Low burnout in a high-stress setting: A study of staff adaptation at Fountain House.

Abstract

In the face of significant stressors occasioned by the needs of people with chronic mental illness and the ideological structure at Fountain House, staff members at Fountain House, a psychiatric rehabilitation facility in New York, have long tenures and display fewer symptoms of burnout than other providers. This study identified staff methods for adapting to stress; methods for reframing stressors as positive features are presented. This study describes the processes generated by the ideological structure which create staff commitment to the model and to the mentally ill, and which produce a sense of personal accomplishment and satisfaction. Implications of these findings and needs for further research are discussed.

The Challenges in Providing Services to Clients with Mental Illness: Managed Care, Burnout and Somatic Symptoms Among Social Workers

“…Involvement with clients who suffer from severe and persistent mental illness was correlated with higher levels of EE and DP; these results are consistent with the concern that social workers as well as other helping professionals (i.e., psychologists and psychiatrists) often have negative attitudes toward this type of population, because of the ongoing and significant amount of work needed so that these clients succeed to make a very small progress in treatment (Acker 1999;Finch and Krantz 1991). Working with clients with SPMI in a managed care environment contributes to additional challenges.…”

Stress management for mental health professionals: a review of effective techniques

“…Studies, which have involved mental health workers in the UK, consisted of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses and occupational therapists. However, US and Canadian studies also included a variety of other professional groups making any comparisons difficult and these results have been presented separately (Brady, Kinnard, & Friedrich, 1980;Buffum & Konick, 1982;Cacciacarne, Resnick, McArthur, & Althof, 1986;Cherniss & Egnatios, 1978a, 1978bCorrigan & Holmes Luchin, 1995;Drude & Lourie, 1984;Finch & Krantz, 1991;Folkins, O'Reilly, Roberts, & Miller, 1977;Hiscott & Connop, 1990;Hromco, Lyons, & Nikkel, 1995;Ingledew, Hardy, & Cooper, 1997;Jerrell, 1983;Kirk, Koeske, & Koeske, 1993;Koeske, 1995;Koeske & Kelly, 1995;Leiter, 1988Leiter, , 1990Marini, Todd, & Slate, 1995;Oberlander, 1990;Pines & Maslach, 1978;Pond & Geyer, 1987;Savicki & Cooley, 1987;Schulz, Greenley, & Brown, 1995;Thornton, 1992;Webb, 1980;Webster & Hackett, 1999;Wilcoxon, 1989; see Table II). The sample groups include nursing assistants, rehabilitation counsellors, rehabilitation therapists, home care workers, psychiatric technicians, attendants, volunteers, recreational/activities Copyright  2002 John Wiley &Sons, Ltd.…”

“…These are: high levels of self-esteem; good social support networks; hardiness; good coping skills; mastery and personal control; emotional stability; and good physiological release mechanisms. Eight studies investigated moderators of the stress process, two in the UK (Parkes & Rabenau, 1993;Reid et al, 1996), five in the USA (Finch & Krantz, 1991;Ingledew et al, 1997;Koeske & Kelly, 1995;Leiter, 1990;Thornton, 1992) and one in Sweden (Jeanneau & Armelius, 2000). The study by Ingledew et al (1997) was a longitudinal survey of psychiatric workers facing redeployment and asked the question 'Do resources bolster coping and does coping buffer stress?'…”

Case Managers’ Experiences of Personal Growth: Learning from Consumers

“…EpsteinÕs (1992, Unpublished doctoral dissertation) qualitative study indicates that case managers see their work with consumers as the most enjoyable aspect of their job. Finch and Krantz (1991) suggest that some case managers felt that witnessing consumersÕ successes helped them deal with job stress. However, quantitative studies of consumersÕ contributions to the lives of case managers require empirical measures of jobrelated aspects of case manager personal growth that are currently unavailable in the literature.…”

“…A longitudinal study of job attitudes among case managers found that more than 20% of the sample resigned from their positions within an 18 month period (Kirk, Koeske, & Koeske, 1993). Case managers were found to be at risk for two aspects of professional burnout, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, particularly in the early stages of their tenure in the mental health system (Finch & Krantz, 1991;Kirk, et al, 1993). Both employee and organizational characteristics have been associated with mental health providersÕ reports of occupational stress (Gellis, Kim & Hwang, 2004;Leiter & Harvie, 1996).…”