ACQ_Vol_11_no_3_2009

Mental health

Burnout in clinicians Deborah Perrott

your stress is critical, along with employing coping strategies. Positive workplace cultures allow optimal functioning. Clarification of your role(s) and attendance at professional development courses allow for new learning and support. Engage in one or several of the following on a regular basis, particularly if you are a clinician working in isolation or mental health: debriefing, individual supervision, group supervision, peer support, mentoring (regardless of your level of expertise). Summary Burnout is a reality for clinicians, but preventable by utilising evidence-based skills and strategies. Workplaces are governed by variables so often out of our control. With a greater under- standing of burnout, we can empower ourselves, staff, and colleagues to seek reassurance and support. Consequently, we can engage with our clients, and the various roles we undertake, feeling worthwhile and effective as clinicians. References Ben-Zur, H. (2009). Coping styles and affect. International Journal of Stress Management , 16 (2), 87–101. Maslach, C., Jackson, S.E., & Leiter, M.P. (1996). Maslach burnout inventory manual (3rd ed.). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press. Michie, S., & Williams, S. (2003). Reducing work related psychological ill health and sickness absence: A systematic literature review. Occupational and Environmental Medicine , 60 , 3–9. Miller, S.D., Hubble, M and Duncan, B. (2008). Supershrinks: What is the secret of their success? Psychotherapy in Australia , 14 (4), 14–22. Ortqvist, D., & Wincent, J. (2009). Prominent consequences of role stress: A meta-analytic review. International Journal of Stress Management , 13 (4), 399–422. Peterson, U., Demerouti, E., Bergstrom, G., Asberg, M., & Nygren, A. (2008). Work characteristics and sickness absence in burnout and non-burnout groups: A study of Swedish health care workers. International Journal of Stress Management , 15 (2), 153–172. Sauter, S.L., Brightwell, W.S., Colligan, M.J., Hurrell, J., Katz, T.M., Legrande, D.E., et al., (2002). The changing organization of work and the safety and health of working people . Cincinnati, OH: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Smith, M., Jaffe-Gill, E., Segal, J., & Segal, M. (2008). Preventing burnout: Signs, symptoms, causes and coping strategies. Retrieved 23 July 2009 from http://helpguide.org/ mental/burnout_signs_symptoms.htm Deborah Perrott is a speech pathologist and psychologist, and is completing a PhD in linguistics at Monash University. She is a psychologist in private practice and is currently the project officer for Speech Pathology Australia for the review of the position paper Speech Pathology in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services .

“Who provides the therapy is a much more important determinant of success than what treatment approach is provided” (Miller, Hubble, & Duncan, 2008, p. 15). High job stress and burnout among clinicians has become a topic of interest due to its financial impact on communities. Health and community services have undergone changes to health-care delivery models, staff reductions and longer working hours (Sauter et al., 2002). This is parallel to high stress levels which directly affect health practitioners (Michie & Williams, 2003). Stress is a well-established phenomenon. We know that role-stress (conflict or ambiguity of role) (Ortqvist & Wincent, 2009) and coping styles (Ben-Zur, 2009) are determinants of workplace stress. However, little attention has been given to the notion of burnout. What is burnout? Burnout is a work-related stress, first observed in human service workers and health care sectors (Maslach, Jackson, & Leiter, 1996) and now recognised in all occupational groups. It is composed of three primary elements: (1) feelings of exhaustion (physical, cognitive, and affective strain), (2) disengagement: distancing from work, work objects (including clients, computers) or work content (providing your service); this is seen as a way of distancing an individual from work, and (3) reduced professional accomplishment or reduced professional efficacy (Peterson et al., 2008). The causation for burnout is multi-factorial including work, lifestyle and personality factors which may overlap with mixed presentation. Prevention of burnout An inclusive approach to burnout is recommended. At the individual level, adopting healthy eating, sleeping, and exercise patterns are essential. Learning to understand and manage

Deborah Perrott

Factors contributing to burnout Work-related factors

Lifestyle causes Personality factors

Working in a high- pressured or chaotic environment Engaging in repetitive

Continuous work

Perfectionist

tendencies

Poor sleep patterns Negative self-

work regimes

evaluation and view of others

Expectations of your role are either beyond attainable or unclear A sense of lack of

Lack of leisure and A need for control

relaxation

Poor relationships High achieving and

control with little

with limited

high expectations of

reward(s)

supports

self and others

Constant negative feedback Long hours of work Lack of support/

Correspondence to: Deborah Perrott mobile: 0405 099 249 email: amazon@netspace.net.au

supervision/professional or personal development Source: adapted from Smith, Jaffe-Gill, Segal, & Segal, 2008

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ACQ Volume 11, Number 3 2009

www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au