Setting Ourselves on Fire to Keep Others Warm
This is not the first time I have written about the devaluation of social work, and I wish it didn’t need to be written again.
Previous blogs about social work on the Undoing Toxic Blog:
The Grief of Social Work (click to read)
Social Workers Deserve A Push Gift (click to read)
Is Social Work A Black Job? (click to read)
Social Workers Need More Than Pizza (click to read)
Powerful and Phenomenal (click to read)
Social workers are not new to being undervalued. We are accustomed to being told to “do it for the passion,” to accept gratitude in place of protection, to receive pizza parties instead of policy change, mugs instead of meaningful compensation, and praise instead of safety. Somewhere along the way, selflessness became a justification for neglect. We are often sold the hope of “someday soon.”
But let’s be clear: selflessness is not consent to be exploited.
In the wake of recent events, specifically the tragic killing by stabbing of Mr. Alberto Rangel, a social worker in San Francisco, many of us are once again left holding the same familiar questions: How did we get here? Why is our work still so misunderstood, undervalued, and underprotected? And what are we actually asking for when we say we need support? It has been on my mind and I felt compelled to write a piece about it today.
Many of us did not choose this work lightly. Ask a social worker why they entered the field and you may hear stories of paying it forward, of wanting to help, of lived experience with hardship, loss, or injustice. For some, this work comes from deep empathy. For others, from pain transformed into purpose. Either way, social work is rarely chosen for prestige or profit; it is chosen with intention. And yet, we are repeatedly placed in positions that require us to set ourselves on fire to keep others warm.
The Myth of Selflessness
Social workers and helping professionals are often described as “selfless,” “called,” or “having hearts of gold.” And while many of us do enter this field from a place of care, that narrative has been quietly weaponized against us.
When a profession is framed as a calling, it becomes easier to excuse:
inadequate pay
unsafe working conditions
chronic understaffing
unrealistic caseloads
emotional burnout
and retaliation for setting boundaries
“No Longer Regarded as Professional”
Recent news suggesting that social work is “no longer regarded as a professional role” is more than insulting. It is a slap in the face.
Social work requires:
Years of formal coursework
Unpaid or underpaid field placements and internships
Supervised clinical hours
Licensing exams
Ongoing continuing education
State licensure boards, fees, and regulation
Social workers practice across micro, mezzo, and macro levels: in hospitals, schools, community organizations, child welfare systems, courts, government agencies, nonprofits, and private practice. We are clinicians, advocates, crisis responders, policy shapers, caregivers, and system navigators.
During public health crises, natural disasters, community violence, and systemic breakdowns, social workers are on the front lines often while navigating the same fears, losses, and uncertainties as those we served. We show up anyway. We make space for humanity when systems are crumbling.
To suggest that this work is no longer “professional” disregards decades of advocacy by those who fought for recognition, legitimacy, and parity with other licensed professions. It ignores the ethical responsibilities, clinical judgment, and emotional labor inherent in this field. And it minimizes the profound impact social workers have on individuals, families, communities and societies every single day.
Bottom line: If you need us in crisis, we are professionals.
What We Actually Need
Let’s be honest: social workers don’t need more pizza parties, donuts, inspirational quotes, or “thank you for all you do” emails not backed by real action.
We need:
Physical safety and real protections in the workplace
Commensurate compensation for the scope and risk of our work
Safe staffing ratios and realistic caseloads that allow ethical, effective care
Guilt-free, non-retaliatory time off for rest, illness, grief, and recovery
Mental health support without stigma
Clear safety protocols and accountability when harm occurs
Organizational accountability, not silence and/or gaslighting when harm occurs
We are expected to lead with trust, empathy, and openness. Social workers often enter into systems and situations with hearts in the “right place,” regarded as commendable. But too often, that trust is met with inadequate safeguards, leaving us vulnerable, unsupported, and blamed when systems fail. Many of us entered this field believing in systems, ethics, and the promise that care would be mutual. We were sold a dream that if we showed up with integrity, compassion, and professionalism, we would be supported in return. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
Instead, too many social workers learn a painful lesson: having your heart in the right place often puts you at a disadvantage. We are expected to give sacrificially, absorb risk quietly, and remain grateful for the opportunity to serve, even when the cost is our own wellbeing. We are taught to pour endlessly from ourselves, “push through”; to set ourselves on fire to keep others warm, and then blamed when we burn out.
A Message to Social Workers — Present and Future
To current social workers: your work matters, even when systems fail to reflect that truth. You are not weak for needing rest, boundaries, or support. You are not selfish for advocating for yourself.
To students and emerging professionals: your desire to help is honorable and it must be matched with systems that honor and protect you. Question what you are being asked to sacrifice. Advocate early. Learn your worth alongside your clinical skills. Never settle.
The narrative that social workers simply need “better self-care” misses the point entirely. Burnout is not an individual failure; it is a systemic one. You cannot meditate your way out of exploitation. You cannot simply wish your way out of unsafe working conditions.
Caring deeply should not come at the cost of our dignity, safety, or livelihood. Social workers do not need to burn themselves to keep the world warm. We deserve to be protected, respected, and sustained; not because we are martyrs, but because we are professionals.
Our humanity matters, too.
Thank you for reading.
Let’s connect. Email me: moniqueevanstherapy@gmail.com
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For social work clinicians, I also offer clinical consultation meetings (Not to be confused with clinical supervision for licensure hours) at any level of practice.
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