Burnout in psychological therapists: A cross‐sectional study investigating the role of supervisory relationship quality

Abstract

Background Burnout is a growing problem in mental health‐care professionals. Clinical supervision is a mandated part of all psychological therapeutic practice but no previous study has explored whether higher quality supervision is associated with lower burnout in qualified psychological therapists. Aims The study aimed to investigate whether the quality of the supervisory relationship was associated with two facets of burnout, exhaustion and disengagement, in a group of psychological therapists once work demands had been accounted for. Methods Psychological therapists were recruited to complete a cross‐sectional online survey between May 2016 and January 2017. The survey measured frequency and quality of clinical supervision, workload factors, and disengagement and burnout. Data were analysed using hierarchical linear regression. Results Two hundred and ninety‐eight qualified psychological therapists responded to the survey. Results suggested that higher quality supervision was associated with lower disengagement but not lower exhaustion. Frequency of supervision and workload variables were not associated with either facet of burnout. Female gender was associated with higher exhaustion but gender had no association with disengagement. According to previously used cut‐off scores, 235 (78.9%) participants could be classed as suffering from “high burnout,” and 173 (58.1%) participants could be classed as suffering from “high disengagement.” Conclusions There is a growing need for burnout reduction interventions in mental health‐care professionals. The present results identify a potential role for enhancing the quality of the supervisory relationship by creating more open, safe spaces for supervisees.

The efficacy of mHealth for stress and burnout in clinical settings and supervisions

“…The efficacy of mHealth for supervisions to reduce stress and burnout in clinical staff could not be reviewed due to the dearth in research. Previous research has evidenced the propensity of clinical supervisions to reduce stress and burnout (Oates, 2018; Jarden et al , 2019; Johnson et al , 2020); however, no empirical research could be found regarding the use of mHealth in this process. Due to the exponential increase drove by the COVID-19 pandemic, further research would benefit from utilising mHealth apps during the course of clinical supervision to provide the option to record and reflect upon the pejorative aspects of clinical staff employment, so that causal factors of stress and burnout may be identified and rectified, prior to onset.…”

“…Other research has suggested that regular clinical supervisions may allow clinical staff to debrief and make sense of workplace complexities (Jarden et al , 2019; Brennan, 2017), subsequently, improving mental well-being. Regular, high quality supervisions have been found to be efficacious to monitor and reduce stress and burnout in clinical settings (Love et al , 2017; Johnson et al , 2020).…”

Interventions for benzodiazepine withdrawal: Perceptions of benzodiazepine counsellors

“…High levels of clinical supervision were viewed favourably by counsellors and were linked with staff well‐being and high retention rates. Despite conflicting findings (Watkins, 2020), the importance of formal and informal supervision in supporting staff and as a protective factor against secondary traumatic stress has been highlighted in the AOD and psychotherapy literature (Bride & Kintzle, 2011; Ewer et al., 2015; Johnson et al., 2020; Laschober et al., 2013). In addition, counsellor autonomy regarding intervention approaches and in selecting professional development opportunities has been shown to increase job satisfaction (Gallon et al., 2003; Knudsen et al., 2007).…”

Trauma-Informed Supervision and Related Predictors of Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Prelicensed Counsellors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…There is evidence; however, that supervision may be a meaningful protective factor against counsellor burnout and STS (e.g., Hiebler-Ragger et al, 2021 ; Quinn et al, 2019 ). The strength of this relationship is less clear (Johnson et al, 2020 ). For example, Hiebler‐Ragger et al (2021) found that supervisees’ perceptions of a strong supervisory relationship were related to decreased burnout.…”