1. Chapter Sixteen: Human Services Workers in Crisis: Burnout, Vicarious Traumatization, and Compassion Fatigue

2. Helping Professionals: Prime Candidates
Nature of the job is to be intensely involved with people who are in need of assistance.
Recipe for burnout:
High levels of motivation
Idealistic
Expectation that their work will give their life a sense of meaning
Many helping professions have historically low success rates.
Human service field is becoming more difficult .

3. Defining Burnout Historical roots from the 1970s
“Burned out” physically, emotionally, spiritually, interpersonally, and behaviorally to the point of exhaustion.
Herbert Freudenberger (1974, 1975)
Described young, idealistic volunteers working in alternative health-care settings who started to look and act worse than many of their clients.
Burnout consists of the following:
Lost energy to the point of exhaustion
Lost enthusiasm to the point of absolute indifference
Passion is replaced by cynicism
Complete lack of confidence that your work is having any positive impact

4. Dynamics of Burnout Foundation Blocks of Burnout
Role ambiguity
Role conflict
Role overload
Inconsequentiality
Isolation
Autonomy
Research on Burnout Dynamics
Myths That Engender Burnout
Symptoms of Burnout
Behavioral
Physical
Interpersonal
Attitudinal

5. Dynamics of Burnout Cont.
Levels of Burnout
Trait
State
Activity
Stages of Burnout
Enthusiasm
Stagnation
Frustration
Apathy

6. Worker–Client Relationships
Countertransference
Secondary Traumatic Stress
Vicarious Traumatization
Compassion Fatigue
Compassion Satisfaction

7. The Culpability of Organizations
Much of the responsibility lies with the employer.
Employee’s influence on policy and procedures
Employee’s level of autonomy
Employee’s feeling of appreciation
Employers should provide consultation and supervision.
Employers should offer support, social connection, and self-care opportunities.

8. Self-Recognition of Burnout
NO ONE IS IMMUNE!
Everyone has a blind spot.
Typical MO is to increase effort (actually increases the problem) rather than attempting to change the situation.

9. Intervention Strategies
Assessment
Burnout
Compassion Fatigue and Compassion Satisfaction
Work Environment
Intervention Through Training
Intervention With the Organization
Burnout-Proofing an Agency
Social Support Systems
Support Groups
The Individual and the Organization
Self-Care

10. Private Practitioners and Burnout
Isolation
Business Concerns
Financial
Client base
Marketing services
Maintaining a Public Presence
Difficult Work Schedule
Evenings
Weekends
Few vacations

11. INTERVENTION WITH THE INDIVIDUAL
Direct Action
Palliative Action
BASIC IDS
Behavior
Affect
Sensation
Imagery
Cognition
Interpersonal relationships
Drugs/biology
Setting

12. Epilogue: Cross-Cultural Comparisons
Victor Savicki (2002) landmark study using the Maslach Burnout Inventory subscales
General environmental work measures
Individual conformity measures