53,600 So this is about developing a strong Foundation of ethical 286 00:21:53,600 --> 00:21:57,100 knowledge and staying updated on the evolving standards in social 287 00:21:57,100 --> 00:21:58,800 work. And you may be thinking well, 288 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:03,800 what time have I got to do that? I hear you. 289 00:22:03,900 --> 00:22:05,600 I was there. I hear you. 290 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:09,900 I hear you. Pick a channel. 291 00:22:09,900 --> 00:22:14,500 There's so many channels online or send an alert to your phone 292 00:22:15,500 --> 00:22:17,600 from different Social Work magazines. 293 00:22:17,700 --> 00:22:20,800 I don't want to name them all but from different Social Web 294 00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:23,600 magazines from different social media Pages. 295 00:22:24,100 --> 00:22:26,400 Most people are social media. These days. 296 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:29,800 If you're listening to this podcast, this is class or social 297 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:35,500 media, right? So have something that is linked 298 00:22:35,500 --> 00:22:38,300 to the evolving standards in social work. 299 00:22:38,700 --> 00:22:41,300 That you listen to each week or that you read each week. 300 00:22:43,700 --> 00:22:47,800 You've got to engage in regular self-reflection and seek 301 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:50,000 opportunities for ethical discussions. 302 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:54,400 We colleagues You got to seek those opportunity, so your team 303 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:59,300 meetings is a great opportunity if you want to bring an article. 304 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:02,700 Bring it for debate. I'm sure your manager will be 305 00:23:02,700 --> 00:23:04,100 more than happy that they are not. 306 00:23:04,100 --> 00:23:06,700 The ones leading the whole meeting, right? 307 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:11,000 So bring some bring an article, you know, you've got to be able 308 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:15,700 to find a space where you're developing your ethical 309 00:23:15,700 --> 00:23:18,400 awareness. And the way to develop is not on 310 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:21,200 all about being in your own head, but it's also about 311 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:25,000 hearing other points of view, and then you begin to form your 312 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:30,700 own views from that. I would also add hear about your 313 00:23:30,700 --> 00:23:36,000 professional values, so you will remember looking at your 314 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:38,400 professional and personal values during your social work 315 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:41,100 training. I just want to remind you of 316 00:23:41,100 --> 00:23:44,100 that, bring that activity out again. 317 00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:47,600 Bring that exercise out again, and go through it again because 318 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:51,100 your values change all the time. They're not static. 319 00:23:52,100 --> 00:23:55,900 You know, it may be your top three values could be money 320 00:23:56,900 --> 00:24:01,300 money, family and a job, but that could change to family a 321 00:24:01,300 --> 00:24:04,800 job and money. Depending on what season you're 322 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:07,600 in, in your life, depending on your personal circumstances, or 323 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:10,300 your professional status at that time. 324 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:15,000 So I would highly recommend that you and you can just Google it 325 00:24:15,300 --> 00:24:19,800 Google values exercise, and it will come up, that's something I 326 00:24:19,808 --> 00:24:24,200 would highly recommend that you do and that is going to be part 327 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:26,800 of the foundation of developing your, ethical awareness. 328 00:24:27,700 --> 00:24:32,400 Tip number two, Key. And this is exactly where I sit 329 00:24:32,700 --> 00:24:36,400 seek support and collaborate. You have to remember that you're 330 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:42,300 not alone, I'm going to repeat that you are not alone somewhere 331 00:24:42,700 --> 00:24:45,000 out there. There's another social worker 332 00:24:45,100 --> 00:24:49,000 who feels just like you do. That's had the experience. 333 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:53,400 Just like, you have somewhere out there. 334 00:24:53,900 --> 00:24:56,300 There is support out there for you. 335 00:24:56,300 --> 00:24:59,200 I am one of them. I am one of them I'm here to 336 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:01,600 support you. That's the point of the podcast. 337 00:25:01,900 --> 00:25:05,600 It's to give you some thought-provoking ideas, of 338 00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:09,900 course to help you to develop. But as you know I offer 339 00:25:09,900 --> 00:25:13,300 coaching. That is a form of seeking 340 00:25:13,300 --> 00:25:18,100 support. Aside from me, of course, you 341 00:25:18,100 --> 00:25:19,800 have support within your workplace. 342 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:25,100 You have your employment assistant programs. your peers, 343 00:25:25,100 --> 00:25:29,500 your social worker, perhaps your manager, professional Networks, 344 00:25:30,900 --> 00:25:34,500 Sometimes it helps to discuss moral dilemmas openly. 345 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:41,100 And collaborating with multidisciplinary teams. 346 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:47,000 Including legal, if you are able to get them in the room, I know 347 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:51,500 they're super busy but that can help to explore innovative 348 00:25:51,500 --> 00:25:55,400 solutions and to work within the constraints of the system. 349 00:25:56,200 --> 00:25:59,000 Yeah, building a support network. 350 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:03,500 Can provide validation, guidance, and alternative 351 00:26:03,500 --> 00:26:06,100 perspectives, which again is going to help you with your 352 00:26:06,100 --> 00:26:11,900 ethical awareness and reflection Lastly, tip number three. 353 00:26:13,300 --> 00:26:17,700 Again, I sit within this realm, self-care and resilience 354 00:26:17,700 --> 00:26:19,600 building now, don't switch off the podcast. 355 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:23,100 Don't do it. Don't press pause because I do 356 00:26:23,100 --> 00:26:25,100 like whenever I got time for sale care. 357 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:27,700 I've got to get up and do this. I've got to get the kids ready. 358 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:30,000 I've got to do 10 million visits, I've gotta write this 359 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:33,900 without a court statement. I hear you and I've been there 360 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:38,400 and realistically, there are periods of time where you have 361 00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:41,000 to knuckle down and just focus on the work. 362 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:43,000 That's required of you sometimes. 363 00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:46,500 Is a two-week period or a three-week period but within 364 00:26:46,500 --> 00:26:50,700 that time and certainly you could be making plans for when 365 00:26:50,700 --> 00:26:53,600 that piece of work is finished, what you're going to do to 366 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:58,600 ensure that your you're maintaining your well-being and 367 00:26:58,700 --> 00:27:00,300 you have got plans for yourself care. 368 00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:06,600 It's inevitable that overtime. I will distress will have an 369 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:08,800 impact on how you care for yourself. 370 00:27:09,900 --> 00:27:13,900 It's virtually inevitable because any form of stress, over 371 00:27:13,900 --> 00:27:18,700 a long period of time, is going to have an impact on your mental 372 00:27:18,700 --> 00:27:23,300 or physical health, in some way, because it's a form of stress. 373 00:27:24,900 --> 00:27:29,100 So prioritizing your self care and emotional well-being is 374 00:27:29,100 --> 00:27:32,900 going to strengthen your resilient in the face of moral 375 00:27:32,900 --> 00:27:37,000 distress. You can almost argue that moral 376 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:41,600 distress is guaranteed to happen in social work because we're 377 00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:45,700 working within systems. There's several systems from the 378 00:27:45,708 --> 00:27:49,100 local Authority system to the multidisciplinary system to the 379 00:27:49,100 --> 00:27:53,600 political system. All of these systems we have to 380 00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:58,000 work within So therefore it's likely that moldy stress is 381 00:27:58,000 --> 00:27:59,900 going to occur, so you can plan ahead. 382 00:27:59,900 --> 00:28:02,700 Now, now that you've got the language as to what it is, 383 00:28:02,700 --> 00:28:06,000 you're feeling because after that's what social worker say to 384 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:08,900 me in coaching sessions are like I didn't know that was actually 385 00:28:09,300 --> 00:28:13,500 what I was feeling when you put a name to something, it takes 386 00:28:13,500 --> 00:28:18,400 the weight off it. It can offer you an opportunity 387 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:24,200 for a different perspective. Hence engaging in activities 388 00:28:24,200 --> 00:28:28,300 that promote relaxation. Okay, that's what self-care is, 389 00:28:28,300 --> 00:28:32,600 you know, relaxing. I spoke to someone last week who 390 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:36,200 made a plan for self-care and the plan was I'm going to do 391 00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:39,100 nothing. She said, Lisa ran, I'm not 392 00:28:39,100 --> 00:28:43,300 making any plan, I'm going to do nothing and when she came back 393 00:28:43,300 --> 00:28:48,200 to the coaching session, she said to me I did nothing that 394 00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:50,600 particular day that I set aside for self-care. 395 00:28:50,900 --> 00:28:54,100 I did nothing and it helped it felt great. 396 00:28:56,300 --> 00:29:01,000 So let's not misinterpret what self care is about. 397 00:29:01,300 --> 00:29:04,100 You don't have to go out there and get a massage. 398 00:29:04,100 --> 00:29:07,900 You don't have to go to the gym. You don't have to do anything. 399 00:29:09,300 --> 00:29:11,500 It's whatever you interpret it to be. 400 00:29:12,100 --> 00:29:15,300 And that's why I created the journal the south care journal 401 00:29:15,300 --> 00:29:18,000 for social workers. It goes through the different 402 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:22,400 types of self-care and ident and helps you to identify when you 403 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:25,400 go through the coaching exercise, which type of 404 00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:30,800 self-care is your preference and based on that you then develop 405 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:34,500 yourself care plan. So, we South carries just 406 00:29:34,500 --> 00:29:38,700 relaxation. What's relaxing to you? 407 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:46,000 What is relaxing to you, that's all you need to identify. 408 00:29:47,300 --> 00:29:49,700 I would highly recommend, of course, I'm biased. 409 00:29:49,700 --> 00:29:53,200 And I'm unashamedly saying the self curdled for social workers 410 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:55,400 will help you. It's available on Amazon and 411 00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:59,800 Etsy, go to the Social Work coaching Hub.com, but even all 412 00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:02,500 of that aside, if you don't get the journal, essentially, you 413 00:30:02,500 --> 00:30:07,500 just need to figure out. What do you want to do to relax? 414 00:30:11,500 --> 00:30:15,600 That's going to help you recharge and reboot because 415 00:30:15,900 --> 00:30:20,300 often and I'm trying to end this this podcast at a decent time 416 00:30:20,300 --> 00:30:23,300 because some people have said, 40 minutes is too long. 417 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:27,500 I know it is I'm trying but sometimes these ideas just come 418 00:30:27,500 --> 00:30:29,200 to me because I record raw, right? 419 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:36,000 But essentially what I'm saying is There are moments in time 420 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:39,000 when you're going to feel completely and utterly 421 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:42,200 distressed. It happens because of what we've 422 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:46,100 talked about today or you're overwhelmed or you stressing and 423 00:30:46,100 --> 00:30:48,300 there's so many different elements and different 424 00:30:48,300 --> 00:30:50,700 contribution, factors that can make you feel stressed. 425 00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:54,300 As a social worker, we all know this, right? 426 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:58,700 It's how we respond. That's the key. 427 00:30:59,900 --> 00:31:05,600 So when you are relaxing, self caring, well-being? 428 00:31:07,100 --> 00:31:09,800 Yes, I know that's not a word. When you're doing all of those 429 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:13,100 things, you're building your resilience, your recharging. 430 00:31:14,700 --> 00:31:19,200 Often people somehow forget that we're not machines. 431 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:24,200 We turn up every day. We give our all we do everything 432 00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:28,900 that were meant to do and beyond that, we're not machines, we 433 00:31:28,900 --> 00:31:31,100 can't just keep going at that level. 434 00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:36,200 So, relaxing is recharging. Just like, you need to charge 435 00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:39,700 your phone, everyone charges their phone every night. 436 00:31:39,700 --> 00:31:41,900 Next, to my bed, is my phone and my charger. 437 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:44,800 And I probably shouldn't be next to the bed, but that's a 438 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:48,100 different podcast, for a different day, your work phone, 439 00:31:48,100 --> 00:31:52,300 you have to charge it because why it runs out of battery sound 440 00:31:52,300 --> 00:31:55,900 so obvious. So why, as a machine do we have 441 00:31:55,900 --> 00:32:00,300 to charge all of these are phones and laptops every day. 442 00:32:02,100 --> 00:32:03,800 But would not charging ourselves. 443 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:07,800 You tell me how that makes sense. 444 00:32:23,900 --> 00:32:27,300 Model distress. It's inevitable. 445 00:32:27,700 --> 00:32:32,500 In the social work field. but if you're armed with the knowledge 446 00:32:32,500 --> 00:32:37,900 support and self-care, Forward slash relaxation. 447 00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:43,700 You can navigate these dilemmas more effectively and you can 448 00:32:43,700 --> 00:32:47,000 continue to make a positive impact with the families that 449 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:52,300 you're working with. Remember the tips, cultivating 450 00:32:52,300 --> 00:32:57,800 ethical awareness seeking collaboration and support and 451 00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:02,000 prioritizing your well-being. I'm saying that loudly 452 00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:06,100 prioritizing your well-being easier said than Than done at 453 00:33:06,100 --> 00:33:07,700 times. I have been there. 454 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:12,700 Trust me, I have been there. But even in that week where, you 455 00:33:12,700 --> 00:33:14,800 know, that you are back to back to back to back. 456 00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:19,500 If you just have one lunch break in that week, 1 foot soak in 457 00:33:19,500 --> 00:33:24,600 that week, one hour of doing nothing, whatever it is, that 458 00:33:24,600 --> 00:33:30,200 helps you to relax. You can use the self the self 459 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:33,200 care journal for social workers to help you with that and keep 460 00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:37,600 you on track. Yeah, my final message is to 461 00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:42,400 stay strong. Keep advocating for justice. 462 00:33:44,900 --> 00:33:49,400 Try your best not to normalize or become complacent or to doubt 463 00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:52,400 yourself. You're doing a great job, you 464 00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:56,500 are doing the best you can with what you've got available to you 465 00:33:56,600 --> 00:34:01,300 with the resources that are able to help you. 466 00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:06,600 You are accessing those Yeah, stay strong. 467 00:34:06,700 --> 00:34:09,699 I'm here for you. I'll be back. 468 00:34:11,900 --> 00:34:16,500 And join me next time for an episode of dear social worker. 469 00:34:17,100 --> 00:34:19,300 Let's talk. God bless. 470 00:34:11,900 --> 00:34:16,500 And join me next time for an episode of dear social worker. 471 00:34:17,100 --> 00:34:19,300 Let's talk. God bless.