Understanding Burnout In Counselling

Burnout is a very real concern among counsellors and therapists. Almost half (45%) of counsellors reported feeling burned out in 2022, according to the American Psychological Association.

Counsellors are facing increased workloads and longer working hours, and therefore have less time to decompress after dealing with the challenges of their client’s needs. The result is counsellors who feel they can’t meet the demand for treatment from their patients and who feel burnt out and lacking support. Counsellors should be supported as they care for and treat their patients but often, this support simply isn’t available.

From why counsellors experience burnout to how to recognise the signs and symptoms, here’s everything you need to know about burnout in counselling:

Introduction to the Significance of Burnout in the Counselling Profession

Burnout is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion. It can occur when you experience long-term stress and is most common amongst those who work a stressful job. Healthcare workers, including counsellors, have a high prevalence of burnout within their profession.

There are three main components of burnout in counsellors. These are emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation (or cynicism), and a reduced sense of professional accomplishment.

There are many negative consequences of burnout for counsellors. Counsellors who are suffering from burnout are more likely to experience stress-related illnesses and mental health issues. These include depression, anxiety, and decreased self-esteem, as well as increased rates of physical health problems such as insomnia, headaches, and a general increase in overall illness according to the National Institute of Health. Counsellors experiencing burnout will generally have a lower quality of life than those who aren’t.

When counsellors are suffering from burnout this impacts not only their own health and wellbeing but also their clients and their wider profession. Burnout often leads to periods of staff absence which means that clients may deal with changes of counsellor and inconsistency in their care. Counsellors suffering from burnout have low productivity, are less effective, and have more interpersonal conflicts which will directly affect their clients. Clients whose counsellors are suffering from burnout and not providing consistency of care, as a result, are more likely to progress in their treatment, and this has also been linked to clients prematurely withdrawing from treatment.

Burnout can be a real issue then. So the aim of this article is to provide insights and strategies for counsellors to recognise and manage burnout.

Understanding the Concept of Burnout: Causes and Contributing Factors

Academic literature describes burnout in therapists as a psychological syndrome experienced when feeling emotionally exhausted by work. Within the context of the healthcare profession in general, and counselling specifically, burnout has a unique definition. Choosing Therapy reports that “burnout occurs when therapists are faced with chronic stressors, day after day without any chance to reset and recharge. When a therapist is not able to recover from these ongoing stressors, they begin to emotionally, mentally and even physically shut down.”

Within the mental health arena, there are several factors that can contribute to burnout, such as emotional exhaustion, high workload, and challenging client cases. Effectively the more cases you are asked to work on and the more complicated these cases are, the higher the likelihood that you will experience burnout.

Some of the other factors that can contribute to burnout include

• Political, social and health-related stressors
• The inability to detach from the issues and concerns of clients
• Secondary trauma when dealing with particularly distressing client cases
• Emotional fatigue
• Failing to focus on your own wants and needs because you are prioritising the needs of your clients
• Slow progress with certain clients
• Stress caused by the build-up of administrative tasks that accompany counselling

It’s important to note that there is a clear and distinct difference between burnout and ordinary work-related stress. The main difference between stress and burnout is that stress is a response to a threat or a perceived threat. Sometimes stress is useful: we need to feel stress in certain circumstances so that we react appropriately. In contrast, burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged or excessive stress. So stress and burnout are related because prolonged stress can lead to burnout. But the two are very different concepts.

Recognising the Signs and Symptoms of Burnout in Counsellors

Not every counsellor will present symptoms of burnout in the same way, because we all have unique ways of handling stress and mental exhaustion. However, there are some common signs and symptoms of burnout that can be experienced by counsellors. These include

• Starting to dread client sessions. This could be with all clients or just some clients.
• Avoiding work or arriving late for work as a delay strategy because you don’t want to go to work.
• Signs of exhaustion, apathy or negativity.
• Feeling less patience and empathy towards their clients.
• Self-medicating or numbing negative emotions using alcohol, shopping, drug use, or even excessive social media use.
• Sleep issues, depression, worry and anxiety.
• Feeling emotionally drained and mentally distant when at work.

Early detection is essential to addressing burnout effectively. Even if you are not currently experiencing any symptoms of burnout, it is important that all counsellors know what those burnout symptoms are. Early detection and self-awareness make burnout easier to treat effectively.

Occasionally, therapist burnout can turn into something more serious that demands professional help. Some warning signs are ruminating about clients, changes to appetite or sleep, or decreased ability to function at home or work. If you have reached this stage of the burnout cycle then engaging your own therapist and seeking advice from your GP may help you to build your distress tolerance, change negative thought patterns and protect yourself from burnout. Your GP may also offer medical support.

Importance of Self-awareness And Self-care for Prevention

Self-awareness is an important quality in any counsellor, but it can play a particularly important role in recognising, preventing and managing burnout.

Stress and burnout are particularly common among counsellors post-graduation. The financial, work and personal stresses of life post-graduation can prevent intentional practices of self-awareness. And it is self-awareness accompanied by self-care that can help to prevent burnout from building and becoming problematic.

Many counsellors report finding it difficult to incorporate self-care into their daily routine because their job role is so demanding and time-consuming. But to promote well-being and resilience it is important to carve out time to practise self-care and maintain a healthy work-life balance. According to the Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy and their code of ethics “Psychologists strive to be aware of the possible effect of their own physical and mental health on their ability to help those with whom they work. ” Self-care is considered so important that it is written in their code of how to be a counsellor.

There are many different strategies you can adopt to practise self-care. These include ensuring that you are getting enough sleep, enjoying regular exercise, practising yoga or meditation, reading for pleasure, doing something artistic, spending time with animals, or taking a long bath.

A study completed by Kramen-Kahn (2002) outlined a list of 15 questions that therapists could ask themselves to determine if they were undertaking enough self-care and taking enough time to focus on their own needs. These questions are, do you

• Appear competent and professional?
• Appear warm, caring, and accepting?
• Regularly seek case consultation with another professional while protecting confidentiality?
• At the end of a stressful day, frequently utilise self-talk to put aside thoughts of clients?
• Maintain a balance between work, family and play?
• Nurture a strong support network of family and friends?
• Use healthy leisure activities as a way of helping yourself relax from work? If work is your whole world, watch out! You do not have a balanced life.
• Often feel renewed and energised by working with clients?
• Develop new interests in your professional work?
• Perceive clients’ problems as interesting and look forward to working with clients?
• Maintain objectivity regarding clients’ problems?
• Maintain good boundaries with clients, allowing them to take full responsibility for their actions while providing support for change?
• Use personal psychotherapy as a means of maintaining and/or improving your functioning as a psychotherapist?
• Maintain a sense of humour? You can laugh with your clients.
• Act in accordance with legal and ethical standards?

Strategies for Preventing and Managing Burnout in Counselling

It is not possible or realistic to suggest that all cases of burnout can be prevented. However, there are strategies that counsellors can adopt to minimise the risk of developing burnout and to better manage the condition should it occur. Firstly, it’s important to leave work behind you when you leave your office at the end of the day. Whilst this isn’t always easy, it’s important to create clear boundaries between your work and home life. You should also set clear boundaries with your clients about how and where they can contact you and set realistic expectations about what you will achieve in your sessions.

Seeking professional growth opportunities will also help to manage burnout and ensure you remain focused and motivated to succeed in your chosen career path. Some examples of stress-reduction techniques and mindfulness practices that you can adopt to cope with the demands of counselling include

• Breathing exercises such as meditation, mindfulness, yoga and tai chi
• Avoid drug and alcohol use, as this can quickly become a crutch when stress and burnout are a concern

Exercise that you enjoy, such as running, dancing, aerobics classes or swimming.

Seeking Support and Professional Assistance

If you feel that you are experiencing signs and symptoms of burnout then it’s important to seek support. No one should have to deal with the physical and mental health symptoms of burnout alone, and this is especially important for mental health professionals such as counsellors who play such an important role in the mental health and wellbeing of their clients

You can seek advice and support from your colleagues, supervisors, and mentors. Outside of your working environment, you can also seek help and support from friends and family members. All counsellors are expected to have supervision, and professional bodies usually require at least 1.5 hours per month of supervision in order to fulfil registration requirements. This means that all counsellors should have plenty of opportunity to ask their supervisor or mentor for support as soon as they need it.

Not only can peer supporters such as mentors and supervisors provide support when burnout occurs, they can also help to prevent burnout from occurring.  Challenging cases are part of the life of a counsellor and these can be emotionally draining and difficult. Regular meetings with a supervisor will give counsellors the opportunity to discuss and process these emotions. Supervisors can also provide proven coping strategies and will know when they should recommend that their wards seek additional support to process their emotions.

It is important to seek professional assistance when experiencing significant burnout symptoms. Sharing the burden of your thoughts and emotions will make them much easier to process and help to relieve any burnout you are experiencing.

Cultivating a Supportive Work Environment and Organisational Culture

A supportive and welcoming work environment can promote health and well-being no matter what the career. But for counsellors who are dealing with trauma and challenging client needs each day, it becomes especially important.

Organisations responsible for hiring counsellors should ensure that they promote a healthy work environment. This should enable counsellors to relax in a safe and welcoming space between client appointments. Organisational support, alongside recognition and valuable resources, plays a key role in preventing burnout. The UK Therapy Guide cites decent working conditions and a supportive work environment as the number one strategy to prevent burnout for health workers.

Conclusion

Burnout is a very real concern for counsellors. But burnout doesn’t help anyone: it can have serious consequences for both the counsellor and for their clients too. To avoid the dangers of burnout, counsellors should ensure that they are self-aware, that they practise self-care and that they seek support whenever necessary. Counselling is a vocational career: one that individuals choose because they have a passion for helping others. It is important that this passion is maintained. Working with a mentor that shares your passion can be beneficial.

Counselling organisations can also cultivate a supportive and compassionate work culture that prioritises the well-being of their mental health professionals. When counsellors feel happy in their work environment they will be better able to cope with the most difficult and challenging elements of their job role.