March 21, 2023

As the social work profession commemorates World Social Work Day, a day which celebrates the important work done by social workers around the globe, The Straits Times features an article which shows us the hard work that goes behind the profession. ‘‘I Did Not Want to Get Out of Bed’: Social Workers Face Complex Challenges, Burnout’ (March 2023) covers the emotional load social workers face daily as part of their jobs.

Associate Professor Lee Geok Ling (NUS Social Work) weighs in, remarking that empathy—an important trait for social workers—can work against social work professionals. She adds that while high levels of empathy are needed for social workers to connect with their clients, social workers can also get emotionally drained as they work through difficult situations with and for their clients. In addition, the complexities of the cases that social workers often face today make social work more challenging.

Read the full article here: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/i-did-not-want-to-get-out-of-bed-social-workers-face-complex-challenges-burnout