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Burnout

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Burnout "Burnout is the index of the dislocation between what people are and what they have to do. It represents an erosion in values, dignity, spirit, and will...It is a malady that spreads gradually and continuously over time, putting people into a downward spiral from which it's hard to recover"(Maslach & Leiter, 1997, p.17). Burnout has also been associated with lack of feelings of personal accomplishment and significance. Those that enter clinical practice often do so because they are willing to sacrifice a larger pay scale in exchange for doing a job that gives them a sense of accomplishment. Many social workers enter the field with an idealistic view the impact that they will have on the lives of their clients. When this view collides with the reality of serving clients in a bureaucratic and often unstable system, social workers are at risk of feeling that their work does not have a significant impact. The combination of high ideals, the disappointing realities of the system, and poor compensation can put members of helping professions like social workers at risk for feelings of helplessness, cynicism, depression, depersonalization and ineffectiveness-burnout. Burnout may lead clinical social workers to abandon direct practice for their own mental health.
Some of the factors that cause burnout in social workers are excessive workload, role conflict, role ambiguity, lack of training, lack of recognition and opportunity for advancement. A social worker will face a high case load with every case being different therefore having some unique challenges. Excessive workload has been linked to feelings of tension, anger, and depression (Baruch-Feldman et al., 2002). High case loads will lead to lack of time for processing stressful situations with your supervisor and co-workers. Social workers are often forced to mediate between the needs of their clients

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