Human Services Workers in Crisis

1. Human Services Workers in Crisis Chapter 16, pages 621-640 Presented by: Darby Wisner

2. Ask yourself these questions… • Are you starting not to care about work anymore? • Is it hard to stay motivated? • Do you feel your workplace is a dreaded place to be? • Are you snapping at your colleagues? • Do you feel disengaged from your work? • Have you lost your passion for things?

3. If you answered yes…You may have Burnout!

4. What is Burnout? • Psychoanalyst Herbert J. Freudenberger coined the term “burnout” in 1974. • “It is experienced as a state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion caused by long-term involvement in emotionally demanding situations” (James& Gilliland, 2013, p. 613).

5. Symptoms of Burnout • Physical depletion • Feelings of helplessness • Feelings of hopelessness • Disillusionment • Negative self-concept • Negative attitudes (toward work, people, and life!)

6. Burnout continues… • Burnout is lost energy and lost enthusiasm. • “It represents a breaking point beyond which the ability to cope with the environment is severely hampered” (James& Gilliland, 2013, p. 614). • Or better said from Gone with the Wind: “Frankly my dear, I just don’t give a damn!”

7. How do we cope with Burnout? • Part One: Taking Care of Workers in Crisis • Part Two: Taking Care of Clients in Crisis • Each explains different methods and strategies to cope with burnout!

8. Part One: Taking Care of Workers in Crisis

9. Taking Care of Workers in Crisis: Culpability of Organizations • A majority of burnouts are from employing agency’s failure to recognize problems • Fundamental for organizations to define job roles and functions • Critical support mechanisms for crisis workers is easy access to consultation and supervision

10. Taking Care of Workers in Crisis: Self-Recognition of Burnout • Crisis workers provide help to clients but sometimes overlook themselves • Once recognized, the problem may get worse by adjusting the wrong variable

11. Taking Care of Workers in Crisis: Private Practitioners and Burnout • Generally P.P. have type A personalities • Many start their own P.P. and are overwhelmed with the workload • P.P. is a Business, and P.P’s should be aware of the different aspects of everyday work.

12. Taking Care of Workers in Crisis: Intervention Strategies • After burnout, service workers may be stubborn and denial-prone clients • Three diminsions of intervention: • 1. Intervention through training • 2. Intervention with the organization • 3. Intervention with the individual

13. Part Two: Taking Care of Clients in Crisis

14. Taking Care of Clients in Crisis: Intervention with the Individual, A Case Study • Worker aims to master environmental stressors via direct action • Worker aims to reduce disturbances when environment can’t be managed via palliative action • Ethical duty of the professional to provide best support possible

15. Taking Care of Clients in Crisis: Epilogue, Cross-Cultural Comparisons • Causes of burnout are : • 1. Heavy workloads • 2. Unsupportive middle-level managers • 3. Restriction on new ideas and creativity • 4. Inefficiently organized work

16. Taking Care of Clients in Crisis: Epilogue, Cross-Cultural Comparisons • Savicki’s research shows burnout factors components change with culture: • 1. Individual worker and work setting impact burnout • 2. Overall culture is also a factor that impacts burnout

17. Source • James, R. K. & Gilliland, B.E. (2013). Crisis Intervention Strategies (7th ed.). United States: Cengage Learning. • Chapter 16, pages 621-640.