ABSTRACT
Burnout or "occupational battle fatigue" is a phenomenon experienced by persons in many professions, including social work. Burnout has been defined as a wearing out, exhaustion, or failure resulting from excessive demands made on energy, strength, or resources. For social workers who are in daily and often intense contact with troubled people, the risk of burnout is ever prevalent. Symptoms of burnout demonstrated by individuals include high resistance to going to work, postponing professional responsibilities, stereotyping clients, becoming emotionally detached from clients, and treating clients in a dehumanizing way. The impact of burnout in the work setting can result in poor staff morale, high absenteeism, reduced organizational effectiveness, delays in service delivery, and high staff turnover.
