Context and relationship: defining resilience in health social workers

Abstract

A qualitative study of social workers in physical and mental health asked experienced social workers who self-defined as resilient to define the concept and to explore the elements of resiliency within their practice. Initial definition of resilience as a personal characteristic was developed into a strongly contextual and relational construct, the binding feature of which was self-awareness and the capacity to reflect. A strong feature of the social workers’ understanding of resilience was their focus on relationship with colleagues and the quality of professional social work practice with service users. Further reflexive and structural elements in their professional lives were identified, highlighting that resilience within health social workers is in dynamic relationship with the organisational context. A resilience framework derived from current literature and from the research is presented.