Social work
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Emerging research on religion, spirituality, health, and mental health has begun to catch the attention of helping professionals. Some clients are expressing a desire for their health and mental health practitioners to initiate discussion of their religious or spiritual beliefs as they relate to their case. Social workers are the most represented group among personnel providing mental health services, so it is important to understand their attitudes, views, and behaviors regarding integrating clients' religion and spirituality (RS) into practice. ⋯ This article discusses how RS have been integrated into social work practice and education and reviews instruments used to assess such practices. In addition, the findings from previous studies examining social workers' integration of clients' RS are compared with those of other helping professions. Finally, implications for education and practice are discussed.
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This study used a survey to investigate the relationship between mindfulness and compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction among 41 volunteers and professionals at an agency serving the traumatically bereaved. Compassion fatigue comprises two aspects: secondary traumatic stress and burnout. ⋯ Overall, this sample showed surprisingly high levels of compassion satisfaction and low levels of compassion fatigue, even among respondents thought to be at higher risk of problems due to personal trauma. Implications of these findings are particularly relevant for social workers and other professionals employed in positions in which they encounter trauma and high emotional stress.
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In real life, we often use physical cues to help us identify our role and put the appropriate boundaries in place, but online it is more difficult to determine where our boundaries lie. This article provides and overview of various social media tools and uses along with personal and professional considerations to help in guiding the ethical use of social media tools. As the use of social media continues to grow, the importance of virtual boundaries will also rise. Therefore, proactive considerations that include policies and guidelines that encourage responsible and ethical use of social media are needed to help social workers mediate personal and professional boundaries.