Burnout : Mental Health Professionals

Regarding the connection between resilience and burnout, there have been studies conducted in multi-occupational populations (Edward, 2005; García-Izquierdo, Ramos, & García-Izquierdo, 2009; Menezes, Fernández, Hernández, Ramos, & Contador, 2006) that have shown a negative relationship between the two variables, reflecting the moderating potential that resilience has in terms of the emergence of elements of burnout. Therefore, it makes sense to insist on the relevance of encouraging this psychological capacity from the educational sphere in order to prevent the appearance of burnout and to promote maintenance of psychological health in this population of future professionals (McAllister & McKinnon, 2009). As described above, studies with various

Nursing “burnout” is becoming a common issue in the nursing community. Psychologist Herbert J. Freudenberg “described

Oser, Bieble, Pullen, and Harp (2013) report taking a vacation is always a good thing for someone who is experiencing burnout. Although, it is easier to commit to a prevention plan to help yourself from suffering from burnout, than trying to eliminate or reduce it after it has set in. Lenz and Sangganjanavanich (2015) report it is important that counselors maintain their wellness if they are to be affective in helping their client to achieve their own personal wellness. The mental health counseling field can be exhausting, and if the counselor is not taking care of themselves prior to meeting these demands it can be mentally, physically, and emotionally

Burnout is a gradual onset with symptoms coming on over time slowly. Burnout symptoms may include physical exhaustion, hopelessness, negative self-concept, having difficulty leaving home, and inability to concentrate are just some of the symptoms. Due to the gradual onset of symptoms, it is often hard to detect early (Dass-Brailsford, 2007). In McCann and Pearlman’s article they discuss burnout as a, “psychological strain from working with difficult populations” (McCann & Pearlman, 1990).

According to Wester, Trepal, and Myers (2009, p. 91), “well counselors are more likely to produce well clients.” Thus, the mental, physical, and emotional health of the counselors has the ability to affect their clients. ACA (2005) states that “Counselors act to avoid harming their clients”. Moreover, counselors have an ethical obligation to evaluate, address, and improve their wellness when necessary (Wolf, Thompson, Thompson, & Smith-Adcock, 2014). Research shows that higher organizational stress was associated with lower client participation in the treatment program (Landrum, Knight, & Flynn, 2012). In addition, the working alliance between the counselor and the client is diminished due to high stress and burnout (O’Sullivan, 2012). A counselor who experiences burnout may lack empathy, respect, positive feeling, therapeutic gridlock, and or boundary violations (Wallace, Lee, & Lee, 2010). Therefore, it is vital for counselors to remediate their impairments when they occur. Counselors have to be aware of the signs and symptoms related to their own mental or emotional problems (ACA, 2005). Likewise, counselors should build resiliency against burnout. Resiliency is built by a continuation of healthy decision making (Wester, Trepal, & Myers, 2009). Counselors should seek help or assistance when they observe warning signs of personal impairment, not just for themselves, but for the wellbeing of

During the first scenario involving Lieutenant Fuentes, his meteoric rise to the top of his law enforcement agency was described. During his rise to the top, Lieutenant Fuentes made several critical mistakes that ultimately led to his demise. He was able to reach the level of major within a few short years and had a wonderful family. Shortly after his wedding, Lieutenant Fuentes was involved in a serious car crash that resulted in him becoming addicted to pain medications. Upon his return to work, he began engaging in extramarital affairs that eventually led to the demise of his relationship and subsequently he and his wife were divorced.

As with any career, human service professionals face potential challenges that make it difficult for them to accomplish the objectives of their positions. When challenged with these obstacles, it becomes increasingly difficult for the human service professional to deliver the outstanding help and care a client needs. One such challenge is that of burnout, a reaction to the stress and strain inherent in a position that causes individuals to adopt a negative attitude about work and clients as well as become detached with the expectations of their position and its overall purpose (Woodside & McClam, 2015, p. 256). There are also physical reactions to burnout, including exhaustion, stomach issues or other illnesses, and body pain (Woodside & McClam, 2015, p. 256). This burnout can be triggered by a number of different factors, from difficulties in allocating scarce resources (Woodside & McClam, 2015, p. 249) and motivating clients to help themselves (Woodside & McClam, 2015, p. 256), to self-neglect on the part of the helper (Jackson, 2014).

When a counselor or Therapist work in agencies they need have a wellness plan in place to prevent these types of symptoms from being over worked with limited support available to delegate other responsibilities of their workload to others. Since agencies may put the counselor or psychotherapist at a higher risk due to emotional exhaustion. A state of isolation and detachment causes a person to experience compassion fatigue when counselors or psychotherapists constantly interact with clients who experience distress. Compassion fatigue impede on a counselor’s empathy which causes them to extreme

Social workers is a particularly hazardous profession due to high burnout rates, anxiety, substance use, depression, and suicide (Shanafelt, Boone, Tan, Dyrbye, Sotile, Satele, Oreskovich, 2012). Studies have found that there are two key factors were identified as relevant to social work burnout: age and setting (Brewer & Shapard, 2004; Schwartz, et al. 2007). The team found that younger social workers reported lower personal accomplishment, higher psychological strain, and higher levels of depersonalization than older social workers (Schwartz, et al., 2007).

summary, a fair amount of research has been conducted on burnout and compassion fatigue. it is important to understand the individual factors that lead to the development of burnout and compassion fatigue. Another purpose is to understand whether or not the experience of STS is limited only to those who have direct contact with individuals who are experiencing trauma symptoms. Additionally, most literature that discusses coping with compassion fatigue focuses on self-care techniques rather than on an effective style of cognitive appraisal. Common assumptions are that effective coping styles for healthcare workers will generalize to the mental health field. The present study also aims to identify a coping profile indicating whether or not a

It is evident that the relationship between work stress and mental health has been established by numerous research studies. As discussed in Koesky (1993), the fact that all jobs involve some degree of stress makes it all the more alarming as to the level of stress experienced by individuals working in the human services. That is, given that these individuals are heavily involved in the lives of others, they often develop mental health symptoms that are characteristic of work-related stressors. In fact, “This involvement, which requires caring commitment and empathic responding, places workers at risk for a special type of strain commonly referred to as 'burnout'” (Koesky, 1993, p. 319).

Value exists in analyzing the prevalence of burnout and compassion fatigue among the formation professionals and personnel. Understanding the needs of diverse demographic groups offers valuable direction for intervention program development. Hence, eventually an avenue to develop program to maintain wellness and device strategies professionals can do to replenish themselves when feeling stressed, distressed, or

Arches (1991) defined job satisfaction as “an affective state describing feelings about one’s work.” Job satisfaction among care managers and explanation for their levels must be researched as when job satisfaction levels are low there are high levels of burnout and turnover (Arches, 1991). Studies have been performed that demonstrate that social workers that play the role of care managers often succumb to feelings of burnout. Arches (1991) defined as “to a cluster of physical, emotional, and interactional symptoms related to job stress and includes emotional exhaustion, a sense of lacking personal accomplishment, and depersonalization of clients.” A care manager that struggles with the effects of burnout may

According to Elkin and Rosch (1990) workplace related stress in a major problem in the U.S. and it creates a major expense for corporations. Koeske, Kirk, and Koeske (1993) indicate that all jobs have some level of stress but jobs that are in the human services have additional stressors because they “derive from intense involvement in the lives of others”. (p.319). They also refer to the type of stress experienced by individuals working in human services as “burnout” (Koeske, Kirk, and Koeske, 1993, p.319). Another factor that can influence our stress level is how we handle life’s demands. There are different ways of reacting to the situations we face every day of our lives. We have all heard of expressions such as ‘road rage’ and ‘going postal’. These are terms that we have come to identified with violent reactions to stressors caused by situations all of us face every day. How many of us have experiences in the road that

Performing monotonous or unchallenging work: Though the case study mentions this as a cause of burnout, there may be other factors which cause the