Burnout in Social Workers

Social workers often suffer burnout due to the amount of time and energy they dedicate to attempting to meet the demands of their clients and agencies. The most widely recognized and established conceptualization of burnout is Maslach’s, which comprises three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced sense of personal accomplishment. Factors studied that contribute to burnout include age and years of experience, work environment factors such as role issues, and type of client population assigned. Addressing burnout while students are preprofessionals in field placement may prepare them to actively cope with the factors that could lead to burnout when they practice in their profession.