ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses burnout and the importance self-care. Burnout has long been conceptualized as a feeling of depletion resulting from intense or chronic stress School psychologists may be vulnerable to burnout for a variety of reasons. Working from a resiliency model allows school psychologists to apply principles from positive psychology to promote effectiveness and life satisfaction. B. P. Leung and J. Jackson present a framework for building resiliency based on three protective factors: self-awareness, balance, and lifelong learning. Professional support as self-care includes strategies such as seeking supervisor’s own supervision, engaging with professional organizations, and attending conferences or pursuing other forms of professional development. Methods of self-care can be organized around professional support, personal support, work–life balance, cognitive strategies, and physical self-care. In addition to comprehensively assessing self-care for longer-term planning purposes, it's important to monitor self-care on a frequent basis.
