3 Tips for Battling Counselor Burnout
Written by Yolanda Coleman
Counselor burnout, also known as therapist burnout, can occur when practitioners experience chronic stress and lack resources, support, rest, and/or recovery time. It can involve mental, physical, and emotional symptoms, and can be exacerbated by compassion fatigue, the psychological cost of caring for others and their emotional pain.
Appily’s 2024 global survey of high school counselors revealed that 76% of counselors in the United States have experienced burnout within the past four years. That number climbs to 79% for counselors at public schools, where caseloads are the largest. The American School Counselor Association recommends a 250:1 student to counselor ratio, but during the 2022–2023 school year (the most recent year for which data is available), the national average was 385:1.
While these stats are alarming, there’s reason for optimism. Thirty percent (30%) of the counselors who experienced burnout reported that it either passed or wasn’t too severe. Of course, the burnout didn’t just pass on its own.
Below are 3 steps counselors took to mitigate or overcome burnout.
- Engage in Self-Care: From luxuriating in a bubble bath to instituting a social media detox to maintaining a consistent therapy schedule, self-care can take many forms. For some counselors, engaging in it helped reenergize them and prolong their counseling careers. Want to engage in self-care but are unsure of how to start? This TalkSpace article offers habit-forming practices to help you take the first step.
“I am in a better place now after engaging in self-care. However, the burnout I experienced did cause me to consider leaving the school counseling profession at the time.”
Take Mental Health Breaks. There are no gold stars for perfect attendance, especially if it’s at the expense of your mental or emotional well-being. While we want to reserve our PTO for fun activities such as vacations and save our sick days for when we (or our children) are physically ill, remember that those days can also be used to preserve and care for your mental health.
If you can’t take a mental health break for a day or two, try advocating for writing days, which allow you to work remotely while writing recommendation letters. Yes, you’ll still be working, but at least you can do so in a comfortable environment away from the many distractions that accompany a typical school day.
“Burnout has caused several of us to become desensitized to certain situations. Being able to focus on how to help students obtain a bright future is honestly the only reason I remain in the field.”
- Focus on What Matters. If you’re like me, you became a counselor because you enjoy working with students, but burnout can make you lose sight of this objective. Focusing on the invaluable role you play in helping students articulate their goals and achieve their dreams can help you re-prioritize. Save the “thank you” notes and emails you receive from students and parents because they can provide a much-needed boost during those tough periods.
For some counselors, changing schools or leaving the field was ultimately the best decision for them, but if you can’t or don’t want to do that, know that you don’t just have to struggle or persevere. There are steps you can take to minimize the burnout you may be feeling. We often tell our students to stay hydrated, eat well, and get plenty of rest, so they can achieve the best results. Sometimes it’s the simple things that make the biggest difference. We would be well served to take the sound advice we give our students.
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