Accounts of burnout and coping in BIPOC mental health social workers

Abstract

In the social work profession, burnout among BIPOC mental health social workers has not been explored nor extensively documented, and there is little research on their experiences of coping. Moreover, minimal research supports or proposes a coping theory for burnout in this population. This study examines the history of burnout in the social work profession, its impact, and the experience of BIPOC mental health social workers on coping with burnout. Using Corbin and Strauss’s (2015) grounded theory, a qualitative semi-structured inquiry was carried out to highlight and discover a new theory that can be further tested in explaining how coping occurs for this niche population. Twenty licensed NYS social workers were sampled using purposive inclusionary criteria and their interviews were analyzed using the inductive methods of grounded theory. ¶

The major findings of this study consist of six major themes: experiences of burnout, how BIPOC mental health social workers cope with burnout, the experience of the social work profession, experience of resiliency, experience of racism, and the impact of historical events. The final discovery is a model that explores the theory of coping with burnout. The research findings posit that there are systemic barriers for BIPOC mental health social workers in coping with burnout, that there is little support from organizations that protect workers’ rights in addressing burnout, and the responsibility of coping with burnout is left to the individual.