Tackling Burnout in the School Setting: Practical Tips for School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists

Abstract

Purpose School-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are responsible for providing services to about 55% of students with disabilities in the school setting across the nation. A shortage of qualified school-based SLPs continues to persist in the United States. Research has aimed to identify factors that lead to diminished career intentions, occupational stress, and ultimately, job burnout. However, there is a dearth of literature regarding the prevention of job burnout in the school setting. In this tutorial, we provide school-based SLPs with strategies that aim to reduce and prevent burnout symptoms related to occupational stress and satisfaction. We (a) define and describe burnout, (b) discuss the possible stressors and job-related challenges that are within SLPs' control of change, (c) provide evidence-based strategies that may alleviate occupational stress related to workload factors before and after burnout has occurred, and (d) provide examples of ways to advocate within the profession. Conclusions SLPs are encouraged to make minor adjustments in their work settings. Suggested strategies include recognizing overwhelm, incorporating broader and workload-specific changes to daily routines, and engaging in advocacy efforts. Two resources, one for evaluation and another for consolidating information about a caseload, are provided.

Change in School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists' Job Satisfaction During COVID-19 School Closures: Applying the Conservation of Resources Theory

“…This creates a precarious situation in which SLPs generally like their jobs but have increasing workloads that prevent true satisfaction. Over time, this can lead to burnout (Lee & Ashforth, 1990;Marante & Farquharson, 2021;Maslach, 1998). At the point of burnout, SLPs may consider leaving their schoolbased job, which can further increase the shortage of school-based SLPs in the United States (U.S.; Edgar & Rosa-Lugo, 2007).…”

“…Taken together, heavy paperwork demands and high caseloads are often associated with lower job satisfaction (Blood et al, 2002), which can lead to burnout over time. (Marante & Farquharson, 2021). Because caseload is the most commonly used metric among school-based SLPs, it is a variable of interest in this study.…”

“…As such, the extent to which SLPs' own access to internet presented an additional obstacle is unknown. Regardless of the approach used to provide services during school closures, one thing is fairly consistent: SLPs were asked to add more to their already overwhelming workload (e.g., ASHA, 2016ASHA, , 2018ASHA, , 2020bBlood et al, 2002;Caesar & Wolf Nelson, 2008;Edgar & Rosa-Lugo, 2007;Marante & Farquharson, 2021).…”

Swedish school based speech-language pathologists’ perception of language assessment tools and practices

“…Regardless of the service provider, all SLP services are tax-funded, but a lot of children are waiting for SLP services. Swedish school-based SLPs are usually part of the Student Health-Care Services (Sandgren et al, 2023). The main goal of the Swedish Student Health-Care Services is preventative and to support students in their academic attainments.…”

Experiences of Latine Speech Language Pathologist Assistants (SLPAs) in California

“…Several recommendations for school-based SLPs have been provided by Marante and Farquharson (2021). The solutions range from instructing how to manage minor tasks and identifying the more time-consuming duties to initiating systemic change by reducing caseload size via the multi-tier support system.…”