Teaching Self-care: Graduating Students Need It Most
Welcome to Teaching Self-care: Graduating Students Need It Most. This site is to show how education on self-care, as well burnout could be incorporated into each Education & Human Services (EHS) Capstone course by the means of a singular module. At Champlain College, the division of Education & Human Services’ motto is “We Do Good Work”. But how do students, especially soon-to-be-graduated ones, do good work when they don’t know how to take care of themselves? Especially as they are leaving college and entering the workforce?
The navigation bar at the top of the site shows each EHS major; Education, Environmental Policy, Criminal Justice, Law, Psychology, and Social Work. Each page is dedicated to a specific major and is meant to be a representative of a module that students would be able to see in Canvas, the website used for educational organization and homework. Each “module” is equipped with discussions, an assignment, and readings for students. Each “module” is also designed based on how each capstone course is actively being taught. For example, the Criminal Justice and Law capstone courses are taught virtually, therefore the module has online discussion posts. The goal of these modules is to teach students the importance of self-care, especially in relation to their professional self, as well as that self-care is not a one-size-fits-all.
This site serves as a senior capstone project, and by no means a professional recommendation. This site, instead, is a possibility of how self-care education can be incorporated into already existing capstone courses.
Rationale Behind This Project
While self-care has many definitions, it is commonly defined as when an individual engages in behaviors, or activities, to maintain or enhance their health and well-being (Coaston, 2017; Miller, 2021). And while self-care is a commonplace concept, and is used frequently when discussing mental health and well-being, it turns out people do not know how to practice self-care. This is largely due to the misconception that self-care is either just living a healthy life or it’s an indulgence (Miller & Grise-Owens, 2020; Miller, 2021). This isn’t to say that self-care can’t be an indulgence or leading a healthy life like eating a well-balanced diet or getting eight hours of sleep. But in reality, self-care can be anything, and can easily be a part of your everyday life!
Self-care, while treated as a common practice, is surprisingly rarely taught. Yes, there are workshops, programs, and even lectures, but it has been shown that just being told about self-care does not impact the usage or instillment of self-care practices into someone’s life; which is due to lack of education and practice, and the belief that self-care is a personal responsibility (Miller, 2021; Miller & Grise-Owens, 2020). And yet many sources suggest early, on-campus structured learning of self-care can help combat students’ anxiety and improve well-being, which is especially important for soon-to-be graduated students (Belle et al., 2021; Illeris, 2015; Martin, 2021). Self-care education regarding specific majors and future fields is one way to best support students as they graduate and enter the workforce. Especially for students in education and human services roles, as they are commonly referred to as helpers. And since self-care is used as a preventative measure for burnout, which is a common occurrence in helping professions, it should be taught. College students should be partaking in activities to support their well-being so that they will have practices in place once entering the workforce and the long-term benefits of self-care (Moses, Bradley, & O’Callaghan, 2016; Viner & Barker, 2005).
However, there are very few research studies that explore the teaching of self-care, graduating fourth-year students or new professionals in connection with burnout. And so, this project was created in hopes to inspire Champlain College to provide self-care education, focusing on soon-to-be graduates as they enter the workforce, as that is a population that is often forgotten.
References:
Belle, M. A., Antwi, C. O., Ntim, S. Y., Affum-Osei, E., & Ren, J. (2021). Am I Gonna Get a Job? Graduating Students’ Psychological Capital, Coping Styles, and Employment Anxiety. Journal of Career Development. https://doi.org/10.1177/08948453211020124
Coaston, S. C. (2017). Self-Care Through Self-Compassion: A Balm for Burnout. The Professional Counselor, 7(3), 285–297. https://doi.org/10.15241/scc.7.3.285
Illeris, K. (2015). The Development of a Comprehensive and Coherent Theory of Learning. European Journal of Education, 50(1), 29–40. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26609251
Martin, E. M. (2021). College Student Self-Care: A Journey, Not a Destination. College Student Journal, 55(2), 208–218.
Miller, A. E. (2021). Self-care as a competency benchmark: Creating a culture of shared responsibility. Training and Education in Professional Psychology. https://doi-org.cobalt.champlain.edu/10.1037/tep0000386
Miller, J. “Jay,” & Grise-Owens, E. (2020). Self-Care: An Imperative. Social Work, 65(1), 5–9. https://doi-org.cobalt.champlain.edu/10.1093/sw/swz049
Moses, J., Bradley, G. L., & O'Callaghan, F.V., (2016). When college students look after themselves: Self-care practices and well-being. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 53(3), 346-359. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2016.1157488
Viner, R. M., & Barker, M. (2005). Young people's health: the need for action. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 330(7496), 901–903. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.330.7496.901
The Story Behind This Project
As a fourth-year psychology student, I have always been told that I should practice self-care. And it took me until the fall of my fourth year to realize that I didn’t know how to actually practice self-care and was suffering from that lack of knowledge. At the time I was managing my education with a job, an internship, and being the president of a club, all while trying to enjoy my last year of college and apply to graduate school. It became apparent to me that I was burnt out when the things I loved most about my education, job, and club were major inconveniences. And it was a hard reality to face, and it took a terrible conversation with someone who told me to try harder for me to realize that I was burnt out and had been for a very long time. I realized later that I had quickly fallen into the “hustle” culture of Champlain College. The “hustle” culture of Champlain College is more of a personal belief that you are not considered a good student, or recognized as one unless you are so overworked that you are almost burnt out or burnt out. And so, I knew that for my capstone project I wanted to create something that could inspire change in the culture of Champlain College. And so, I believe that my division of EHS, is a great place to start, especially since most of the students will be entering fields in which self-care practices are necessary. I hope that this capstone project inspires the faculty of the EHS division to find ways to teach students to be successful in their professions and for students to push for relevant education.
Feel free to reach out to me, Lanie Hyde, with any questions, comments, or concerns.
email - delaney.hyde@mymail.champlain.edu