Careers in the Behavioral Health Services industry can be some of the most rewarding, but changes in the industry mixed with the global challenges of the last few years have created a significant crisis for individual caregivers. With pre-pandemic statistics showing 21-67% of Behavioral Health workers reporting high levels of burnout, there is widespread speculation that post-pandemic levels will be much higher.
Many people are choosing to reset their careers by changing jobs rather than allowing the downward burnout to continue. A fresh start can serve to invigorate your career and allow you to confront the factors affecting the burnout you may be experiencing.
Christina Maslach’s groundbreaking study and book (“Burnout: the cost of caring”) on workplace burnout shocked the behavioral health industry by positing that the primary forces predicting ‘burnout’ are more accurately defined by the workplace environment than by personal ones. Maslach’s study focused specifically on the Health Care profession as one that was particularly susceptible to burnout and offered powerful strategies that would help to transform the industry. A job change will give you the ability to find an environment that minimizes these workplace burnout factors and restores the zeal and excitement you once felt.
Behavioral Health Jobs: https://www.shswny.org/careers
Defining your New Job.
As you consider the parameters and boundaries of your new job, here are a few burnout-busting strategies that could help reignite your career.
Focus on the Victories, not just the Problems.
There is no doubt that a career in Behavioral Health requires you to prioritize the problems your client is seeking help with, but start your new job with an added component that defines and tracks the victories people are experiencing no matter how small they might be. Realizing and celebrating these victories will have a dramatic impact on your sense of value and contribution. This will still leave plenty of time to address the current problems that still require your assistance, but celebrating first serves as an antidote to burnout and empowers the process.
Establish Positive Feedback.
We are all too familiar with how easy it is to get negative feedback in the Behavioral Health Industry; it always seems like there is so much more yet to be done than has already been accomplished. Your new Job should have positive feedback mechanisms baked into the internal processes. Regular internal recognition for the positive achievements will serve as a powerful tool for combating employee burnout.
YOUR NEW JOB IS WAITING: https://www.shswny.org/careers
Monitor your personal stress level.
Do you remember the story about the Cobbler whose kids had holes in their shoes? It’s almost a proverb that people within the Behavioral Health Industry neglect the personal and work boundaries they encourage their clients to establish. When making a job change, define how you are going to monitor your personal stress level, and discuss mutually beneficial strategies that properly represent these boundaries. This discussion will help you decide which job is best for you, and let your future employer know that you are serious about establishing the practices and boundaries that will ensure your long-term job performance.
A change is as good as a rest. Yes, we all know that sleep and the occasional get-away are necessary components to a healthy lifestyle, but there also does come a time when a job change is the right move. Too long in the same job, with the same clients, in the same place with the same co-workers can all work together and contribute to the level of burnout you are experiencing. While it can be somewhat stressful to move to a new company, with new people and new responsibilities it is often just the right tonic to invigorate your career. It’s a big step, but this may be the perfect time to take it.
CALL TO DISCUSS YOUR OPTIONS: https://www.shswny.org/careers
When a new Job is the right answer.
Behavioral Health Workers are perfectly suited to help someone decide if a new job would be the answer to their burnout symptoms; so all you need is an honest self-assessment to help you see clearly for yourself.
Empathy Fatigue: Constant exposure to the same problems with the same people can create a sense of numbness, stealing the drive and purpose that once empowered you to do what you do. Rather than continue to leak empathy, consider a new job and new challenges to rebuild your empathy.
People Fatigue: Are you noticing that people you once cared for are becoming just files or numbers? Are you losing the human component to your job? Remember back to when you first decided that Behavioral Health was the path for you; remember the reasons why, the emotions, the people. So often, a new job can restore the intensity you felt when you started.
Emotional Fatigue: are you noticing your emotions have a shorter fuse at work, at home and with your friends. This can often be a signal that your job is costing you more than you think. Certainly, a moment here or there can be discounted or ignored, but are you noticing a pattern? A new job, with new people and new challenges, could give you the recharge you need.
IS IT TIME FOR A CHANGE? https://www.shswny.org/careers
Best places to look for a job in Buffalo in Behavioral Health?
In our post-covid region the need for Behavioral Health workers has never been higher; if you feel this is the perfect time to change jobs and want to find out what options are available, here are a few starting suggestions.
1. Spectrum Human Health Services. After 45 years of service to the community, Spectrum Health is recognized as one of the most effective behavioral healthcare providers in Western New York. Look for Behavioral health Jobs in Buffalo here. https://www.shswny.org/careers
2. The Erie County Department of Mental Health (ECDMH) provides a variety of services, including community mental health services, substance abuse treatment, and crisis intervention.
3. Catholic Charities of Buffalo also offers a number of behavioral health services, including counseling, substance abuse treatment, and case management.
4. The United Way of Buffalo & Erie County provides funding for a number of behavioral health programs and services in Western New York. If you have a particular field or program you want to work in, or just want to familiarize yourself with the market, you may want to contact the United Way.
Our post pandemic world is grappling with the increased awareness of the many Behavioral Health issues that exist in our community. As our world returns to some level of normality it is so important that each person within the Behavioral Health industry find the best job and environment that will allow them to perform at their very best. This article is intended to encourage those who feel like they have more potential than is presently being realized. Let this be the nudge that begins your process of finding a position that maximizes the value you release into our community. Look for opportunities in a Behavioral Health job here.
START HERE TODAY: https://www.shswny.org/careers
