Are you feeling emotionally exhausted or pessimistic about the work you do with clients? You may be experiencing burnout. According to the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases, burnout is “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed” (World Health Organization, 2019). Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism related to your job, and reduced professional efficacy (World Health Organization, 2019). Less experienced counselors may be at greater risk, but you can experience burnout at any point in your career (Lim et al., 2010). Counselor burnout is a problem we often acknowledge. But are we taking the necessary steps to address it? You may have heard of some more commonly suggested remedies for burnout: engaging in self-care, exercising, meditating, participating in spiritual activities, or starting a new hobby (Bray, 2018). These are all helpful suggestions that you should consider implementing. However, this blog is devoted to 3 strategies you may have not previously considered.
1. Advocate for change in your workplace
Burnout is an organization-level issue and cannot be fully addressed at the individual level (Green et al., 2014). While there may be much that is outside of your control, you can still be a catalyst for that change. Brainstorm if there are small changes you could make or suggest that would start some positive organizational change in your workplace. In line with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, what are some adjustments that could ensure that you and your colleagues have your basic needs met while in the workplace?
Do you need a water cooler so you have access to filtered drinking water? A mini-fridge so you can keep snacks readily available to staff? A shift in work hours that would help you get home before traffic makes your commute even worse? Or perhaps some bigger changes need to be made. Perhaps an extra therapist should be hired to help share your agency’s growing caseload. Start making some noise so that your organization becomes one that is supportive and takes steps to prevent burnout in staff. Focus on what you can control, but dream big and take action.
2. Try task-oriented self-care
A strategy I read about recently that makes a lot of sense is ‘task-oriented self-care.’ Plath and Fickling (2022) suggest a strategy that is based in John Holland’s theory on personality types. They suggest that counselors use their Holland code to determine a self-care activity that is the opposite of their career interest. Many counselors are high is Social or Artistic types, so that means that their task-oriented self-care should be Realistic. Some examples of Realistic-oriented tasks are gardening, cooking, cleaning, and tinkering. If you don’t remember your Holland code, consider taking the O*Net Interest Profiler and then engage in an activity that is opposite from your top types in the Holland hexagon.
Once you have identified a task-oriented self-care activity, engage in it mindfully, eliminating any other distractions. For example, if you decide to use cooking as self-care, focus on each of the steps and use your 5 senses to fully engage in the experience. What do you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel as you cook and enjoy the meal you prepared?
3. Change your work situation
If making changes in your workplace or in your personal self-care routine is unsuccessful in addressing your burnout, it may be time to make a bigger change in order to prioritize your own mental health. Some work settings or client caseloads could put counselors at higher risk for burnout (Lim et al., 2010). In general, working longer hours can lead to burnout (Lim et al., 2010). No surprise! Also, if you are working in an agency setting, you could be at risk for more emotional exhaustion than if you worked in a private setting (Lim et al., 2010).
When looking for a new job, try to find one that is going to be better suited to preventing burnout. This should be an organization that provides access to regular and relational oriented supervision, peer support, and you caseload should be balanced and diverse (Sutton et al., 2022). If you don’t have the proper support, or you are the only one who works with clients with the most severe presenting issues, you are likely to experience burnout.
The choice to leave a job that used to bring you joy can be very difficult. But if you have already tried other strategies and you are still experiencing burnout, then a transition may be what is best for you. This doesn’t mean you have to give up on the professional altogether. The options are endless. Think creatively and make a change based on what you need. You could transition to a different setting or reorganize your caseload. Perhaps it means that you take on fewer clients who have severe trauma histories. Maybe you take a break from working as a therapist at a clinic that serves so many clients with more case management needs. Or maybe you take a break from your specialty for a few years if it is high stress and has destroyed any semblance of work-life balance.
Final Thoughts
Burnout should be expected in counselors and other helping professionals. These are just a few strategies to consider when trying to prevent or address it. Burnout is best addressed through a combination of organizational-level changes and through personal strategies such as self-care. You can create change, even if it feels like there is much outside of your control.
Feel free to share in the comments about your own successful strategies to address burnout. We can all learn from each other!
If you decide to leave your current job and need help with your job search, check out the following blogs on the topic: How to Find a Job at a Mental Health Organization, How to Ace Your Counseling Job Interview.
Other Resources
To read more about task-oriented self-care:
To take the O*Net Interest Profiler and learn your Holland (RIASEC) code.
References
Bray, B. (2018, March 28). The battle against burnout. Counseling Today. https://ct.counseling.org/2018/03/the-battle-against-burnout/
Green, A. E., Albanese, B. J., Shapiro, N. M., & Aarons, G. A. (2014). The roles of individual and organizational factors in burnout among community-based mental health service providers. Psychological services, 11(1), 41–49. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035299
Lim, N., Kim, E., Kim, H., Yang, E., & Lee, S.M. (2010). Individual and work-related factors influencing burnout of mental health professionals: A meta-analysis. Journal of Employment Counseling, 47, 86-96. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1920.2010.tb00093.x
Sutton, L., Rowe, S., Hammerton, G., & Billings, J. (2022). The contribution of organizational factors to vicarious trauma in mental health professionals: A systematic review and narrative synthesis. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 13, 2022278. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.2022278
World Health Organization (2019). International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (11th ed.). https://icd.who.int/
This blog was written by Dr. Olivia Bentley, PhD, LPCC-S, Founder of Well Counselor.
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