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Contents
- Abstract
- Method
- Results
- Predictors of Burnout
- Work Factors
- Job control
- Work settings
- Work environment
- Job demands
- Workload
- Caseload
- Support
- Psychotherapist Factors
- Mental health history
- Countertransference
- Psychological distress
- Self-efficacy
- Mindfulness
- Coping strategies
- Personality factors
- Psychotherapist Demographic Factors
- Gender
- Race
- Age
- Education level
- Parental status
- Client Factors
- Nature of client disorders
- Other characteristics of clients
- Effects of Burnout
- Effects on Psychotherapists
- Physical well-being
- Psychological well-being
- Job-satisfaction and turnover
- Effectiveness
- Effects on Clients
- Client engagement
- Clients’ outcome
- Implications
- Clinical Implications
- Research Implications
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Abstract
Burnout is a psychological syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. Due to the demands of treating people with psychological problems, burnout is prevalent among psychotherapists. In this article, we present a comprehensive review of 44 quantitative and qualitative studies from the past decade focusing on both the risk factors for, and effects of, burnout among psychotherapists. Factors influencing burnout include perceived job control, the nature of psychotherapists’ caseload, countertransference reactions, supervisory support, and psychotherapists’ mental health history. Burnout affects psychotherapists’ general well-being, as well as the extent to which clients engage in and benefit from psychotherapy. Implications for psychotherapists and their supervisors for burnout prevention and intervention are discussed, and recommendations for further research in this area are identified.
Question: What does research from the past decade reveal about the prevalence, predictors, and consequences of burnout among mental health professionals? Findings: A review of 44 studies found that factors related to therapists’ workplaces, clients, and personal characteristics can affect their physical and psychological well-being, as well as client outcomes. Meaning: This information can be used to help prevent and treat burnout among psychotherapists. Next Steps: Research is needed to evaluate programs designed to prevent and minimize burnout among psychotherapists.
“I began to stop caring about my clients.” This was the reason given by a colleague when asked why she was closing a successful independent practice after 30 years. The psychotherapist described feeling impatient with insurance companies, as well as clients and colleagues, increasingly bored in sessions, generally fatigued, overwhelmed during a global pandemic, and uneasy about a diminished sense of effectiveness with clients. In other words, the therapist was suffering from burnout.
Burnout may be conceptualized...