Racial Justice Activist Burnout of Women of Color in the United States: Practical Tools for Counselor Intervention

Abstract

The pervasive racially hostile climate in society can bring severe mental health ramifications, such as burnout, to racial justice activists. For women of color (WOC), intersecting identities presents additional challenges. Due to the significant psychological impact burnout can have on WOC activists, counselors need the knowledge and tools to address this mental health issue. This article aims to provide counselors with a guide to working with WOC racial justice activists in the United States by outlining challenges faced by this population, health and mental health effects of burnout, and counseling interventions.

A qualitative study of women of color group psychotherapists: The wellspring of collective healing.

“…Such authenticity on the part of the therapists promotes the group members’ powerful authenticity, thus leading to emotionally and culturally intimate sharing as well as elevating feelings of hope and belonging. Consistent with the research on social identities in groups, our findings also corroborate the benefits of including mindfulness given their effect on the group process (Bryant-Davis et al, 2021; Danquah et al, 2021; Ribeiro, 2020).…”

“…First, we suggest that training, supervision, and consultation involving women of color therapists invite discussion on how this population may use their own cultural stories, imagination, strengths, and vulnerabilities in a group therapy setting. Second, as this group leadership cannot be removed from the shared identities and struggles they encounter as women of color, practitioners must be sensitive to the well-being of women of color therapists, develop resources dedicated to renewing their energy, and provide them with clinical, relational, and community support (Danquah et al, 2021). Third, graduate-level instructors, group coordinators, and trainers should encourage students to openly challenge the traditional group theories and models that do not represent the realities of women of color.…”

The cost of Indigenous cultural safety training: examining facilitator burnout and the impacts on health and wellness

“…Chen and Gorski (2015) define burnout not as a temporary struggle with stress, but as a chronic and debilitating condition in which the symptoms are multi-dimensional as well as compounding and intersectional. Some of the key causes of burnout found in the literature include emotional stressors and demands, interpersonal nature of the job (Cook et al, 2021), challenging and heavy work environments or workloads (S.-C.Chen & Chen, 2018), inadequate professional resources (Nantsupawat et al, 2016) and a culture of selflessness (Danquah et al, 2021; Gorski & Chen, 2015). In this research, all of the ICSFs spoke about contributors to burnout found in the literature.…”

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Experiences, Barriers, and Self-Efficacy Enhancement for Social Justice-Oriented Faculty

“…Our findings suggest that faculty may need extra support to engage in social justice efforts, such as those from their colleagues and the institution, as emotional exhaustion and tenure pressures were common barriers experienced. It is also important to note that marginalized faculty often experience added pressures, invisible labor, and added service roles than non-marginalized faculty (Huff, 2021), and racial battle fatigue and minority stress create additional stressors above and beyond what is traditionally understood as "burnout" (see Smith, 2004Smith, , 2008Danquah et al, 2021). Findings from a recent narrative analysis suggest faculty experiencing racial battle fatigue may benefit by creating boundaries around those who are destructive, finding and nurturing community with professionals of shared identities, and engaging in self-care through physical activities and counseling (Quaye et al, 2019).…”