Hi Everyone...
Some of you older lags ( Eric? ) may remember a paper presented by Suzanne Spross from Daytop at the WFTC Conference in Athens in 1990 on staff burn out and relapse. Her conclusions espoused the usual guidelines about proper support, supervision and training etc. However she did also have some interesting things to say regarding the warning signs or as she puts it "narcissistic regression"...I quote .."
1) Grandiosity- regarding self, one's clinical skills, opinions; sense of entitlement;arrogance and undue pride; inability to accept any criticism or contrasting input from others;vulnerability to humiliation and embarrassment (with rageful reactions)
2) Self-aggrandizing behaviours- in staff meetings, therapy roups, including dramatic posturing to elicit admiration from others; exhibitionistic displays of power, humor, sexuality and righteous indignation.
3) Emotional Lability- moodiness, especially outbursts of rage when one's authority or self image is challenged or threatened; bouts of depression with an egocentric quality to it; attacks of shame and low self esteem, especially when caught making mistakes.
4) Perfectionism- inability to accept mistakes in oneself and others; punitive self flaggellation upon recognitionof imperfections; extreme expections of self and others, extremely high standards of achievement.
5) Lack of Empathy- insensitivity to the feelings or needs of others; constant references to one's own frame of reference as the only valid perspective; inability to understand client's issues or needs when they are different from one's own.
6) Denial- of negative affect and self states; unwillingness to be vulnerable or to self-disclose shameful feelings.
7) Psychosomatic symptoms of anxiety/depression- sleep and appetite disorders
(nodding out in meetings, weight loss or gain), fatigue, frequent injuries or colds, skin rashes, headaches and low back pain, lower intestinal disorders "
Don't say you haven't been warned!
Regards,
Bob Campbell
-----Original Message-----
From: Therapeutic Communities
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Dave
Sent: 30 March 2005 06:46
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Burn out/Tc's in Britain &...
Gosh, so much seems to have come in to the group at once!
There is a dictionary definition which defines the verb 'burn out' as to
"fail wear out, or become exhausted by making excessive demands on energy,
strength, or resources"
Whatever model used to deal with 'burn-out', I don't agree with Gerald
(welcome back by the way, hope you are feeling better), that
psychoanalysis, would be my preferred method. There are many other just as
respected and proved approaches/models.
My experience to date is this. having worked with, and held training
courses for various public sector staff over a number of years i.e.
Probation, Social Services, Drug Projects, Voluntary organisations etc., I
have found that a number of these staff, (not all thank goodness), say that
not enough attention is given to them receiving adequate emotional support
and personal supervision. Not just supervision around their work 'role' but
with coping the very often traumatic client problems that arise, and the
emotional effect on them.
I am sure everyone can relate to this. You may start the day off feeling OK
with not any particular problems. You go into work and see your first
client.
Let us say they are very depressed. They unload all this on you, sometimes
that's all they want to do, they don't need advice or feedback.
At the end of the hour or whatever, they say 'thanks for that' and off they
go.
(I am being very simplistic here). You then proceed to see another 6-8
clients say all unloading various emotional problems on you. You suddenly
start to feel depressed yourself.
This goes on day after day. Each time we are taking on a little part of
this negative emotional 'baggage' it is hardly suprising that we in the
'people business' burn out' fast.
It should be mandatory that a great deal of emotional support/supervision
is built into this sort of work.In some places it is, but not often.
On the other side of the coin, I agree with Gerald when he says ' There are
far too many disturbed workers around for my liking'. More safeguards
should be built in to protect clients as well as workers.
A question to ask is 'why do we do what we do?" If there was'nt something
in it for us we would'nt do it.
Eric, to answer your question to Craig my surname is Warren-Holland.
He kindly posted something about me on http://www.tc-of.net/webex/webex6.htm
I would appreciate knowing who you are too.
Which brings me to my final response (I promise to shut up after this!).
Craig, I think having introductions is a good idea. Once people have done
this, is there not somwhere we can go and look at the 'potted CV' of people
currently in the group to keep us up to date ? It is important to welcome
people to the group. On that note, welcome Barnaby.
Warmest wishes
Dave
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