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.” 9. 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. 8. 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. 7. You are watching a re-run of the “Wizard of Oz” and you start to categorize the types of delusions that Dorothy had. 6. 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. 4. 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. 3. Your spouse asks you to set the table and you tell them that it would be “countertherapeutic to your current goals” to do that. 2. 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 Problems  Absenteeism  Substance Abuse  Exacerbation of Medical/Emotional Problems  Depression

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  Idealism  Perfectionism  Frustration  Poor Ego-Strength  Difficulty Drawing Boundaries  Fatigue  Emotional Exhaustion

External Burnout Conditions  Role Ambiguity  Work demands conflict with values/ethics  Work Overload  Inconsequentiality  Low Pay  Low Functioning Clients  Managed 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 Support  Wellness Program  Manageable Case Loads  Requiring/Encouraging Vacations  Preventing “Workaholism”  Workshops  Establishing/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  Butler, S. K., & Constantine, M. G. (2005). Collective self-esteem and burnout in professional school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 9(1),  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  MacCluskie, K. C., & Ingersoll, R. E. (2001). Becoming a 21 st 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),  Yassen, J. (1995). Preventing secondary traumatic stress disorder. Compassion Fatigue New York: Brunner/Mazel, p. 191.