‘What is inside is outside’: The influence of dispositional mindfulness and practices on social work intervention

Social work is a profession with a high risk of emotional exhaustion and burnout. Although personal and organizational self-care is essential, professionals tend to prioritize users’ needs and engage in self-care only to a limited extent. In recent years, mindfulness has become established as a strategy for self-care and self-awareness, with growing evidence of its benefits. However, most existing studies focus on the effectiveness of mindfulness-based programs and employ quantitative methodologies. This study also focuses on dispositional mindfulness (not derived from formal practice), providing a qualitative perspective that complements previous quantitative research. Using the communicative paradigm, qualitative results are presented from a mixed-methods study analyzing the discourse of 42 social workers across 20 communicative stories and 5 communicative discussion groups. The findings suggest that mindfulness enhances self-awareness and facilitates the early detection of burnout, acting as a protective factor, and encourages greater reflection on the individual and organizational conditions associated with burnout. It also contributes to personal well-being and improves professional interventions. Nevertheless, professionals show limited engagement with self-care and some reluctance towards the practice of mindfulness, both individual and organizationally. Although mindfulness may support professional wellbeing, its contribution is greatest when embedded within broader organizational and structural responses.