During the COVID-19 pandemic, social workers stepped up to provide grief and mental health support in hospitals, for patients but also for healthcare workers. They quickly shifted their work online, in order to remain connected with clients despite quarantine. Social workers have a long history of work in crisis and disaster response, and many are employed by the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. After a hurricane, for example, they might walk the affected area to assist families with basic needs. In the wake of community violence, they might coordinate talks or build a coalition among community leaders, citizens, and criminal justice agencies.

For this Discussion, you imagine yourself in the role of a social worker responding to a disaster or crisis, and consider how you might build your resilience in the face of trauma.

To prepare:

Review the Learning Resources on crisis, trauma, and disasters, as well as the information on self-care.

Identify a recent disaster or crisis affecting your community, or find an online newspaper article about a disaster or crisis published within the past 2 years.

Consider the role of social workers in the disaster/crisis you have identified.

Main Assignment:

Describe the disaster or crisis you have identified from your community or a news story. (Covid)

Describe the role(s) of a social worker in this particular crisis.

Imagine you were a social worker applying this role. Explain potential challenges to your own well-being and the self-care strategies you would engage in.

Reflection:

Compare the roles of social workers in the colleague’s scenario with yours. Why might the roles be similar or different? You can reflect on the Baltimore Key bridge that collapsed.

Langford, J., & Keaton, C. (2022). Introduction to social work: A look across the profession. https://uta.pressbooks.pub/introtosocialwork/

Chapter 13, “Self-Care: Strategies for Personal and Professional Success”Links to an external site.

Hansel, T. (2021). How social workers can help disaster mental health preparedness.Links to an external site. Social Work Today. https://www.socialworktoday.com/news/enews_0521_1….

The National Traumatic Stress Network. (n.d.). What is child trauma?Links to an external site. https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma

Reardon, C. (2020). Gun violence trauma: Beyond the numbersLinks to an external site.. Social Work Today, 20(1), 10. https://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/JF20p10.sh…Malone University Online. (2020, April 12). How social workers play a role in disaster reliefLinks to an external site.. swhelper. https://swhelper.org/2020/04/01/how-social-workers-play-a-role-in-