PREVENTION OF PROFESSIONAL BURNOUT OF SPECIALISTS IN THE PRACTICE OF SOCIAL WORK WITH WOUNDED MILITARY SERVANTS

Abstract

In the modern conditions of military conflict social work with military personnel, in which specialists face unique emotions and psychological challenges, is becoming more and more relevant. In the submitted materials, the innovative educational course “Prevention of professional burnout of social work specialists who work with wounded servicemen” is proposed and substantiated for applicants of the first (bachelor’s) level of higher education studying in the specialty 231 ”Social work”. In particular, the content and topics of classes are described in detail, which reveal actual and practiceoriented aspects of the prevention of professional burnout syndrome: decreased productivity due to loss of motivation to work and loss of interest in one’s duties; deterioration of the quality of work due to inattentiveness to one’s own psychophysical health; conflict and unethical attitude towards customers. The goal is to emphasize the need to develop a set of special competencies in future social work graduates of institutions of higher education to prevent the syndrome of professional burnout by: developing a conscious attitude to the specifics of the psychological state of wounded servicemen; ability to realistically assess socio-psychological problems, needs, features and resources of both own and clients; application of individual methods of prevention of professional burnout (self-care, self-regulation, relaxation) and a responsible attitude to help and support from colleagues and experts. The development of an innovative practice-oriented training course, which in the conditions of a higher education institution will contribute to the formation of knowledge about the symptoms (psychophysical, emotional, behavioral, intellectual, social-psychological) of professional burnout, which relate to the practice of social work with wounded servicemen, will help to understand the consequences of professional burnout (staff turnover, low motivation to work, reduced work efficiency, conflictual relationships, negative psychological climate), will form the ability to manage one’s own emotions, establish and protect personal and professional boundaries. The training course will stimulate the development of more effective prevention strategies in the social sphere. It has been established that the syndrome of professional burnout of specialists in the practice of social work with wounded servicemen has a complex and multifaceted nature. Therefore, the proposed innovative training course “Prevention of professional burnout of social work specialists who work with wounded servicemen” can become a guarantor on the way to ensuring high-quality social work with the specified category of clients, in particular, it will reveal the role of the specialists’ own health in this process and help applicants to resist chronic fatigue, depersonalization and reduction of professional achievements.