Exploring Social Work professionals’ Experiences of the Mindfulness-Based Social Work and Self-Care Programme: A Focus Group Study

ABSTRACT

The evidence for the potential of mindfulness-based programmes to support improved social work practice and self-care is growing. The aim of this focus group study was to explore social workers’ (n = 13) experiences of the Mindfulness-based Social Work and Self-care programme (MBSWSC). Thematic analysis highlighted two superordinate themes: benefits to direct social work practice and coping with the social work role. Four subordinate themes highlighted the different social work practice components that were enhanced through MBSWSC participation: social work assessment, service user engagement and team working, working to social work values, and social work skills. Three subordinate themes identified improvements in individual processes which supported enhanced stress coping: moving from avoidant to approach coping, improved boundaries, increased emotional awareness and reduced negative thinking. Our findings indicate that the MBSWSC programme can have a multi-faceted positive effect on social work practice, and on social work professional’s capacity to cope with their role.

KEYWORDS:

• Coping
• self-care
• social work practice
• mindfulness

Introduction

Social work is a challenging and demanding profession, with social workers facing difficult situations often within constraining working environments (Griffiths, Royse, Murphy, & Starks, 2019; Tan & Keng, 2020). The literature reports social workers are at increased risk of work-related stress, burnout, compassion fatigue which in turn can effect social worker well-being and their professional practice (Kinman, Grant, & Kelly, 2020; Tan & Keng, 2020). Levels of work-related stress and burnout are higher among social workers in comparison to other professionals (Turley et al., 2021). The COVID pandemic has placed additional pressures on social workers, with increased service demand resulting in increased workload (Schwartz-Tayri, 2022). High levels of stress among social workers has implications, not only for the social worker, but also for their organization and the users of their services (Beer, Phillips, & Quinn, 2021). The National Association of Social Workers (2023) reflect the importance of self-care to help manage negative effects associated with social work, acting as a key component for social worker well-being. As such, it is argued that it is “important for social workers to put self-care at the centre of their profession” (Tan & Keng, 2020, p. 320). Self-care is key to well-being, with evidence that it enhances coping skills and reduces burnout (Kinman & Grant, 2020). Self-care is not passive, it requires personal action or engagement to effect change in stress levels and well-being (Bloomquist, Wood, Friedmeyer-Trainor, & Kim, 2015). Mindfulness, due to its accessibility and ease with which it can be implemented, is a popular option for use as an intervention to promote self-care among social workers (Griffiths, Royse, Murphy, & Starks, 2019).

Mindfulness in social work

Mindfulness is “The awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment” (Kabat-Zinn, 2003, p. 145); with mindfulness training suggested to improve these attentional processes (Lo et al., 2019). This present focussed and non-judgmental way of being is argued to act as a protective factor for social workers against work-related stress (Reb, Allen, & Vogus, 2020; Tan & Keng, 2020). The literature on the use of mindfulness-based programmes (MBPs) with social workers, which has improved in rigor over the last number of years, has highlighted how engagement with MBPs reduce stress (Crowder & Sears, 2017; Kinman, Grant, & Kelly, 2020; Maddock, McGuigan, & McCusker, 2023, 2024); emotional exhaustion (Jiménez-Picón et al., 2021; Maddock, McGuigan, & McCusker, 2023, 2024); improve resilience (Crowder & Sears, 2017; Kinman, Grant, & Kelly, 2020; Maddock, McGuigan, & McCusker, 2023, 2024); well-being (Jiménez-Picón et al., 2021; Maddock, McGuigan, & McCusker, 2023, 2024); mental health outcomes, including anxiety and depression (Jiménez-Picón et al., 2021; Maddock, McGuigan, & McCusker, 2023, 2024); emotional (Kinman, Grant, & Kelly, 2020; Maddock, McGuigan, & McCusker, 2023, 2024; Segev, 2023) and cognitive self-regulation (Maddock, McGuigan, & McCusker, 2023, 2024); work-life balance, and related boundaries (Segev, 2023); ethical practice, employee performance, interpersonal relationships (Sajjad & Shahbaz, 2020); and job satisfaction (Jiménez-Picón et al., 2021) amongst a range of social work professionals.

It should be remembered that mindfulness research, despite the recent boom in interest, is still in the early stages with key questions around how MBP participation improved these outcomes (Kinsella et al., 2020; Reb, Allen, & Vogus, 2020; Trowbridge & Mische Lawson, 2016; Udhaya Selvi & Giftson, 2021). The mindfulness literature consistently highlights the need to identify the most important mechanisms and processes of action of MBPs which help to explain changes in professional self-care and practice outcomes, to enhance our understanding of how they work for specific groups (Gu, Strauss, Bond, & Cavanagh, 2015; Maddock & Blair, 2023; van der Velden et al., 2015). There is an emerging theory and empirical evidence-base beginning to examine how MBPs might improve social work practice and self-care outcomes. Maddock (2023) outlined the potential role that developing trainable domains of experiential knowledge and skills, such as mindfulness, attention regulation, acceptance, self-compassion, non-attachment, and non-aversion could play in improving reflective social work practice, while reducing stress and burnout directly, and indirectly through mediated relationships with worry, and rumination (Maddock, 2023). Udhaya Selvi and Giftson (2021) highlighted the role that increased emotional awareness and self-care attained through engagement with an MBP played in supporting social workers to manage difficult caseloads, and case disclosures more effectively. Sajjad and Shahbaz (2020) point to the increased self-awareness attained post MBP participation facilitating a less non-judgmental practice approach. Segev (2023) underscores this, reporting how improved mindful self-awareness and coping mechanisms allow social workers to be more present and available to help service users. It has also been argued that a more present focussed perspective is likely to improve communication and care for service users and colleagues (Jiménez-Picón et al., 2021). Trowbridge and Mische Lawson (2016, p. 102) also argue that mindfulness interventions for social workers may help to support social workers with work-related demands, whilst “encouraging a return to foundational social work skills such as patient and family strengths recognition and active listening”. The need to ensure a compassionate approach and respect for an individual’s dignity sits at the heart of social work values and practice (Kinman & Grant, 2020). Compassion is key to the development of positive and empathic relationships needed for effective social work practice (Kinman, Grant, & Kelly, 2020). The capacity for MBPs to increase compassion and empathy amongst social workers has been evidenced previously (Maddock, McGuigan, & McCusker, 2023).

Mindfulness should not be considered as a panacea, with more research needed to better understand effectiveness with consideration of job role and consequences at work for individuals, colleagues, and clients (Kinman, Grant, & Kelly, 2020; Reb, Allen, & Vogus, 2020). A recent scoping review emphasized the importance of caring professionals’ personal perspectives, given through qualitative accounts, in increasing our understanding of the impact of mindfulness on their day-to-day practice (Nikunlaakso, Selander, Oksanen, & Laitinen, 2022). However, given the focus on mindfulness for stress and burnout, sometimes this personal perspective on practice is overlooked. The research highlights a potential research gap in our understanding of mindfulness and its application in social work practice (Hagan, 2023). Beer, Phillips, Quinn, and Stepney (2021) highlight the importance of qualitative research in this endeavor.

The aim of this current study is to explore frontline social workers’ experiences of a Mindfulness-based Social work and Self-care programme. The study will look to improve understanding of the impact of mindfulness on social workers and social work practice, using rich qualitative accounts from programme participants.

Materials and methods

Design

This study used a qualitative design, with a realist position taken by the researchers to allow for synthesis of qualitative data to explore social worker experiences of the programme and its impact on practice (Rycroft-Malone et al., 2012).

Sample

The study comprised a convenience and purposive sample (n = 13) of frontline social workers who had completed the Mindfulness Based Social Work and Self-Care programme (MBSWSC). Participants were eligible to participate if they were: social work professionals, who had a service user workload, were working in Northern Ireland, and had completed the 6-week MBSWSC programme. Participants were not eligible to participate if they: had not completed the MBSWSC programme, held social work roles with no contact with service users, were not working in Northern Ireland, had retired, or were no longer actively working in social work. Variance exists in relation to the optimum number of participants in a focus group, with guidance ranging from 4 to 8 participants being ideal (Kitzinger, 1995) but with a more general consensus around the maximum number (n = 12) recommended (Krueger & Casey, 2015). In this study, two focus groups were convened (n = 7; n = 6 respectively). Sample comprised 12 females (92.3%) and 1 male; with ages ranging from 38–69 years (M = 50.46; SD = 8.36). This group included nine social workers (including four senior social workers) and four service managers e.g., principal social work grade, all of whom had some form of service user engagement as part of their role.

MBSWSC programme

The MBSWSC programme is an innovative, online 6-week, 6 session mindfulness-based intervention for social work self-care and practice. Details on programme outline and format have been reported previously (Maddock, McGuigan, & McCusker, 2023). Briefly, the MBSWSC programme blends mindfulness and psychoeducation, within a structured cognitive and emotion regulation framework (Maddock, McGuigan, & McCusker, 2023). The overall aim of the MBSWSC programme is to, in line with Maddock (2023) clinically modified Buddhist psychological model (CBPM), help social workers to reduce negative thinking through the development of mindfulness-based skills (CBPM domains) that encourage a focus on the present, these include: attention regulation, mindfulness, acceptance, self-compassion, non-attachment, and non-aversion, which reduce stress and burnout directly, and indirectly through mediated relationships with worry, and rumination (Maddock, 2023). The MBSWSC programme guides and supports participants in the development and effective application of mindfulness techniques in their social work practice and self-care. The programme consists of six 1.5-hour sessions, which are delivered weekly via Microsoft Teams, across a 6-week period. The six sessions are structured as follows: 1. Introduction to mindfulness and the CBPM model underpinning MBSWSC; 2. Stress: the thinking process, avoidant coping, and attention regulation/decentering; 3. Attachment, aversion, negative thinking and approach coping; 4. Acceptance, self-compassion, the thinking process and approach coping; 5. Mindfulness to support anti-oppressive social work practice; 6. Programme review, embedding mindfulness in life and social work practice. Homework requirements comprise mindfulness practices taking approximately 20–30 minutes, to be completed on 6 of the 7 weekdays by participants.

Procedure

This study conformed to accepted international ethical standards with ethical approval was secured from the Research Ethics Committee, School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen’s University Belfast prior to study commencement [REF_167_2122]. All participants who completed the MBSWSC programme were invited to take part in the focus groups. The thirteen who consented to participate were invited to be part of an online focus group. Two separate online focus groups were convened in line with guidance on focus group size (Kitzinger, 1995; Krueger & Casey, 2015). Focus groups were held within two weeks of the final session of the MBSWSC programme. A focus group topic guide was used to facilitate focus group discussion. Focus group discussion sought to explore MBSWSC related changes in social work practice, specifically around assessment, planning, and intervention; impact on reflective practice, evaluation, and service user engagement; outcomes for service users or interactions with colleagues; and impact on professional self-concept. Focus groups lasted for approximately one hour. With participant consent, focus groups were audio recorded to allow for verbatim transcription and analysis of the qualitative data.

Data analysis

The MBSWSC is a multifaceted programme, tailored for social work professionals. This study took a realist ontological position to scrutinize experiences of participating social work professionals. The realist position is an appropriate stance when evaluating complex intervention programmes (Rycroft-Malone et al., 2012). This is due to the fact that the realist position allows the context, mechanisms, and outcomes of interventions to be reflected, facilitating a greater understanding of whether an intervention works, how it works, and under what circumstances (Rycroft-Malone et al., 2012). An inductive data analytical approach was taken, using a reflexive thematic analysis framework (Braun & Clarke, 2021). To increase impartiality and reduce potential bias, two members of the research team (AM; PMC), who were not involved in conducting the focus groups, conducted the initial coding and identification of emerging themes in the transcripts independently. AM and PMC familiarized themselves with the data by reading and re-reading the dataset. Initial codes were generated, which were then reviewed and analyzed to see how they could be combined, according to shared meanings, so that they could form themes, or sub-themes (Braun & Clarke, 2012). This process was completed individually by AM and PMC, with a recognition that each researcher would actively construe the relationship between the different codes, and how they inform the development of each theme, with a view to meeting the research aim (Braun & Clarke, 2012). The researchers (AM; PMC) met to discuss, refine, and agree respective codes, and to propose key themes and sub-themes. This meeting included a discussion on the researcher’s analysis of the dataset, the theoretical assumptions underpinning their individual analyses, and any potential biases which may impacted their interpretation of the results e.g., that they both believed that MBP participation could improve social work practice. This allowed for the potential negative effects of potential biases to be ameliorated, through increased awareness, further refinement of themes, and for eventual agreement on the key themes to be reached. Analysis ceased when data saturation was reached (Saunders et al., 2018). The coding process was recorded providing an audit trail. Table 1 below presents a summary of the key superordinate and subordinate themes found.

Table 1. Summary of themes.

Superordinate Themes	Subordinate Themes
Benefits to direct social work practice	Social work assessment Enhanced service user engagement and team working Working to social work values Enhanced social work skills
(2) Coping with the social work role	Moving from avoidant to approach coping Improved personal-self-care boundaries Increased emotional awareness and reduced negative thinking

Results

Benefits to direct social work practice

The first superordinate theme which emerged from the data analysis was how the MBSWSC programme suppprted the direct social work practice of the participants in this study. The participants highlighted that the experiential learning coupled with the psychoeducation they attained during the programme lead to direct benefits for their competencies in: social work assessment; service user engagement and team working; their capacity to connect with, and work in a manner which was social work values oriented; and the development of key social work skills.

Social work assessment

The social workers in our study highlighted the multi-faceted way the learning from the MBSWSC programme supported their social work assessment competencies. A number of the programme’s participants highlighted how it supported their ability to tune into the service users’ needs at different times throughout their engagement; particularly before and during the service user interaction.

tuning in … before I see a client … just take 30 seconds or a minute … a grounding exercise to literally just tune in before I go to see them, and that makes all the difference, you're sort of letting go of what’s gone before and you’re just focusing on them. (Participant 2)

Social workers in this study also highlighted feeling a greater sense of space and comfort with silence post MBSWSC programme participation, which allowed them to give service users more time to formulate responses to their assessment questions.

Silence has always been something I’ve struggled with … I would keep talking, instead of allowing the foster carer to come in at times, if I found it hard to manage. Allowing the silence, creates space for the foster carer and it leaves it more open for other things to be picked up on which will help them and will inform my assessments and understanding of their needs. (Participant 1)

Others highlighted that they felt more curious about what was going on for the service user they were engaging with. These experiences allowed social workers to ask deeper probing questions, and to make more accurate assessments of what their needs might be.

… if I am doing any emotional groupwork, I would do assessments with the participants beforehand. This programme has helped with these assessments, as I am probably aware of the need to see if engaging with their emotions is their thing, as not everyone is ready to look under their (car) bonnet, so to speak. (Participant 12)

There was also an overall sense that MBSWSC programme participation engendered a more service user focussed assessment process, which led to their needs being assessed more accurately, in a manner that was more in line with social work values, rather than their organization’s neoliberal assessment policies and procedures.

I would be a bit more understanding of where everybody’s coming from … what their needs are…It can be easy to just offer solutions … the ones that our organisation want … but, as a human, just allowing them that wee bit of space; and even their families seeing that bit more openness and respectfulness … allows a deeper assessment of the situation. (Participant 3)

Enhanced service user and team engagement

The participants in this study identified that as well as supporting their assessment processes, the learning from the programme supported enhanced service user engagement. Social workers, like participant 4, identified that they were more responsive to the emotional reactions that service users might have been experiencing, facilitating more “human” interactions.

More often, bearing in mind what it was like for them and just … to be mindful of the circumstances … take the time and be calmer; and be more present with them in what was a very difficult emotional situation. (Participant 4)

Participants, such as participant 3, identified that this was facilitated by an increased capacity to stay present, allowing more space for the service user, reducing the risk that they would transfer their own worries or anxiety onto the service user.

I was holding a bit of space for her just to talk; where I would have maybe jumped in thinking I only have half an hour; I need to get down the road and need to do this; I thought, you know, this woman needs me to listen. So I’m just gonna try and stay present here with her. (Participant 3)

Participants highlighted the key role that self-compassion played in helping them to fully engage with service users. This self-compassion helped the participants to mirror compassionate responses to service user narratives, which was particularly helpful in situations which contained challenging service user contacts.

I found that part of the self-compassion really helpful for me to be gentle and understanding of myself, but also I actually see that working really well with others…I’m trying to support. (Participant 5)

And in terms of the compassion, I’ve noticed a huge difference since I’ve started mindfulness practice … in how I relate to the guys I’m working with and I can hold that, like I’m doing [probation] reports for court and they’re coming in and they’re talking about the worst things that’ve ever happened to them; and the worst things they’ve ever done, in the space of an hour. It’s really intense. (Participant 2)

Participants, such as participant 6, highlighted that they also felt more compassionate toward their colleagues. This compassion allowed them to attain a more accurate picture of their team-mates’ perspective, which facilitated improved team-working and an increased appetite for social connection.

I definitely think I’ve been more forgiving and more understanding … I’ve noticed that with colleagues, you know, well … they’re really busy … they’ve got a different agenda there. They’re coming at that from a different angle and that’s kind of OK you know. (Participant 6)

Working to social work values

Participants in this study provided several examples which highlighted how the learning from the MBSWSC programme supported their connection with, and the actualization of several key social work values, including: compassion, empathy, non-judgment, and empowerment.

it’s helped me really uphold the Code of practice and values. (Participant 5)

The participants in this study also highlighted that being more mindful and self-compassionate allowed them to have more space to experience greater compassion for their service users. This compassion facilitated increased empathy and allowed the social workers in this study to adopt a non-judgmental approach with service users. The actualization of these social work values also facilitated an increased willingness to work in line with the service user’s agenda.

So taking mindfulness and the practices into social work … with service users just that empathy and coming from a point of view that it is about listening to their agenda, where they are at … acknowledging … How can we get you there if we can? (Participant 4)

You’re able to be a bit more compassionate, have a bit more space to sort of think well that’s going on for them …I think that’s the other side, a bit more compassion, less judgment. (Participant 6)

Moreover, social workers, such as participant 2, highlighted that being more present allowed them to reduce tendencies that they might have toward “fixing” or providing solutions to the service user’s problems. This facilitated the capacity of the participants to empower their service users, helping to reduce any power imbalances that might have been present within the case context.

Its helped that whole idea of not fixing, of holding back and trusting that they have most of the solutions themselves. (Participant 2)

Enhanced social work skills

Participant 1 highlighted that their enhanced capacity to tune into the service user’s needs, and their increased comfort in silence also supported the development of their verbal and non-verbal communication skills.

I’ve found it easier just to be tuned into the foster carer … there’s something about that being able to be more tuned into what’s being said and what’s not being said; and how it’s being said and I’m just a bit more thoughtful about that and more comfortable with silence. (Participant 1)

Participants highlighted that their increased capacity to regulate their attention supported their communication skills, particularly improved listening skills. The participants also felt less defensive, and more willing to attend to the emotions underlying the service user’s or their colleague’s problems, which helped ease the burden of the presenting issue.

Mindfulness helps you really, actively listen to what’s going on instead of possibly going off in my mind seeing the worst-case scenario. You know, it’s not a fact. It’s just my thought. (Participant 5)

… we had quite a heated discussion recently and … before I would have said, I’ve got a defend myself. I just sat back and listened and let it sort of take its own momentum … you know people like to be heard when they’re talking. And you know what? … the attentiveness helped to resolve the situation. You know it did without it becoming something explosive. (Participant 7)

Participant 5 identified that the learning they attained about how to regulate their attention helped to develop their capacity to reflect in action, which supported responsive rather than reactive approaches.

I’m finding a bit more reflection in action; as in. that sort of attention regulation … I just remember that thoughts are thoughts. They’re not facts, so I think it’s actually helped me be more open minded … it has changed my practice as in that I’m reflecting in action as in I’m understanding my own body. If I start to feel tense obviously about something I go with it, but at the same time I centre and sort of regulate my attention again on the reality of what is happening right now. (Participant 5)

In addition, the social work managers in this study highlighted how they used the learning from the programme to support their staff, and to enhance their capacity for reflection and reflexivity. These participants highlighted that they were more open and responsive to their staff, and the challenges that they were experiencing in the role.

I am a bit more curious about what’s going on and what’s been said; and asking some more open questions; maybe exploring things more with individual staff or within the team setting … I actually find myself consciously saying to the managers who report to me: “Just take a breath, just relax. Nothing has gone wrong that can’t be fixed, and it’s important to look after yourself in this … we’ll learn together”. (Participant 7)

I’m just calmer and I know that I’m trying to use that with them whenever they come to me for advice or guidance … we sit down and I give them space and I try to create the time that they need, which is so important, so that they feel supported. (Participant 8)

These participants highlighted the negative effects that the COVID-19 pandemic had on the well-being and social work practice of their staff. They also highlighted the importance of using the learning that they had attained in the programme to support their staff to attend to and recover from the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, as explained by participant 4.

… people are tired, people are less resilient … I think it’s about taking that time and drawing that breath before getting into things rather than being reactive. I think that’s what I’ve taken from it, just in terms of the here and the now; and sticking with things rather than just looking to rush things through …. (Participant 4)

Coping with the social work role

The second superordinate theme conveys how participants adapted though the MBSWSC programme to the challenges of their respective professional social work roles and demonstrated an increased ability to cope with them. This is captured in the following three sub-themes of: moving from avoidance to approach coping; improved personal self-care boundaries; increased emotional awareness and reduced negative thinking.

Moving from avoidant to approach coping

Participants reflected on habits of thought and behaviors associated with putting off “difficult” tasks and how mindfulness practice had helped them orientate more toward dealing with such tasks earlier. The habit of avoidance was related to procrastination, rumination and perfectionism, and participants’ responses illustrate a curiosity and increased awareness of the processes at play, and how they thought mindfulness supported more approach-coping responses. Participant 6 described their use of the three-minute breathing space for dealing with procrastination, and how this, combined with increased acceptance and compassion, had facilitated change both in a social work practice context but also in life more generally:

I feel that I’ve been left very equipped, you know with the three-step process, with the acceptance and the compassion … whatever is facing me, whether it’s a work thing or personal, I definitely feel I’ve used those, you know … to improve a situation I’m dealing with … procrastination is the other thing you know, to set myself in the right way to do those calls I don’t want to do; or to engage in the emails and the meetings I don’t want to; so I definitely feel it has changed the way I try to go about things. (Participant 6)

For participant 9, the MBSWSC programme’s early emphasis on acknowledging and understanding avoidance was especially helpful. They described gaining insight into their habit of avoidance and procrastination, particularly around the role of fear played in this, and how the RAIN (Recognise, Allow, Investigate, Nurture) practice helped to shift it:

I think one of the most useful things they started to talk about early on in the course was avoidance, you know and when it was suggested we dig down into what drives some of those emotions … What are some of the contributing factors? Where’s my head going? … What’s this all about? [It] really made me think of some of my behaviour, particularly avoidance behaviour. I procrastinate. I put things off. Why? Fear. Where does that come from? … And I really liked that acronym RAIN. I think that’s a really helpful your way to deal with things in the here and now, if you can. I thought that was really, really helpful. (Participant 9)

For participant 8, mindfulness helped to facilitate an increased acceptance of work situations and the limits of their control over any given event. This, in turn, helped counter their tendency toward procrastination. Their analysis also captures the incremental nature of change engendered by mindfulness:

… it is acceptance of “this is the way it is, this is my job” and it’s (mindfulness) making things probably a little bit easier … that procrastination still hasn’t gone away completely, you know… But … I definitely feel a little calmer … and I’m more in control which is a nice way to be. (Participant 8)

Lastly, participant 4’s comments illustrate the value of developing a more approach coping orientation as a social work manager, for “facing up to things” and cites mindfulness role in enabling them to do this. In the following example, they recount the benefits of preparing for and having an earlier and consequently more supportive and productive conversation with a staff member:

I think it [mindfulness] has, I certainly have things … I ruminate on or avoid, I’ve found myself now just going “OK, you know this, this is the conversation to be had; this is how I’m gonna prepare for it” … And it’s done in a supportive way and it is having the opportunity to do that earlier … it was something that I had sort of noticed with the member of staff and hadn’t addressed or hadn’t tackled and then there was an opening for that to be done today and it actually was quite supportive for them and productive. (Participant 4)

Improved personal-self-care boundaries

Participants reflected consistently on developing a much clearer sense of the boundary between the social work role and their personal lives and the importance of this for improved self-care. Their narratives convey a significant tension in the social worker role between feeling duty-bound to meet client and employer needs, and recognizing the limits to what they could achieve. The language used illustrates the emotional and conflictual nature of these experiences. This is exemplified by participant 3 in relation to the terms “making peace,” “blame” and “fault”.

… that really helps me to reflect that I can’t physically stretch myself around all them people to be the perfect practitioner. I can only just do what I can just do. And once you start to kind of make peace, that’s the course [mindfulness] coming at the right time for me, helping me make peace with things; because you really blame yourself, like somehow it’s my fault that I can’t get to these people, even though not enough hours in the week, but now I can kind of go “No, actually it isn’t my fault because I’m doing the best I can do”. (Participant 3)

The impact of this problematic balancing act is apparent in how it has become internalized for some participants, with questions of self-worth bound up in the social work role. Participant 10 provides an illustrative example of how they would have responded, prior to the MBSWSC programme, to having been unable to find an invite for an online work meeting, reflecting a harsh internal monologue:

… previously I would have beat myself up. I would have been ruminating, you know, “what a waste,” or “waste of space,” you know, I would have been quite self-critical. (Participant 10)

In contrast, they reflected on their experience in the context of other events that had made their day feel very difficult and the value of the MBSWSC, particularly self-compassion, for enabling them to let go and accept that the problem was out with their control:

… today was a really good example, as this was a product of the course. I had a damn hard day … [also] I was meant to go on a regional steering group and I could not find the link for it just couldn’t find it. And you know it was just that self-compassion, I just believe that strongly, I just said “I’m not gonna make this session, there’s nothing I can do about this, it’s OK, let it go.” (Participant 10)

Overall, participants’ comments reveal a greater sense of structural awareness in regard to the limits of their professional responsibilities in the face of, at times, overwhelming organizational demands. This includes a sense of waking up to the fact they hadn’t been acting on their awareness of the challenge of managing competing demands before, as explained by participant 12:

I’m always saying to stressed colleagues, I’m saying, you know, “there’s only one of you;” “you can only do what you can do and you.” But then I’m not saying that to me. I’m going like “you just get it done;” you know, “why’re you not doing this?” But now I kind of notice that I’m able to maybe put a wee bit more distance between me and that voice that’s, you know, the inner critic. (Participant 12)

Increased emotional awareness and reduced negative thinking

Participants also reported greater awareness of their emotions and a related reduction in levels of negative thinking. Their comments indicate that the mindfulness practices enabled them to become much more attuned to how they were feeling in work situations and better able to avoid reactive responses. For participant 6 and others, this manifested in a greater sense of perspective, which in the following example helped them to stop getting drawn into a negative work dynamic:

I find I’ve got better perspective. It’s that little bit of distance from the crisis you know. There was a thing with colleagues, they were you know, there’s about 10 of us on an e-mail exchange trying to come to a group decision. And it was just getting just silly … but I find that the reset step 3 minute breathing was … I just took a moment to do that and it gave me a bit of distance and space. And then I was less reactive to jump in, you know. (Participant 6)

The narratives reveal individuals’ interrogating their habits and thought processes, which mindfulness practice helped illuminate and temper. In the following example, participant 1 reflects on a change to patterns of negative thinking and the value of enhanced bodily awareness for interrupting this process:

… before I would’ve got into a cycle of “I’m thinking about this, I need to stop thinking about this, why am I thinking about this?” And you get caught up in this round and round and round and that’s not helpful. Whereas now I’m able to say, “OK, you know, right, this is, this is what my body’s telling me.” Doing a bit of the guided body scans… It can be really useful in that moment to try and connect the two a bit more. (Participant 1)

Participants also gave tangible insights into the stresses and anxieties experienced in social work and the important facility and space mindfulness provided, enabling them to step-back from and be less likely to get overwhelmed by the situation. Examples included high caseloads, phones ringing constantly, a lingering impact of COVID-19 and staff shortages:

… sometimes the phone can just be really bombarding … I’m in sort of a more childcare setting … and the phone, just pings, pings, pings … but I just don’t feel quite reactive to them … I’m pacing myself, taking that breath, answering the call, dealing with that query, and taking another breath. So it’s definitely helped out … you’re in more control of the situation and I’m very conscious of that and conscious when … more conscious of my emotions when I’m getting caught up in it. (Participant 12)

For participant 8, the stress of the working environment had become chronic, and they were actively considering leaving social work as a result:

… this course came to me at a really good time because I was very conscious I was on my own in the team. I was the only senior. There was a lot of sick leave and I knew I was short and there was too much volume coming at me; I couldn’t do it. And I was really, honestly, contemplating leaving social work, because I just thought I can’t see this getting any better. Lack of resources...families...just every day was just complaint after complaint; and constituency inquiries like I haven’t seen before, you know. So the course honestly, and I’m not exaggerating this, It came at me and I was so happy to get on it because I felt like I needed it. (Participant 8)

Participants also reflected on a range of personal problems such as bereavement, grief and loss and difficulties with sleeping. Here too, mindfulness was found to be a significant aid to dealing with the experience, with descriptions provided of how they used practices to take action in the moment to prevent negative spirals of thoughts and emotions taking hold, leading to a greater sense of emotional equilibrium, “calm” and “peace.”

Discussion

This article has built on the growing evidence base which highlights the potential benefits that MBPs could have on social work practice and self-care, and the processes underpinning these benefits. The results of this study indicate that the learning attained by participants, and the development of each CBPM domain (i.e., mindfulness, attention regulation, acceptance, self-compassion, non-attachment, and non-aversion) during the MBSWSC programme, supported enhanced competencies in: social work assessment, service user engagement, team working, social work values oriented working practices, and key social work skills. It is clear from this exploratory study, that the effects of each these CBPM domains on social work practice outcomes, are likely to be multi-faceted. In line with Kazdin (2009), the results of this study indicate that social work practice outcomes are likely to be changed through multiple pathways post MBSWSC participation. Individual CBPM domains, are likely to have direct effect on social worker’s skill development in specific areas e.g., reduced aversion to silence engendered more person-centered assessment skills. It also appears that the development of individual CBPM domains will also support the development of a range of social work skills e.g., increased mindfulness supported participants to tune into the service user’s potential feelings and needs pre-assessment, to be more engaged with service users, their team-mates, and reflect both in and on action (Schön, 1991). This study’s results also indicate that a number of CBPM domains are likely to work together, to improve skills in specific areas e.g., increased self-compassion and non-aversion engendered more effective, values-oriented practice, through increased compassion and empathy for, and non-judgment, and empowerment of service users. Study participants also highlighted the similar, multi-faceted way, in which the learning from the MBSWSC programme supported their capacity for self-care. Participants outlined that the programme supported them to approach and engage with practice challenges, rather than avoid them (non-aversion). The programme also supported participants to develop improved work-life boundaries, and increased awareness of their emotions (mindfulness, attention regulation, non-attachment, and non-averion); supporting their capacity to regulate more challenging emotions (through acceptance and self-compassion), which helped to reduce negative, often self-critical, thinking processes (i.e., worry and rumination).

The participants in this study felt that their assessment skills had improved through an increased capacity to tune into and be attentive to service users’ experiences, before, during, and after an interaction. This finding is supported by Jiménez-Picón et al. (2021), and Urrila (2022) who highlighted the potential of mindfulness-based training to support social workers to be more attentive, and sensitive to even low-level non-verbal communication. Participants also highlighted that the increased emotional awareness and self-compassion they experienced after engaging in the MBSWSC programme facilitated improved service user and team working outcomes. In line with the works of Turner (2009) and Segev (2023), participants in this study highlighted how increased emotional awareness and self-compassion allowed them to be better able to manage service users’ projective identifications and contend with and contain both the service user’s and their own powerful feelings within their service user contacts. This appears to have reduced the stress that more challenging emotions might have caused (e.g., anger, sadness), by helping participants actively approach and process these emotions with self-compassion, leading to a wider more adaptive compassionate response with the service user or colleague, rather than a less productive reactive response. This process also appears to have reduced the risk of countertransference negatively impacting the service user relationship. Our findings that the social work professionals in our study, including managers, felt that their communication skills had improved after the MBSWSC programme, and that they were more open to both service users’ and colleagues’ needs is supported by Urrila (2022), who conducted a systematic review of the effects of MBPs on leaders, finding very similar effects on their working practices. The improved assessment, communication, service user and team working skills experienced by the participants appears to have been supported by the participants’ greater attunement with their own emotions, physical sensations, and behaviors; with an increased understanding of how each can underpin negative thinking processes (e.g., worry and ruminative cycles) (Maddock, McGuigan, & McCusker, 2023). These insights, coupled with increased experiential awareness, appear to have lengthened the amount of time that participants operated from a reflective state of awareness, reducing the extent to which they were hi-jacked by negative thinking processes. Within this process, the participants appeared to be using the mindfulness-based techniques learned in the MBSWSC programme (e.g., focus on the breath to stay in a responsive integrated mind/emotion/body/behavior equanimous “being” mode, rather than a reactive mind focused “doing mode”), which led to them having more emotional and psychological space to focus on, communicate with and be available to the service user and/or colleague, whilst retaining a state of equipoise (Maddock, 2023; Segev, 2023).

Our finding that the social workers in this study felt that they had improved capacities to reflect in action (Schön, 1991), and work more in line with social work values is supported by Trowbridge and Mische Lawson (2016), who in a systematic review found that MBP participation increased empathy and respect in health care social workers, and Sajjad and Shahbaz (2020) who highlighted the role that MBP participation could play in supporting non-judgment. The social workers in our study highlighted, in line with Krasner et al. (2009), that the increased empathy that they experienced after engaging with the MBSWSC programme improved service user outcomes, as they tended to focus more on the service user’s rather than their organization’s agenda. Grant (2014) outlines that empathy is not just the ability to take another’s perspective, but for accurate empathy, a social worker needs to have a strong capacity for self-reflection. Maddock (2023) highlighted the role that mindfulness, self-acceptance, and self-compassion could play in supporting reflective social work practice, by allowing the social worker to have a greater scope to focus on the present, to approach and be aware of any difficult thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations that they may be experiencing, with greater self-acceptance and compassion. This process allowing more difficult emotional reactions to arise and pass without avoidant thinking processes taking effect (e.g., worry or rumination), negative thinking processes, which would reduce the capacity of the social worker to self-reflect and achieve accurate empathy. Our findings indicate that this process unfolded for our participants, with increased mindfulness, self-acceptance, and self-compassion supporting self-reflection and allowing participants to attain a more accurate sense of themselves. Greater mindfulness, and self-acceptance, appears to have allowed increased self-compassion to reduce erroneous self-evaluations that our participants might have experienced, through increased self-kindness and a greater connection with one’s place as one person amongst many (Neff, 2003). In line with the works of Kinman and Grant (2020), and Sajjad and Shahbaz (2020), this process appears to have engendered greater compassion for service users, which facilitated greater empathy for, and non-judgment of, the service user’s experience, facilitating the development of the positive working relationships that are necessary for effective social work practice.

The MBSWSC programme is underpinned by the clinically modified Buddhist psychological model (CBPM) (Maddock, 2023). The CBPM highlights that roles that mindfulness training can play in supporting social workers to move from avoidance oriented to approach oriented coping styles, through increased introspective awareness of the interconnections between thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and behaviors. The CBPM highlights the roles that mindfulness, self-compassion, attention regulation, acceptance, non-attachment, and non-aversion play in this process. It appears that the participants have learned about and developed each of these trainable domains of experiential knowledge and skills, and in the process internalized them to support improved skills in a number of key areas of social work, and improved their capacity to cope with their social work roles, either as a front-line social worker or as a service manager. In line with Maddock (2023), each of these CBPM domains appears to operate both individually and collectively to improve important practice, and self-care outcomes such as reduced stress and improved well-being. Participants highlighted how increased mindfulness, acceptance, self-compassion, and non-aversion allowed them to identify behaviors, for example, procrastination, which supported avoidance, and to then take corrective action by approaching and engaging with the activity or conversation they were avoiding, leading to reduced stress. Participants also highlighted the roles that acceptance and self-compassion played in reducing tendencies toward wanting to be the perfect social worker, reducing the risk of corrosive self-talk arising, when the impossible expectations that followed were not met. The increased mindfulness, acceptance, and self-compassion also supported the participants to step out of an individually focussed mind-set to consider the structural and organizational factors that impacted their capacity to support the service users, and colleagues they work with. This process also appears to have supported the social workers to develop improved boundaries between their work and home life, knowing that there were understandable limits to what they could do. The CBPM (Maddock, 2023) also highlights the role that negative thinking can play in worsening the stress that is part and parcel of being a social work professional. In line with the CBPM, participants in this study appear to have attained increased capacities to cognitively self-regulate experiences of work stress and anxiety, by connecting with their body and processing the emotions that might underpin the habitual negative thinking patterns (for example, worry and/or rumination) that might exacerbate feelings of stress and/or anxiety. This appears to have allowed participants to reduce negative thinking processes by allowing them to have more space to respond productively, for example, by being self-compassionate rather than self-critical, knowing that being self-critical would only compound the negative thinking, and further limit the extent to which they could support service users and colleagues. Participants also actively used mindfulness practices to reduce the risk that they would be drawn into stressful work environments unnecessarily , using them to reflect on the situation at hand and to again respond productively for example, by taking step back and taking time to ground themselves in the present, rather than becoming overwhelmed by organizational demands (Maddock, 2023). There have been very justified perspectives offered, in both the mindfulness, and social work literatures, about the various ways in which mindfulness-based programmes, and focussing on self-care, runs the risk of placing the blame and responsibility for managing systemic sources of stress in social work on individual social workers, rather than on organizational and political systems that create these stressors. It is incumbent on those at the head of social work organizations, and the health and social care systems in which they operate, to create healthy and sustainable work environments. No individual therapeutic, or MBP is going to change these structural problems. However, our results indicate, that MBPs, which are tailored to meet the practice and stress coping needs of social workers, can support social workers to develop a range of adaptive domains of knowledge and skills (CBPM domains), which will support the development of individual awareness (e.g., through greater mindfulness) of these systemic issues, which can aid social worker to step out of (facilitated by increased capacities in attention regulation, non-attachment, and non-aversion), reflect on, and then take steps (e.g., acceptance and self-compassion) to mitigate their negative effects (e.g., reduced stress and feelings of burnout).

Limitations and conclusion

The use of a focus group methodology allowed a deeper exploration of how engagement with the MBSWSC programme impacted social work practice and self-care. This study’s results should be interpreted within the context of its limitations. A systematic procedure was used during the data analysis, with two of the co-authors analyzing the semantic content of the data, allowing a greater degree of intersubjectivity of the findings. Using a qualitative method, such as focus group discussions, are by their very nature subjective approaches, which are at a greater risk of researcher bias. The study participants did not differ significantly from the participants who were invited but did not take part in this study, however, the fact that they consented to being a part of this study indicates that they may have been positively biased toward the MBSWSC programme. Though generalizability was not the aim of this study and is not a required criteria of qualitative research methods (Tracy, 2010), the use of a convenience and purposive sample, of potentially biased social workers, means that this study’s findings cannot be generalized to a larger population of social workers (Grinnell & Unrau, 2011). Our findings do however indicate that mindfulness-based training for social workers can have a multi-faceted positive effect on social work practice, and on social work professional’s capacity to cope with what is both a rewarding but complex, and oftentimes very stressful role.

Consent to participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Ethics approval

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Research Ethics Committee, School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen’s University Belfast (REF_167_2122).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Office of Social Services, within the Department of Health, Northern Ireland