Date of Award

6-2017

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Master of Social Work

Department

School of Social Work

First Reader/Committee Chair

Dr. Janet Chang

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Professors repeatedly warn students against burnout throughout the years of schooling that is required to earn a credential or license to work with persons who suffer from a substance use disorder. Despite these many warnings, burnout amongst practitioners continues to occur. There has been considerable research done over the years on the phenomenon of practitioner burnout, its causes and how to prevent it. Substance use disorder practitioners’ challenges often include high caseloads, difficult cases and lack of self-care. The data collected through an electronic server Survey Monkey allowed for a quantitative cross-sectional analysis which focused on participants’ perceptions of the causes of burnout and methods used for self-care. Respondents were recruited from two substance use disorder treatment programs, participation was voluntary. The analysis highlighted that the survey participants (n=30) view self-care as an appropriate intervention against burnout. These findings present: underlying causes of burnout; effective self-care practices for practitioners who are suffering from burnout; and how practitioners with higher education viewed self-care differently. Among the goals of the research done in this project was to bring awareness to; underlying causes of burnout; solutions to prevent burnout and effective techniques currently being used by practitioners that contributes additional knowledge to social work’s knowledge on burnout and self-care methods for practitioners experiencing burnout symptoms.

Download

Included in

Social Work Commons

Share

COinS