COUNSELOR WELLNESS

Presented by

Cindy Topdemir & Elizabeth Pyc

Top 10 Signs You Are Approaching Burnout

10. You think of the peaceful park you like as “your private therapeutic milieu.”

11. You realize that your floridly psychotic patient, who is picking invisible flowers out of mid air, is probably having more fun in life than you are.

12. A grateful client, who thinks you walk on water, brings you a small gift and you end up having to debrief your feelings of unworthiness with a colleague.

13. You are watching a re-run of the “Wizard of Oz” and you start to categorize the types of delusions that Dorothy had.

14. Your best friend comes to you with severe relationship troubles, and you start trying to remember which cognitive behavioral technique has the most empirical validly for treating this problem.

Top 10 Signs You Are Approaching Burnout Cont’d

5. You realize you actually have no friends, they have all become just one big case load.

6. A co-worker asks how you are doing and you reply that you are a bit “internally preoccupied” and “not able to interact with peers” today.

7. Your spouse asks you to set the table and you tell them that it would be “countertherapeutic to your current goals” to do that.

8. You tell your teenage daughter she is not going to start dating boys because she is “in denial”, ”lacks insight.” and her “emotions are not congruent with her chronological age.”

And the # 1 Sign You Are Approaching Burnout…

1. You are packing for a trip to a large family holiday reunion and you take the DSM-IV with you “just in case” (King, 1996).

Code of Ethics: Impairment

“Counselors refrain from offering or accepting professional services when their physical, mental, or emotional problems are likely to harm a client or others. They are alert to the signs of impairment, seek assistance for problems, and, if necessary, limit, suspend, or terminate their professional responsibilities.”

(ACA, 2005, C.2.g.)

Wellness from a Holistic Perspective Social

• Assertiveness, values, relationships, positive confrontation.

Emotional• Self-care plans, coping w/ anger, anxiety, pain, injury, & trauma,

enhancing sense of self-worth.

Cognitive• Increase satisfaction & personal success, visualization.

Spiritual• Principles, growth, wisdom, journal writing, meditation.

Physical• Nutrition, physiological stress reactions, yoga.

Vocational• Career Development, self-exploration, life planning.

Self-Care Defined

“Searching for positive life experiences that lead to zest, peace, excitement, & happiness.” (Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 2003).

Effects of Burnout

Secondary Trauma Marital ProblemsAbsenteeismSubstance AbuseExacerbation of Medical/Emotional

ProblemsDepression

Secondary Trauma

Definition: “Risk that is related to engaging empathetically w/ another’s traumatic material.” (O’Halloran & Linton, 2000)

Symptoms resemble PTSD– Re-experiencing ~ through recollection or dream

– Persistent Arousal ~ diminished concentration

– Avoidance of Thoughts/Feelings

Impact of Secondary Trauma

Performance of Job Tasks

Morale

Interpersonal

Behavioral

Internal Burnout Conditions

IdealismPerfectionismFrustrationPoor Ego-StrengthDifficulty Drawing BoundariesFatigueEmotional Exhaustion

External Burnout Conditions

Role AmbiguityWork demands conflict with values/ethicsWork OverloadInconsequentialityLow PayLow Functioning ClientsManaged Care/Paperwork

Stages of Burnout

1. Enthusiasm ~ “high hopes”

2. Stagnation ~ needs are not being met

3. Frustration ~ question your general worth

4. Apathy ~ indifference

Burnout Prevention

Educational– Self-knowledge, wellness committee, burnout

prevention plan

Emotional– Support System: counseling, family, friends, peers

Cognitive– Hobbies, relaxation, meditation

Physical– Exercise, nutrition, sleep

Agency Support

Supervisor SupportWellness ProgramManageable Case LoadsRequiring/Encouraging VacationsPreventing “Workaholism”WorkshopsEstablishing/Encouraging EAP

Self-Esteem & Burnout in Professional School Counselors

Negative Administration Perception

Role Conflict & Ambiguity

Increased Workload

Diversified Roles

Non-Related Counselor Tasks

Self-Esteem & Burnout in Professional School Counselors

3 Dimensions of Burnout: • Emotional Exhaustion• Depersonalization• Reduced Personal Accomplishment

4 Dimensions of Collective Self-Esteem• Private• Public• Membership• Importance of Identity

Self-Esteem (SE) & Burnout Results

Indirect Relationship Burnout in Urban Schools Burnout if employed >20 years Increased Collective Public SE

– Decreased emotional exhaustion – Increased feelings of personal accomplishment

Self-Esteem (SE) & Burnout Results Cont’d

Increased Identity SE – Depersonalization & Personal

Accomplishment

Support Network: Professional Organizations, Colleagues, Family, Friends

ACA Impairment Survey (2004)

770 Counselors Surveyed

63.5% reported knowing an impaired counselor.– 54.3% Supervisors Aware– 64.2% Colleagues Aware

77.8% No disciplinary action

73.7% No therapeutic intervention

75.7% Posed significant risk to counseling profession

Professional Quality of Life Survey

Compassion Satisfaction• Mean=37 • 25% score above 41• 25% score below 32 *

Burnout• Mean=23• 25% score above 28 *• 25% score below 19

Compassion Fatigue/Secondary Trauma• Mean=13• 25% score above 17 *• 25% score below 8 * Possible Area

of Concern

References

ACA (2005). Retrieved May 23, 2006, from http://www.counseling.org/wellness%5Ftaskforce/tf_assessment.htm.

Butler, S. K., & Constantine, M. G. (2005). Collective self-esteem and burnout in professional school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 9(1), 55-62.

Corey, G., Corey, M. G., & Callanan, P. (2003). Issues of ethics in the helping professions. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

King, S. A. (1996). Retrieved May 25, 2006, from http://webpages.charter.net/stormking/topten.html.

MacCluskie, K. C., & Ingersoll, R. E. (2001). Becoming a 21st century agency counselor. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson.

O’Halloran, T. M. & Linton, J. M. (2000). Stress on the job: Self-care resources for counselors. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 22(4), 354-364.

Yassen, J. (1995). Preventing secondary traumatic stress disorder. Compassion Fatigue New York: Brunner/Mazel, p. 191.