In this, our second episode, we talk about the constant changes in social work regarding policies, legal and organisational frameworks, and/or service redesigns. From joining health and social care partnerships to a potential National Care Service in Scotland, we question how social workers are coping with constant changes and seemingly ever-growing demands. Coaching can help social workers to adapt, gives them a space to think, and can support them in managing anxiety and uncertainty whilst navigating change in their personal or professional lives.  “We trained hard . . . but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.” (source unknown)

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Episode 1 – Speaking Our Truth: social workers opening up about self-harm, suicide ideation, shame, burnout, and guilt. (Co-host: Annie MacIver and Michaela Horan)  In this first podcast we consider the psychological impact of self-harming behaviour, suicide ideation, shame, burnout, and guilt in the social work profession. There is sometimes an implicit message that social workers should be resilient, self-reliant, professional, and able to get on with their work in the face of extreme challenges. This episode explores what it means to work in a profession that often places unrealistic expectations on social workers without enough consideration for their emotional well-being, and what we, as colleagues and coaches, can do about it.