Self care for Social Workers: Interview with Erlene Grise-Owens, Justin �Jay� Miller, and Mindy Eaves

[Episode 118] In today�s episode, I talk to Erlene Grise-Owens, Justin �Jay� Miller, and Mindy Eaves, the editors of the TThe A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals, published by The New Social Worker Press. My guests debunk some self-care myths and they share some of the guidelines about making self-care a practice.  My guests not only talk about what self-care is and is not, but they also model it. We talk about SMART self-care plans, about how being active is not the same as being athletic, about how personal self-care requires professional self-care and that professional self-care affects organizational wellness and that organizational wellness affects professional self-care.

If you like what you hear, check out their book The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals, published by The New Social Worker Press. If you want a deeper dive into self-care, Erlene and Jay are doing a webinar for the New Social Worker magazine: Self-Care Wellshop�: Foundations & Fundamentals on March 21, 2018.


Download MP3 [51:56]

Bio

Dr. Erlene Grise-Owens, Ed.D., LCSW, MSW, MRE, is a Partner in The Wellness Group, ETC. This LLC provides evaluation, training, and consultation for organizational wellness and practitioner well-being. Dr. Grise-Owens is co-editor of The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals, published by The New Social Worker Press. As a former faculty member and graduate program director, she and a small group of colleagues implemented an initiative to promote self-care as part of the social work education curriculum. Previously, she served in clinical and administrative roles. She has experience with navigating toxicity and dysfunction. As an educator, she saw students enter the field and quickly burn out. As a dedicated social worker, she believes the well-being of practitioners is a matter of social justice and human rights. Thus, she is on a mission to promote self-care and wellness.

Justin �Jay� Miller, Ph.D., MSW, CSW, is an Assistant Professor in the College of Social Work at the University of Kentucky. Jay has previously worked as a social worker at the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Louisville�s Crimes Against Children Unit, and the Ireland Army Hospital at Fort Knox. Jay is dedicated to social issues and community outreach, a passion that he brings to his work as an educator and scholar. His research and academic interests focus on child welfare, particularly outcomes related to foster care and adoption. Jay was a Cohort Two Doris Duke Fellow (Doris Duke Foundation and Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago) and earned his Ph.D. at the University of Louisville. Jay is co-editor of The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals, published by The New Social Worker Press. He enjoys physical fitness for self-care. Last but not least, Jay is a proud foster care alum.

Mindy Eaves, MSW, CSW, Ombudsman is the founding Ombudsman for Jefferson County Public Schools, the 26th largest school district in the country, Faculty at Western Kentucky University teaching in the social work graduate program, co-author and co-editor of the The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals an Amazon social work books top seller, and a doctoral candidate at the University of St. Thomas.  Mindy earned her BA in Sociology with Certificates in Pan African Studies and Criminal Justice Administration from the University of Louisville.  Mindy graduated Summa Cum Laude with a MSW from Spalding University and holds a CSW granted by the Kentucky Board of Social Work.  Her areas of interest include the �prison pipeline�, social policy, intersection of race, class and gender, conflict resolution and social work education.  Mindy is a member of the Phi Alpha Honor Society and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.  Mindy is a past recipient of the Cabinet for Health & Families award for Excellence and Social Worker of the Year and Kentucky Court of Justice KLEO award.  Mindy serves on the Spalding MSW Alumni Group and Co-Chair of the Membership Committee within the International Ombudsman Association.

Transcript

Introduction
Hey there podcasts listeners, Jonathan here. In today�s episode, I talk to Erlene Grise-Owens, Justin �Jay� Miller, and Mindy Eaves, the editors of the The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals, published by The New Social Worker Press. In the next 47 minutes we will unveil the four minute solution to coworker conflict, the 2-week detox that will free you of aches and pains, and the 5,000 year old mantra that helped me land my very own podcast.

I�m totally kidding.

The next time you see one of those self-care headlines, just pull out your magic decoder ring and see the message underneath: A fool and their money are soon parted. (and for you gramarians, that was an intentionally gender inclusive use of the word �their�).  The self-help industry WANTS you to think that self-care can be quick and easy if you only buy their book or their product. It isn�t. But it isn�t impossible either. And that�s what we talk about today. My guests debunk some self-care myths and they share some of the guidelines about making self-care a practice.  One of the things I loved about this interview is that you can hear Erlene, Jay and Mindy modeling one of the essential components of self-care � finding a community and support network. They have a great time with each other. They finish each other�s sentences, tease each other AND support each other. So, my guests not only talk about what self-care is and is not, but they also model it. We talk about SMART self-care plans, about how being active is not the same as being athletic, about how personal self-care requires professional self-care and that professional self-care affects organizational wellness and that organizational wellness affects professional self-care.

If you want to learn more about the myriad of things that each of these fine people do, check out their bios on socialworkpodcast.com. If you like what you hear, check out their book The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals, published by The New Social Worker Press. If you want a deeper dive into self-care, Erlene and Jay are doing a webinar for the New Social Worker magazine: Self-Care Wellshop�: Foundations & Fundamentals on March 21, 2018.

If you want to transcribe this or any other episode, please send me an email and I�ll gladly take you up on your generosity.  Crowdsourcing transcripts is one of the ways you help me take care of myself. In the spirit of self-care, I�d like to give a big shout out to some folks who have generously donated their time to transcribe episodes � some of which are recent, and some of which are further back in the archives.

And speaking of self-care and people who generously donated their time to transcribe episodes, I�d like to give a big shout out to

• Anastasiya Jenkins, MSW from Dallas TX 
• Kendra Wagener, MSW, AAS Certified Crisis Counselor, Forensic Specialist 
• Cassie Griffith, MSW, Case Manager JUF Uptown Cafe, EZRA Mutli-Service Center 
• Dedrick Perkins, University of Oklahoma�s Anne & Henry Zarrow School of Social Work 
• Meredith Amshoff, an MSW graduate of Boston College, who is currently working with Catholic Relief Services in Kampala, Uganda 
• Ester Park, an aspiring clinical and school social worker from New Jersey. 

Thank you for making the podcast a better resource.

If you want a deeper dive into self-care, Erlene and Jay are doing a webinar for the New Social Worker magazine: Self-Care Wellshop�: Foundations & Fundamentals on March 21, 2018.

And, without further ado, on to episode 118 of the Social Work Podcast, Self care for Social Workers: Interview with Erlene Grise-Owens, Justin �Jay� Miller, and Mindy Eaves.

Interview
(please email me if you'd like to transcribe this one!)

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APA (6th ed) citation for this podcast:

Singer, J. B. (Producer). (2018, March 18). #118 - Self care for Social Workers: Interview with Erlene Grise-Owens, Justin �Jay� Miller, and Mindy Eaves [Audio Podcast]. Social Work Podcast. Retrieved from http://www.socialworkpodcast.com/2018/03/selfcare.html