HILOM: Self-Care Training
Self-care is not synonymous with being selfish or self-indulgent. It means taking care of yourself to do the things you want to accomplish, complete your tasks, help or care for others, do your job properly, be well, and be healthy.
And that is what World Hope International (WHI) – Philippines wants to teach the house parents, social workers, and other caregivers taking care of the survivors of Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC). WHI understands that taking care of them is a tedious job because they are constantly exposed to traumatized clients while at the same time working on completing the organization’s social responsibility.
WHI knows that the overwhelming pressure can potentially result in burnout, fatigue, and stress among the caregivers; therefore, they decided to conduct a self-care workshop.
The HILOM: A Self-Care Workshop for Care Providers organized and facilitated by WHI was held in J7 Plaza Hotel, Ilo-Ilo City, from April 26 to April 27, 2022. The workshop was attended by 75 social workers and house parents who provide psycho-social support to OSAEC survivors in NCR and Region 7.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FIRST DAY
The first day started with the registration process and morning prayer and was followed by the brief project orientation facilitated by Mr. Frederico Cabredo.
Then, Mr. Cabredo wants the participants to understand the issues related to working with OSAEC victims, including burnout, compassion fatigue, and stress. He started defining each problem and teaching them about the signs that their body is overloaded or tired.
Through his discussion, he wants them to identify the wellness issues most social workers and caregivers face in helping survivors and differentiate each.
After Mr. Cabredo’s discussion, Ms. Adesty Dulawan gave a talk about the factors that can contribute to reduced wellness. Like Mr. Cabredo, she wanted the participants to identify the wellness issues related to assisting OSAEC survivors.
Once Ms. Dulawan ended her discussion, Mr. Cabredo discussed what self-care is and how important it is. He wanted to instill in the participant’s minds that self-care is an important practice that enhances their wellness and professional efficiency in helping OSAEC victims.
In addition, he wanted them to understand the importance of regularly doing self-care practices if they want to improve their physical health and well-being.
He ended the first day’s training by discussing the physical components of self-care and giving the participants tips on how they commit to self-care and plan for it.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SECOND DAY
The second day of WHI’s training talked about how the participants can care for their body, mind, soul, and relationships, facilitated by Ms. Dulawan. She also taught them how to make a self-care plan they could follow daily.
She wanted the participants to use different approaches to care for their overall well-being and adapt healthy boundaries in handling relationships through her discussion. Moreover, she wanted them to look for activities that could help them improve their spiritual growth.
Engaging in self-care is a huge factor that can help care providers reduce burnout, fatigue, and stress while helping OSAEC survivors. WHI wants to instill in their minds that self-care is important in maintaining their overall well-being to continue helping the children.
Self-care is one of the answers to how one can better cope with daily stressors. It can include everything related to staying physically healthy — including seeking medical help whenever necessary, nutrition, and hygiene. In short, it refers to the steps one can take to manage stressors in your life and take care of your overall well-being and health.
World Hope International has been working in the Philippines to address OSAEC through several projects. Learn more about PAVE II and our OSEC Research and Response.
You can also make a gift today to The Hope Fund, which allows us to work where and when it matters.