Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Counselor Education and Supervision

Committee Chair

Melanie Burgess

Committee Member

Chi Li

Committee Member

James Dalton

Committee Member

Steve West

Committee Member

Frances Ellmo

Abstract

Throughout recent years, the work setting of many mental health counselors has changed from the in-person work setting to working from home and hybrid (i.e., a combination of working in-person and working from home). However, limited research has been conducted to explore burnout among these three work settings. Burnout is a condition which develops due to chronic feelings of stress and can cause negative repercussions on one’s health and overall wellbeing. Burnout is related to one’s experience within the work-setting and is characterized by extreme exhaustion, the inability to regulate emotions and cognitions, and mental distancing. Research regarding burnout has concluded that burnout is an ongoing concern for those working in helping professions, such as counseling. The literature has determined that mental health counselors experience burnout, which results in negative consequences for the counselor, the field of counseling, and for the client. The purpose of this study was to analyze the burnout levels of mental health counselors working within the work settings of working from home, hybrid, and working in-person to determine if work setting had an impact on burnout. This study examined a national sample of 232 counselors who were recruited by email to complete a quantitative survey. The instruments used included a demographic survey and the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT). To gain an initial understanding regarding possible relationships between the demographic variables and the dependent variable (i.e., level of burnout), the researcher conducted a preliminary analyses using the Pearson bivariate correlation analysis and found that there was a statistically significant correlation between age and BAT average. Though a statistically significant correlation was found, the correlation was weak. Due to the weak correlation, the researcher did not control age in the main analysis. This study used a one-way analysis of variance test to compare burnout averages among the three groups. Results of the study indicate that there was no statistically significant difference in level of burnout among the three groups based on work setting. This study also found that high to very high ranged levels of burnout were experienced by over 54% of participants, and each group mean fell into the high burnout level range.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest

Notes

Open Access

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