Addressing Burnout in the Behavioral Health Workforce Through Organizational Strategies

A priority for SAMHSA is strengthening the behavioral health workforce. To do so, complex issues, such as burnout, need to be addressed. Burnout results from chronic workplace stress that encompasses:

•Exhaustion—feeling depleted, overextended, and fatigued

•Depersonalization—being detached from oneself and emotionally distant from one’s clients and work

•Feelings of inefficacy—having a reduced sense of professional accomplishment

Burnout has physical and emotional consequences for individuals and impacts their work with clients and within an organization. To fully address burnout, organizations need to adopt strategies that improve their organizational culture and climate to modify the six drivers of burnout: workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values.