Out of the shadows: supporting social workers with a mental illness

ABSTRACTSocial workers with mental illnesses offer unique contributions to service delivery, but also face unique challenges. They must weigh the risks and benefits of disclosing their condition in the workplace and are more susceptible to burnout. Past efforts made by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) to support social workers with personal concerns have had limited success. This article sets forth a new approach to supporting these social workers which involves one-on-one peer support, peer education, advocacy opportunities, assistance with requests for job accommodations, a speaker’s bureau, and organizational consultation on peer issues within agencies.