THE POWER OF POSITIVE REFLECTION: FOSTERING JOY AND MINDFULNESS FOR SOCIAL WORK RESILIENCE
Abstract
The practice of social work is demanding and emotionally taxing, requiring professionals to manage their own well-being while helping others. This article explores the integration of joy and mindfulness into social work practice to enhance well-being and resilience. Through a review of existing literature and practical strategies, it examines the impact of mindfulness practices and positive reflection on social workers’ personal and professional resilience. Findings suggest that cultivating joy and mindfulness in social work not only benefits the practitioners but also enhances the quality of care provided to clients. The article concludes by offering actionable recommendations for social workers to integrate mindfulness into their routines and workplace culture to foster a more resilient and balanced professional environment.
Keywords
How to Cite
Downloads
References
Achdut, Netta, and Talia Meital Schwartz Tayri. 2023. Intrinsic job quality attributes and perceived stress amongst social workers: The mediating role of in-work social environment factors. British Journal of Social Work 53: 2643–64. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
American Psychological Association. 2015. APA Dictionary of Psychology, 2nd ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. [Google Scholar]
Bajaj, Badri, Ragini Gupta, and Santoshi Sengupta. 2019. Emotional stability and self-esteem as mediators between mindfulness and happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies 20: 2211–26. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Barberis, Eduardo, and Paolo Boccagni. 2014. Blurred rights, local practices: Social work and immigration in Italy. British Journal of Social Work 44: 70–87. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Bertotti, Teresa. 2016. Resources reduction and welfare changes: Tensions between social workers and organisations. The Italian case in child protection services. European Journal of Social Work 19: 963–76. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Bruce, Linda. 2013. Reflective Practice for Social Workers: A Handbook for Developing Professional Confidence. Maidenhead: Open University Press. [Google Scholar]
Chan, Steven S., Michelle Van Solt, Ryan E. Cruz, Matthew Philp, Shalini Bahl, Nuket Serin, Nelson Borges Amaral, Robert Schindler, Abbey Bartosiak, Smriti Kumar, and et al. 2022. Social media and mindfulness: From the fear of missing out (FOMO) to the joy of missing out (JOMO). Journal of Consumer Affairs 56: 1312–31. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Chang, Tracy F. H. 2020. Energy, joy, mindfulness, and engagement at work: A pilot study of an “inner engineering” approach. In The Routledge Companion to Mindfulness at Work. Edited by J. Marques and S. Dhiman. Milton Park: Routledge, pp. 448–62. [Google Scholar]
Chernus, Linda A. 2013. A review of Still Practicing: The Heartaches and Joys of a Clinical Career. Psychoanalytic Social Work 20: 87–91. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Coo, Cristián, and Marisa Salanova. 2018. Mindfulness can make you happy-and-productive: A mindfulness controlled trial and its effects on happiness, work engagement and performance. Journal of Happiness Studies 19: 1691–711. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Cottrell, Laura. 2016. Joy and happiness: A simultaneous and evolutionary concept analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing 72: 1506–17. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Crego, Antonio, José Ramón Yela, María Ángeles Gómez-Martínez, Pablo Riesco-Matías, and Cristina Petisco-Rodríguez. 2021. Relationships between Mindfulness, Purpose in Life, Happiness, Anxiety, and Depression: Testing a Mediation Model in a Sample of Women. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18: 925. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Docter, Pete, dir. 2015. Inside out [Film], Emeryville: Pixar Animation Studios. Burbank: Walt Disney Pictures.
Ekman, Paul. 2016. What scientists who study emotion agree about. Perspectives on Psychological Science 11: 31–34. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Erwin, Elizabeth J., and Kimberly A. Robinson. 2016. The joy of being: Making way for young children’s natural mindfulness. Early Child Development and Care 186: 268–86. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Fook, Jan. 2015. Reflective practice and critical reflection. In Handbook for Practice Learning in Social Work and Social Care, 3rd ed. Edited by Joyce Lishman. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, pp. 363–75. [Google Scholar]
Ghirotto, Luca. 2019. La Grounded Theory. In Metodi per la Ricerca Educativa. Edited by Luigina Mortari and Luca Ghirotto. Roma: Carocci, pp. 77–99. [Google Scholar]
Gibbs, Graham. 1988. Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. Leeds: Further Education Unit. [Google Scholar]
Gilgun, Jane F. 2010. Methods for enhancing theory and knowledge about problems, policies, and practice. In The Sage Handbook of Social Work Research. Edited by Ian Shaw, Katharine Briar-Lawson, Joan Orme and Roy Ruckdeschel. Newcastle upon Tyne: Sage, pp. 281–97. [Google Scholar]
Gioia, Deborah. 2015. Love 2.0: Creating happiness and health in moments of connection (B. L. Fredrickson). Qualitative Social Work 14: 293–95. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Goldman-Schuyler, Kathryn, Michelle Olsen Taylor, and Orit M. Wolberger. 2018. Bringing mindfulness and joy to work: Action research on organizational change. In Handbook of Personal and Organizational Transformation. Edited by Satinder Dhiman. Cham: Springer, vol. 2, pp. 1193–217. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Gómez-García, Rogelio, Margarita Alonso-Sangregorio, and María L. Llamazares-Sánchez. 2020. Burnout in social workers and socio-demographic factors. Journal of Social Work 20: 463–82. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Harris, Kathleen I. 2017. A teacher’s journey to mindfulness: Opportunities for joy, hope, and compassion. Childhood Education 93: 119–27. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Hollederer, Alfons. 2022. Working conditions, health and exhaustion among social workers in Germany. European Journal of Social Work 25: 792–803. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Howells, Annika, Itai Ivtzan, and Francisco Jose Eiroa-Orosa. 2016. Putting the ‘app’ in happiness: A randomised controlled trial of a smartphone-based mindfulness intervention to enhance wellbeing. Journal of Happiness Studies 17: 163–85. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Iacono, Gio. 2017. A call for self-compassion in social work education. Journal of Teaching in Social Work 37: 454–76. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Jackson, Kate. 2014. Social worker self-care: The overlooked core competency. Social Work Today 14: 14. [Google Scholar]
Jasper, Melanie. 2003. Beginning Reflective Practice. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. [Google Scholar]
Kabat-Zinn, Jon. 2003. Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice 10: 144–56. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Kinman, Gail, Louise Grant, and Susan Kelly. 2020. ‘It’s My Secret Space’: The Benefits of Mindfulness for Social Workers. The British Journal of Social Work 50: 758–77. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Lynn, Robyn, and Jo Mensinga. 2015. Social Workers’ Narratives of Integrating Mindfulness into Practice. Journal of Social Work Practice 29: 255–70. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Maddock, Alan. 2024a. Testing mindfulness mechanisms of action on the stress and burnout of social workers. Mindfulness 15: 1149–61. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Maddock, Alan. 2024b. The relationships between stress, burnout, mental health, and well-being in social workers. The British Journal of Social Work 54: 668–86. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Maddock, Alan, Karen McGuigan, and Pearse McCusker. 2023. A randomised trial of Mindfulness-based Social Work and Self-Care with social workers. Current Psychology 42: 9170–83. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Maddock, Alan, Karen McGuigan, and Pearse McCusker. 2024. Mindfulness-Based Social Work and Self-Care with Social Work Professionals: Replication and Expansion of a Randomised Controlled Trial. British Journal of Social Work 54: 1319–39. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Matorin, Susan, and P. Whitney. 2015. Finding joy in social work. Social Work 60: 183. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Miller, Jay J., Jacquelyn Lee, Nada Shalash, and Zuzana Poklembova. 2020. Self-compassion among social workers. Journal of Social Work 20: 448–62. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Neff, Kristin. 2011. Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. New York: HarperCollins. [Google Scholar]
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Luara J. Parker (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
