What is the role of social work in cases of ED?
When a person with an eating disorder (ED) enters the mental health network to be treated, they encounter different professionals who accompany them throughout the process. One of these profiles is that of social work and, often, the support and care provided by this discipline is not well known. The role of Social Work is fundamental due to its ability to contemplate the patient within a social and family context; and due to the possibility of carrying out a network that facilitates the articulation of intervention at different levels (individual, social, family and community).
How can social work help?
The intervention of social work in this process aims to reduce stress and achieve the healthiest possible family environment. For this reason, the social worker will provide support and accompaniment throughout the entire process of the disease, identifying and influencing the risk factors that each situation may present, both social and cultural (family conflicts or elements of the environment that may negatively impact the smooth evolution and recovery process of the disease). All these actions are agreed upon as a team and integrated into the therapeutic plan of the affected person.
Joan Alvarós Costa
What do social workers do in cases of ED?
- We intervene in the whole family context
Although it is common to think that social work intervention is based solely on alleviating economic difficulties, the role is much broader. The causes of the disease and the different elements that trigger family discomfort are multifactorial. Therefore, it is important to be able to approach the entire family context.
- We detect family factors that may be influencing it.
The focus on the family: it is necessary to be alert to try to decongest or deactivate those elements that may be influencing the family's care of the illness (other illnesses, financial concerns, lack of interpersonal relationships and support, cultural barriers, etc.).
- We manage underlying family conflicts
We must also be prepared to manage those underlying family conflicts that arise with the onset of the disorder. We cannot ignore the exploration of possible risk situations, often camouflaged, or confirm the implementation of measures aimed at protection.
- We promote beneficial family dynamics
Sometimes, it is useful to promote new organizations and dynamics that are more appropriate at this time, paying special attention to the primary caregiver (who is at risk of burnout) and siblings (who often take a secondary role).
- We inform and guide you about existing resources
In the context of teamwork, there is collaboration in informing the family about the illness and in providing guidance on the types of behaviors that are appropriate to carry out with the person suffering from an eating disorder. There is also guidance on the existing resources aimed at the affected person that help them carry out alternative activities at critical moments of the illness.
- We assist the person at different times during their treatment.
Finally, the social worker's intervention is not only located at the time when the person is in treatment. Social intervention can be: prior to treatment; prior to hospital admission; during hospital admission or during outpatient treatment. At each of these times, social intervention can respond to different needs.
- We coordinate and link each family with community services
The social worker will coordinate and link each family with the appropriate community services, and will also activate other supports that may be needed during the treatment process, assessed in a personalized way for each family. The resources and services of the community network play a fundamental role, since they are integrated into the child or adolescent's immediate environment, providing us with very valuable information for the development of our work, as well as for establishing joint intervention plans to achieve an adequate, stable and favorable environment for the child's development. It also allows us to guarantee the continuity of the process once the hospital device has been discharged.
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