Individual therapy encounters formidable challenges in addressing burnout.
• Burnout is a Relationship Problem. At its core burnout is a mismatch of employee expectation with the constraints, resources, & demands of a job. An individual client is only one party in that relationship.
• Burnout is not a Psychiatric Diagnosis. To position clients for insurance coverage for treatment or to apply for disability coverage, therapists must use an accepted DSM diagnosis, that does not accurately describe the actual problem.
• Burnout Assessment was Developed as a Workgroup Diagnosis. Having been defined as a social psychological construct with measures more suited for employee surveys, burnout lacks widely agreed upon diagnostic cutoff points.
The workshop focused on approaches that had elements of job crafting: shaping a current job to increase the compatible and fulfilling aspects of the job and diminishing it’s annoying elements. Success factors are developing strategies that build on incremental small gains and that recruit colleagues into the campaign.
It was clear from the day’s discussion that the challenges of individual treatment for burnout require intense attention.
Burnout is a Growing Problem. Contemporary worklife has characteristics that aggravate burnout.
Individuals Are on Their Own. Organizations are less inclined to take effective action to combat burnout.
Treatment Can Help. Individuals in distress gain meaningful support from individual coaching and therapy.
Little of the advice given to individuals to alleviate or avoid burnout has any research foundation. More work is needed to explore the possibilities for action. We intend to lead part of that search for knowledge.
Where do you see hope for banishing burnout?
WorkEngagement 