ABSTRACT
The problem addressed by this qualitative descriptive study was the challenges mental health providers experienced and their ability to continuously provide services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Burn out and secondary traumatic stress are common conditions experienced by mental health providers due to the nature of their work. Resilience plays an important role in a person's ability to effectively navigate through life's challenges, therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand and describe the lived experience of mental health professionals during a wide-spread crisis, specifically the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of the resilience theory. A qualitative descriptive method and design were used for this study as this provided opportunity to collect and describe the lived experiences of mental health clinicians who provided mental health services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling on social media. The research sample included 12 participants, 11 of which were female, and 1 male. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with the participants. The interviews were uploaded and transcribed through Descript transcription software and were manually coded and themed by the researcher. Three research questions were used for this study which included: How do mental health professionals describe the effects of COVID-19 on their delivery of services to their clients? How do mental health professionals cope with the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic? and What needs do mental health professionals identify to effectively continue the provision of services during the pandemic? The results of the study indicated that mental health professionals need to feel supported by their workplace which includes social support among employees as social interaction as coping was identified as important by the clinicians. Most participants did identify an increase in stress and burnout symptoms. Participants noted that they need additional trainingin telehealth to feel prepared to provide services through these virtual platforms. Employers are recommended to incorporate social support, and trainings. Future research will benefit from studying the long-term outcomes of the pandemic on the clinician's coping and resilience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)