Employer Type: Non-Profit Organization (United States)

I have been in the field of crisis intervention social work with youth for approximately six months. I have heard so much from coworkers regarding burn-out. It appears to me that this can be avoided. Although I am new, I have been faced with learning how to separate work from home, and I believe that this is a skill that can and will help me to avoid being burned out. My advice to those of you just beginning your career, and those of you who have been in the field for a long time already...

*Work hard while you are AT WORK...there's nothing you can do for your clients at home, anyway, so leave the work at work.

*Remember the goal is to help clients be the best they can be, not the best that you wish they were.

*Above all else, you will be useless to your clients and your family if you do not take care of yourself...read a book, see a movie, have a night out with friends...whatever it is, it doesn't involve work.

***You can and will make a difference in this world! Always remind yourself why you got into this field and what you hope to achieve. And if all else fails, and you simply cannot take it any longer...it's time to change fields!!!