Burnout, racial trauma, and protective experiences of Black psychologists and counselors.

OBJECTIVE: The present study explored rates of burnout and racial trauma among 182 Black mental health professionals (BMHPs) and utilized racial-cultural theory to explore potential protective factors against burnout and racial trauma. METHOD: We collected data from 182 Black psychologists and counselors who were active mental health professionals during 2020. Descriptive statistics, multivariate analyses of variance, follow-up univariate analyses of variance, bivariate correlations, and multiple regression analyses were used. RESULTS: Both burnout and racial trauma were considerably higher among BMHPs than has been reported across general samples of helping professionals and across a sample of Black participants across the United States. Differences among rates of burnout and racial trauma existed across genders and specialties (i.e., counseling and psychology). Higher levels of social support and an external locus of control significantly predicted lower levels of burnout and racial trauma. In addition, higher levels of resilient coping predicted lower levels of burnout. Last, more frequent meetings with a mentor significantly predicted lower levels of racial trauma. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study suggest that BMHPs may be more susceptible to burnout and race-based traumatic stress as a result of their work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Professional Leadership, Racial Microaggressions, and Career Adaptability Of Minoritized Clinicians in the United States.

The impact of racial microaggressions on career adaptability and professional leadership engagement of racial/ethnic minoritized counsellors in the United States was examined. The sample included 489 counsellors and counsellors in training. Structural equation modeling pathways indicated a positive pathway from racial microaggressions to both career adaptability and professional leadership development, and a negative pathway from career adaptability to leadership engagement. Additionally, a thematic analysis of written responses from participants who shared why they did not participate in professional organization leadership positions revealed four themes including limited time, opportunity or awareness, newness to the profession, and lack of desire or interest. Study limitations and implications for counsellors, counselor education programs, and counselling/mental health professional organizations are discussed.