Greenwich Social Work Review 2020, Vol 1, No 2, 103-105 https://doi.org/10.21100/gswr.v1i2.1168 ISSN: 2633-4313 Contact: btonui@oakland.edu 103 © 2020 Greenwich Social Work Review Reflection COVID-19: Social work reflections on challenges and lessons Betty C. Tonui 1 , Kristen E. Ravi 2 and Patricia C. Rodriguez 3 1 Department of Anthropology, Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA 2 College of Social Work, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA 3 The Bail Project, Marina del Rey, CA, USA Received 28 October 2020 Accepted for publication 3 December 2020 Published 18 December 2020 1. Introduction The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a pandemic that has changed our lives drastically. In this reflection, we focus on the disruptions and lessons from our lived experiences hoping that our shared vulnerability and collective experience calls us to reflect more and show compassion within ourselves, places of work, and our homes. In the following sections, we highlight the perspectives of a social work field liaison, a social work Ph.D. candidate and a mother, as well as a practicing community liaison social worker. 2. Social work field liaison The COVID-19 has resulted in significant disruptions as social distancing policies were established. I [BT] begin this reflection by sharing my experiences as a field liaison. For context, I wrote this reflection after the spring semester of 2020 ended. As a liaison and an instructor of records, some of my responsibilities included linking students, their field instructors, and the university. Since this was through an online platform, my support was provided primarily through emails, announcements, or phone calls, where necessary. Inevitably, the pandemic had significant disruptions on social work field students. In early March 2020, many of my students started working remotely, while others reported losing placements. As a result, I witnessed my students go through a period filled with anxious thoughts, feelings of isolation, and confusion. In response to COVID-19, however, the Council of Social Work Education, the social work accrediting body in the United States, allowed students to obtain fewer hours in the spring semester, unlike common practice. Such changes enabled many of my students to complete their field hours successfully. Even though some could not continue in-person, the school developed new structures to include assigning students to work with faculty members to meet their practice goals. While this process looked different than anticipated for the student, these opportunities offered a different perspective in integrating research activities into field learning experiences. Despite the pandemic, there have been significant takeaways from this season. As a field liaison, I learned that flexibility, empathy, and compassion were of paramount importance during these unprecedented times. These values are not new for social workers. These are values that we naturally draw on while working with diverse groups of people and a variety of complex needs. I also found that having a routine during this season has been helpful yet unpredictable. Having a clear routine, especially when working from home, has helped manage my stress during the uncertainty. Indeed, evidence suggests that individuals who have set habits and routines live healthier lifestyles, while those who have no routine are more likely to experience higher levels of stress, lack of sleep, poor diet, and poor use of time (Northwestern Medicine, 2020). Further, World Health Organization (WHO) (2020) indicates that positive lifestyle behaviors such as having a good self-care routine improve one’s mental health and well-being; thus, this was important to me. Consequently, the pandemic creates stress and anxiety for us all, but I have found that a daily routine has helped me reduce some of these stressors. Assuming a role as a field liaison also provided me with an opportunity to acknowledge and support my students’