Mental health professionals’ experiences of navigating the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic narrative hybrid review

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic had a profound impact on global mental health. The resulting burden on mental health professionals (MHPs) was complex. Besides managing personal concerns that overlapped with those of their clients, MHPs had to adapt to a rapidly changing work environment. The present systematic narrative hybrid review explores the experiences of MHPs in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Peer-reviewed articles (N = 61) published from 1 December 2019 to 20 July 2022 were selected from databases including DOAJ, SCOPUS, PubMed, and PsycArticles. The risk of bias was assessed using relevant checklists, and the findings were synthesized using narrative analysis. The results indicate that the pandemic affected MHPs at systemic, organizational, and individual levels. However, efforts to adapt were largely individual. The studies identified risk and protective factors and discussed several adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies MHPs use. Despite systemic and individual efforts to improve mental healthcare, this field remains challenging for many MHPs. Therefore, multilevel reformations to improve mental health care and protect MHPs are recommended.