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ABSTRACT Extent of burnout experienced by counseling psychologists and the relationship between
levels of burnout and different types of practice settings, selected demographic and work-related
variables were investigated in this study. Burnout was defined in terms of the Maslach Burnout
Inventory (MBI) subscales. Multiple regression analyses were performed on the data (h = 521).
Counseling psychologists in private practice reported the lowest Levels of burnout, while those employed
in hospital settings reported the highest leveLs of burnout. A positive relationship was found between
hours of client contact per week and sense of personal accomplishment. Finally, an inverse relation
ship was reported between age and burnout, and males experienced greater depersonalization of clients
than females.
In recent years the phenomenon of burnout in human service professions has become a topic of increasing concern (Leiter & Harvie, 1996; Skorupa & Agresti, 1993). Freudenberger (1975) described burnout as a state of fatigue or frustration brought about by the individual's devotion to a cause or way of life that failed to meet expectations. Similarly, Meir (1983) proposed that burnout represents a 'state in which individuals expect little reward and considerable punishment from work because of a lack of valued reinforcement, controllable outcomes, or personal competence' (p. 899). In an early study of burnout, Ackerley et al. (1988) examined levels of burnout for doctoral-level psychologists, primarily employed in private practice, and found that 39.9% of the psychologists were experiencing high levels of emotional exhaustion and 34.3% reported depersonalizing their clients.
Research has amply demonstrated that significant levels of burnout exist in the helping professions (Golembiewski & Munzenrider, 1988; Maslach & Jackson, 1984). A review of the literature reveals that little research has been done to ascertain levels and correlates of burnout in psychologists (Ackerley et al., 1988; Farber, 1985). Several recent studies have examined burnout in school psychologists (Huebner, 1993; Huebner, 1994; Sandoval, 1993) and substance abuse therapists (Elman & Dowd, 1997). However, at this time no research has been conducted looking specifically at burnout in counseling psychologists.
Maslach Burnout Model
During the late 1980s, burnout research has focused primarily on two objectives: (a) to identify and evaluate the significance of a wide spectrum of potential correlates and covariates of burnout, and (b) to develop comprehensive theoretical models of...