Causes and Prevention of Burnout in Human Services Essay

Burnout, according to the Maslach & Jackson model, relates to a feeling of weariness, indifference and reduced performance (Maslach & Jackson 1981, 1993). It is a gradual process whereby the stresses of working closely with individuals requiring support or guidance result in various symptoms detrimental to both in one’s professional field as well as and personal functioning. It is characterised within three domains: the depletion of emotional reserves (emotional exhaustion), an increasingly cynical and negative approach towards others (depersonalisation) and a growing feeling of work related dissatisfaction (diminished personal accomplishment) (Maslach & Jackson, 1981, 1993). Although any employee may be vulnerable to burnout, human service

Certain personality traits can exacerbate one’s experience to stress, making one more susceptible to burnout. It is important that those that work in ministry comprehend that their attitudes can be a contributing factor in developing burnout. Croucher (2017) in his article Stress and Burnout in Ministry explains one’s personality, and attitudinal factors may increase a person’s propensity to developing burnout. Some traits that can contribute to the likely hood of burnout include perfectionism, pessimist attitude, and lack of belief in what one does (under “Burnout”). Striving to do one's best is often a sign of a hard worker and can be a positive trait. On the other hand, these types of attitudes can cause a person to spiral into a pattern of a negative and distorted way of thinking. Individuals with these traits often find themselves being overly conscious of the mistakes they may make and worry they are letting others down. As they perform their duties, they constantly fear that their work will not measure up to the high standards they impose on themselves. They consistently worry about making mistakes and letting people down. On the other hand, there is a fear of not measuring up to their impossibly high standards. In the article Recovering from Burnout (2017), the editors state, "It is important to take time and think about any negative feelings that one might be feeling”. Also, it is important to keep a stress diary will be useful in identifying

One of the keys to eliminating burnout in the counseling field, is for the counselor to recognize when they are experiencing some of the symptoms. Kottler (2010) reports some of the signs of burnout include experiencing emotional exhaustion, having negative attitudes for your clients, feelings of lack of accomplishment, and becoming easily discouraged. Therefore, if we notice ourselves without the enthusiasm or drive for that passion which once drove us into this field chances are we may be experiencing symptoms of burnout. Oser, Biebel, Pullen, and Harp (2013) report it is always good to have

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).

An Employee Assistance Program, also known as an EAP, is an employer funded counselling service to help employees deal with social and emotional problems that impact on their well-being and on their work.

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).

 "Burnout is the index of the dislocation between what people are and what they have to do. It represents an erosion in values, dignity, spirit, and will...It is a malady that spreads gradually and continuously over time, putting people into a downward spiral from which it's hard to recover"(Maslach & Leiter, 1997, p.17). Burnout has also been associated with lack of feelings of personal accomplishment and significance. Those that enter clinical practice often do so because they are willing to sacrifice a larger pay scale in exchange for doing a job that gives them a sense of accomplishment. Many social workers enter the field with an idealistic view the impact that they will have on the lives of their clients. When this view

The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend initial research demonstrating the benefits of MBSR for medical students (Shapiro, et.al, 1998). It was the first time anyone had examined the effects of MBSR on actively practicing health care providers. The primary hypotheses of the study were that MBSR would decrease overall psychological and physiological stress, and decrease job burnout. A second hypothesis was that MBSR would increase overall life satisfaction and self-compassion (Shapiro, et al, 2005).

Occupational burnout is a serious issue that impacts one’s life in a multitude of ways. Working in Child Welfare is a stressful and challenging job. During middle adulthood (40-60 years) many changes occur in one’s life that bring about a new set of challenges. At the intersection of burnout, child welfare work, and middle adulthood is a combination of complex issues with many layers and variables to examine and understand. What leads to burnout in child welfare workers who are in the middle adulthood stage of life? How can the risk of burnout in child welfare be reduced? What effects does burnout have on an individual? This paper will attempt to provide answers to these questions.

Meir (1983) proposed that burnout represents a state in which individuals expect little reward ad considerable punishment from work because of a lack of valued reinforcement, controllable outcomes, or personal competence. Burnout is extremely popular in helping professions. Burnout can have a lot to do with a person’s workload, emotional fatigue, grandiosity, constant worrying, and distraction to name a few. For counselors or anyone in the field of helping others, self-care and wellness is extremely important, this can help to prevent and or lower issues such as counselor impairment, compassion fatigue and burnout.

The research materials consisted of questionnaires, while two are standardized test and the other questions are to collect the sociodemographic and health data of the participants. The first standardized questionnaire that the researchers used is MBI. It consists of 21 questions that measures burn-out and furthermore into its components namely: emotional exhaustion, depolarization and accomplishments. It uses a scale system from 0 to 6 wherein 0 is never and 6 is for every day experience. (Ahola et al., 2005; Brenninkmeijer & van Yperen, 2003) Participants were assigned to a burnout group or non-burnout group based on their mean score. To be assigned to the burnout group, subjects need to score at least 5. The non-burnout group subjects were those that scored, at most, 1.

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).

The Burnout: This person is tired all the time. It sounds simple, but many people don’t – TAKE TIME OFF.

Any work environment can have stressful aspects that can negatively affect the employees’ performance and may lead to burnout. Oftentimes when employees are stressed or burnout their commitment at the job may begin to weaken and they may lose satisfaction. Many organizations have recognized that workers burnout is the result of aggravated chronic work stressors and embodied by enervation and inefficacy. This author will discuss the impact of stress and worker burnout on organizations. Moreover, this author will consider the implication of stress and worker burnout on the employee, as well as the short- and long-term productivity of a business.

EMU management may be implementing what is known as a Sacrificial HR Strategy (Wallace, Eagleson, and Waldersee, 15). According to research, organizations that implement a Sacrificial HR Strategy deliberately minimize employee support to achieve cost effectiveness and keep service quality at high levels simultaneously. This strategy includes, and accepts, high turn-over rates as a result of burnout, but despite the fact, organizations may not