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Karen Cassiday, PhD, ACT and Elizabeth DuPont Spencer, LCSW

Professional burnout is an increasing and real risk for mental health professionals.  Rates of professional burnout have been increasing since the Pandemic due to a magnification of previously existing risk factors.  This presentation will review the science of professional burnout, both employer risk factors and employee risk factors that place can place those who know most about mental health at risk for suffering the ill effects of burnout.  Employer risk factors include unrealistic expectations for work hours, time away from work, administrative requirements and lack of high quality workplace relationships and meaningful expression of concern or appreciation for employees.  Employee risk factors include professional perfectionism, imposter Syndrome, poor negotiation skills, inability to switch from a competitive academic mindset to a collaborative team first mindset and inability to recognize and accept personal limitations.  Additionally, the most common misperception from employers and employees is that moments of self-care will solve burnout.  In short, fragrant candles, yoga and self-affirmation is inadequate for addressing professional burnout.  

Mental health professionals face some unique risk factors such as a shortage of providers in relation to the public's need for mental healthcare, lack of adequate funding that often interferes with the desire to provide the ideal mental health treatment, severe shortage of psychiatric prescribers and low density of providers and psychiatric facilities in rural or impoverished areas creates a burden of professional guilt.  Graduate and undergraduate loans can create barriers for choice of employment or the belief that one has limited choices for employment.  Lengthy years spent competing for grades, scholarships and evaluations trains many mental health professionals into a perfectionistic and competitive lifestyle that promotes burnout.  Lastly, over focus upon taking the perspective of others can interfere with negotiating contracts and workplace responsibilities.  

Evidence-based strategies for ameliorating and preventing professional burnout will be described.  Strategies that address Imposter Syndrome, professional perfectionism, poor negotiation skills, competitive mindset and that build a collaborative workplace with colleagues will be reviewed.  The role of gratitude, good humor and self-compassion will also be explained as it relates to creating a healthier workplace.