“The Dedicated and the Committed”: An Examination of Burnout Within Peer Support for Transgender, Queer, and Non-Binary Volunteers

This dissertation addressed the role burnout plays in impacting the well-being of Peer Support Counselors (PSC) in community health organizations, specifically those identifying as Transgender, Queer, and Non-Binary (TQNB). Within the TQNB population, they experience factors of minority stress such as discrimination, rejection, and internalized transphobia in society (Meyers, 2003; Hendricks & Testa, 2012). This combination of workplace stressors and marginalized identity may lead to TQNB PSCs being more susceptible to burnout within their work. Using the Clark and Estes (2008) KMO Gap Analysis, this study examines the knowledge, motivation and organizational influences that may contribute to the experience of burnout for PSCs. The researcher examined five TQNB PSCs and used both individual semi-structured interviews of the PSCs and the Maslach Burnout Toolkit for Human Services, including the Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS, 2011) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory™ Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS, 1981). The researcher used in vivo and axial coding, as well as journaling with New World Kirkpatrick Model to plan, implement, and evaluation the recommendations for the organization. The researcher suggested five recommendations in structural shifts of the organization to accommodate for the needs of the PSCs to help alleviate burnout: educational resources provided by the organization; consider identities when constructing groups; consider scheduling as a method of maintaining wellness; consistent supportive check in structures for PSCs; and considering the effects of COVID-19 and peer support.

Keywords: peer support, LGBTQ, transgender, burnout, healthcare