Virtual wobble spaces: A pilot study of the outcomes of online therapeutic spaces on practitioner well-being and social work practice

Turner, D. and Linton, A. (2022) Virtual wobble spaces: A pilot study of the outcomes of online therapeutic spaces on practitioner well-being and social work practice. The British Journal of Social Work, 53 (7). pp. 3483-3504. ISSN 1468-263X

[thumbnail of This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in The British Journal of Social Work following peer review. The version of record is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcac226.] Text (This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in The British Journal of Social Work following peer review. The version of record is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcac226.)
Main_article_Anon__BJSW_Wobble_spaces_ 09 Oct 2022-Wobble Space article.docx - Accepted Version
Restricted to Repository staff only until 10 December 2024.
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0.

Download (4MB) | Request a copy

Abstract

Stress, emotional exhaustion and job dissatisfaction have been prevailing issues in social work for decades, with recent research by BASW demonstrating poor psychological outcomes for social workers, amidst inadequate levels of staff retention and high burn out rates. The Covid-19 pandemic added to these existing stresses, with social workers experiencing multiple losses, including bereavements and changes to working practices. As a response to the pandemic, many hospitals and health care settings established bespoke wobble spaces, dedicated to enhancing staff well-being. However, despite the reported success of these wobble spaces, results from a literature review show that they have not been established within social work. The pilot study discussed in this article explored and evaluated the impacts of a virtual wobble space provided for social workers over three months at fortnightly intervals. The research design was purposefully creative and aimed at focussing on positivity and fun as a counter to much of the existing literature on stress and burnout in social work. The study is limited by a small sample size but nevertheless the unanimously positive findings and wider interest, suggest there may be a broader role for wobble space provision in social work.

Publication Type: Articles
Additional Information: © The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Association of Social Workers. All rights reserved.
Uncontrolled Keywords: Social sciences, health, creativity, group supervision, stress, therapeutic, well-being, wobble space
Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare
H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare > HV40 Social service. Social work. Charilty organisation and pracitce
R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC435 Psychiatry > RC475 Theraputics. Pyschotherapy
Divisions: Academic Areas > Institute of Education, Social and Life Sciences > Social Work and Social Care
Research Entities > Centre of Excellence for Childhood, Inclusion and Society (CECIS)
Related URLs:
SWORD Depositor: Publications Router Jisc
Depositing User: Publications Router Jisc
Date Deposited: 17 Jan 2023 12:02
Last Modified: 12 Sep 2024 11:42
URI: https://eprints.chi.ac.uk/id/eprint/6633

Actions (login required)

View Item
View Item
▲ Top

Our address

I’m looking for