Identifying Stress In Behavioral Health Professionals
As rewarding as Behavioral Health is as a profession, it can be wrought with stress which poses a threat to the professionals called to help others. Staff burnout rate among therapists and other behavioral health professionals is one of the highest of any profession, which is increasingly viewed as a severe concern in the field. In addition, studies have shown that mental and behavioral health professionals report high depersonalization rates, high emotional exhaustion, and high levels of personal accomplishment.
The call to be of service to others can come with personal detriment and personal fulfillment, increasing the need for stress management in these fields. For mental health professionals, engaging in self-care activities regularly is vital to their emotional, mental, and physical well-being.
Acknowledgment Of Stress Among Behavioral Health Professionals
To effectively counter this relentless stress, behavioral health professionals must develop self-care strategies that enable them to continue being effective for their clients. These self-care strategies can only be created by acknowledging stress in the field and identifying the levels of apparent stress responses.
Three Levels Of Stress Responses
While the individual responses to stress may vary, the three most common stress responses can be instrumental in recognizing stress and developing self-care strategies. The first stress response is positive. A positive reaction is characterized by mild elevations in the stress hormone, typically with transient increases in heart rate.
The next level of the stress response is defined as ‘tolerable Tolerable stress is temporary yet buffered by supportive relationships and work-life balance. Finally, toxic response to stress is the result of prolonged activation of the stress response systems in an abuse results from relationships and work-life balance. .’
Vicarious Trauma Significant Stress For Behavioral Health Professionals
Mental health clinicians experience a specific type of stress that results from their professional interactions with clients and patients. The very act of listening to and engaging in the trauma of clients and patients can leave mental health professionals with what is called ‘ vicarious trauma.’ Therapists and clinicians bear witness to their clients’ pain, fear, terror, and trauma daily. When a stress management plan is not in place, this vicarious trauma can build up over time, creating burnout, depression, and a feeling of helplessness. .’
Developing A Stress Management Strategy
The challenge is to acknowledge personal stress for behavioral health professionals and remain aware of their emotional stress responses throughout their careers. Understanding what these responses tell about stress levels is essential to establishing a basis for a stress management strategy.
The strategy should include a range of self-care activities that can be employed daily to keep stress levels low and respond to significant active stressors such as vicarious trauma.
Behavioral Health Professionals must put themselves and their mental health into focus to remain positive change agents in the lives of their clients and patients.