The invisible toll on those who accompany
Working with children in vulnerable situations is one of the noblest and, at the same time, one of the most demanding tasks. In residential centers, juvenile detention centers, or socio-educational programs, educators, psychologists, social workers, and other professionals experience daily realities marked by loss, trauma, and uncertainty.
Each intervention requires emotional presence, patience, and an enormous capacity for restraint. But often, in that constant effort to care for others, the professional themselves takes a back seat.
Emotional exhaustion isn't always immediately noticeable. It seeps in through small things: persistent tiredness, irritability, the feeling of never being able to keep up, difficulty switching off, or a loss of enthusiasm for work.
This phenomenon, known as compassion fatigue or empathy fatigue, particularly affects those who become deeply involved in the suffering of others. And if left unaddressed, it can develop into burnout, that is, profound professional exhaustion.
Acknowledging it is not a sign of weakness: it is the first step to protect emotional health and ensure ethical and sustainable support.
The myth of the tireless educator
In the social and educational spheres, a deeply ingrained idea persists: that those who work helping others must be able to handle anything. The "good professional" is someone who never gets tired, who is always available, who doesn't break down, who leaves their personal life outside of it.
This ideal, besides being inhumane, is dangerous. It leads us to confuse vocation with sacrifice, and commitment with excessive demands.
Caring doesn't mean losing yourself. True professionalism lies in knowing how to set boundaries, recognizing your own emotions, and asking for help when needed.
An exhausted educator cannot provide adequate support; an overwhelmed social worker loses their capacity for empathy; a psychologist without space for self-care risks becoming disconnected from their purpose.
Therefore, talking about self-care is not talking about superficial well-being: it is talking about quality in intervention and ethical responsibility towards minors.
Emotion as a professional tool
Unlike other work environments, working with children is not limited to applying techniques or protocols. Its raw material is human interaction.
Every gesture, every word, and every silence from the professional has an impact on the educational process. Therefore, emotional intelligence becomes a key skill.
However, to manage the emotions of others, you must first know how to manage your own.
Intervening with children in vulnerable situations constantly activates intense emotions: sadness, frustration, anger, helplessness, or even fear.
Denying or hiding them only amplifies them. The healthy thing to do is to acknowledge them, share them, and learn to manage them, both individually and as a team.
Spaces for supervision, coordination, and joint reflection are not a luxury or a bureaucratic formality: they are therapeutic spaces for the team. They allow for reviewing cases, expressing emotions, learning from mistakes, and preventing emotional burdens from becoming chronic.
Taking care of yourself is also a form of education.
The example set by adults has an enormous impact on educational processes. Children observe, imitate, and learn from the way educators relate to themselves and others.
A professional who takes care of themselves, manages their time, knows how to ask for support, and sets healthy boundaries is transmitting fundamental values: respect, responsibility, and balance.
Similarly, a team that cultivates a positive internal climate and strong relationships projects cohesion. A culture of mutual support—where effort is recognized, emotions are expressed openly, and responsibilities are shared—creates a safer environment for both staff and children.
Taking care of oneself, in this sense, is not selfish: it is an educational tool and an act of institutional coherence.
Real strategies for self-care
Self-care is not about making a list of good intentions (“I’m going to the gym”, “I’m sleeping more”), but about integrating concrete and sustainable practices into your professional routine.
Some effective strategies include:
- Take care of your rhythms: respect your breaks, disconnect on your days off, and avoid bringing the emotional burden of work home.
- Sharing emotions as a team: verbalizing what weighs on you, asking for help, relying on your teammates, and accepting that you can't always handle everything.
- Seek professional supervision: supervision spaces are a tool for collective mental health, not a workplace inspection.
- Adjust expectations: Don't confuse the desire to help with the obligation to "save" anyone. Education and social intervention are processes, not miracles.
- Maintaining your identity outside of work: keeping up hobbies, personal relationships and activities that contribute to well-being outside of the workplace.
- Practice self-compassion: treat yourself with the same understanding you have towards others.
When teams manage to internalize these practices, daily work becomes more balanced and more humane.
Institutions must also take care
You can't talk about self-care without talking about working conditions.
Teams need structures that allow for rest, continuous training, supervision, and stability. It's not enough to demand individual resilience if institutions don't promote a healthy environment.
Organizations committed to children must incorporate professional care as part of their internal culture: schedules that respect rest times, channels for active listening, psychological support if necessary, and leadership that prioritizes the well-being of the team as much as that of the children.
A well-cared-for worker educates better, communicates better, and is able to maintain quality relationships in the long term.
Caring for the caregiver is not a concession: it is an ethical and professional investment in the effectiveness of the child care system.
In a world where haste and demands are constant, stopping to take care of oneself is an act of resistance.
The professionals who work with vulnerable children operate on the border between pain and hope. Every educational gesture, every conversation, every intervention is charged with emotional involvement.
That's why self-care is not a secondary option: it's the foundation on which everything else is built.
Only those who are balanced can offer stability. Only those who feel heard can truly listen. Only those who take care of themselves can care for others without breaking down.
Caring for oneself in order to care is not a slogan, it is a work philosophy: a way of understanding intervention as a human, shared and conscious process, in which the well-being of the professional and that of the child are deeply intertwined.
Would you like to study these and other current topics related to childhood and adolescent development? Learn about the Postgraduate in Intervention with Minors and work on what you really like!
