Self-care has gained recognition as a professional necessity in the helping fields, yet the psychological mechanisms explaining the gap between awareness and practice remain underexplored. This mixed-methods study examined self-care among Taiwanese social workers, focusing on educational influences, barriers, and developmental processes. Quantitative surveys (n = 285) revealed moderate-to-high levels of self-care awareness and practice, alongside low-to-moderate professional self-care difficulties. Among barriers, lack of organizational involvement was rated highest, while “self-care as a non-priority” was lowest, suggesting that self-care has been cognitively accepted as a professional value but insufficiently supported in practice. Educational experience was positively associated with awareness and practice; however, its capacity to reshape participants’ value orientation—the internalization of self-care as a professional ethic—appeared minimal. Insights from qualitative interviews with educators and supervisors pointed to a possible six-stage pathway—awareness, definition, commitment, adaptation, choice, and balance—suggesting how self-care could be internalized into practice, though this requires further investigation. Three systemic barriers emerged: individual beliefs (perfectionism and over-commitment), organizational factors (limited support), and cultural stigma (self-care as selfishness and compliance with authority). The findings highlight a psychological paradox: social workers acknowledge self-care as essential, yet behavioral implementation is constrained by identity conflicts and structural conditions. This study contributes to psychological scholarship by clarifying the interplay of awareness, organizational context, and cultural beliefs in shaping self-care, and argues that self-care education should be reframed as an integrated professional competency rather than fragmented instruction.

Authors:
Pei-Hua Chiang, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
Hsin-Ping Hsu, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan

About the Presenter(s)
Ms. Pei-Hua Chiang is a PhD student in Psychology at National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan. Her research examines helping professionals’ mental health, focusing on how social and cultural contexts shape self-care practices.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Wednesday Schedule

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