Editor Introduction.

Abstract

As we bring the year and the volume to a close, I want to first begin by thanking the editorial board members for their careful and thoughtful manuscript reviews as well as assistance in steering the direction of the journal. Thanks also to coeditors, Practice concepts and Innovations section coeditors, Karen Bullock (retiring from this role) and Vickie Leff and well as Reflections editor Stacy Orloff who provide their unique perspectives in those area. The journal can only survive with gracious professionals and academics who serve on the board and those who submit manuscripts describing their experiences, practice, and research. This issue is again devoted to experiences and practice of social work during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic but with a focus on how it affected social workers and palliative care teams. Beginning this spotlight are three reflections on working through the pandemic. In the first article, McCool and colleagues describe the stresses, increased demands and restrictions placed on palliative care social workers and palliative team members. To address team members’ reactions to stress, the palliative care team in one hospital developed an intervention and evaluated the feasibility of a ‘buddy system’. Authors described the intervention and examined resilience of the team members after implementation of the intervention. Team members reported that, in this small sample, it was successful in easing mitigating personal distress and compassion fatigue experienced. The program was found to strengthen the connection and perceived support among team members. Next, Currin-McCulloch and colleagues also examined challenges faced by social workers in health care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a phenomenological approach, these researchers endeavored to gain an understanding of how health care social workers were able to maintain hope and develop meaning from their professional experiences at that time. Feminist theory served as a basis from which to examine the results. Responses from 54 social workers revealed five common themes that further revealed how they found meaning and, in essence, resilience. In an article describing research conducted in India, authors examined well-being of palliative care workers in different work settings (hospital and community) during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Administration of the WHO well-being index found a generally good level of well-being. Several aspects of the work, including years of experience and number of clients who died in the previous month, were found to be associated with well-being. I hope everyone finds time for reflection, self-care and rejuvenation over the upcoming holiday season!