Worker Self Care is a vital aspect to sustainable practice in the helping professions.  It refers to a range of strategies which are the shared responsibility of the organisation and the individual to ensure that workers do not suffer negatively from the effects of caring for others in their work. 

Effective self-care for workers in the AOD sector should include supervision and debriefing processes that are formally structured aspects of the organisation, as well as less structured personal and professional strategies to ensure healthy work life balance and professional boundaries are in place.

Attention to self-care is important for all workers in the helping professions, regardless of their age, level of experience, professional background, or other factors; the type of support required may vary at different points in a person’s career, so having a range of different tools and strategies available is useful.

This module was prepared by The Bouverie Centre, Melbourne.