Factors influencing ‘burn‐out’ in newly qualified counsellors and psychotherapists: A cross‐cultural, critical review of the literature

Mental health problems have been established as one of the leading causes of the global burden of disease. Approximately a quarter of all people worldwide will experience a mental disorder during their lifetime. With depression and anxiety becoming the leading causes of mental ill health globally, t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Counselling and psychotherapy research 2022-03, Vol.22 (1), p.64-73
Main Authors: Davies, Siân M., Sriskandarajah, Shamini, Staneva, Aleksandra S., Boulton, Helena C. M., Roberts, Chelsey, Shaw, Shereen H., Silverio, Sergio A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
burn‐out
counsellor
global mental health
Mental disorders
Mental health
newly qualified
psychotherapist
training
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Mental health problems have been established as one of the leading causes of the global burden of disease. Approximately a quarter of all people worldwide will experience a mental disorder during their lifetime. With depression and anxiety becoming the leading causes of mental ill health globally, the numbers of people reporting mental health complaints are set to grow. The dramatic increase in reporting and diagnosis of mental health disorders has been in parallel to a decline in the ability to cope with mental health symptoms and a rise in the incidence of self‐harm and suicidal ideation. While mental health assessment and diagnoses are usually the responsibility of general practitioners (family doctors) or psychiatrists, the frontline provision of mental health care is often delegated to counsellors and psychotherapists. Publicly funded counselling and psychotherapy services vary across the globe, but are commonly under‐resourced and lacking in adequate funding. This may lead to insufficient clinical supervision and compressed time to complete continuing professional development, which are both vital for new counsellors and psychotherapists to feel confident in providing care, and to learn new skills. Newly qualified counsellors and psychotherapists may also experience emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion or ‘burn‐out’. This position paper aims to critically appraise available cross‐cultural literature on the experiences of ‘burn‐out’ by newly qualified counsellors and psychotherapists, globally. Finally, we make recommendations for how best to support the mental health and psychological well‐being of newly qualified practitioners.
ISSN:1473-3145
1746-1405
DOI:10.1002/capr.12485