ABSTRACT
Managed care has had a radical effect on the work of private therapists; many of the providers interviewed seriously consider leaving private practice if they cannot find ways to circumvent the restrictions imposed by managed care entities and third-party insurers. Managed care has the potential of reducing burnout in public sector organizations. A majority cited managed care as a significant source of stress, and felt that the increases in bureaucratic control over decisions had resulted in a lack of support from supervisors and administrators, and this was producing higher levels of burnout. Emotional labor is not related to burnout, although it negatively related to autonomy and positively related to goal incongruence. The commodification of care was directly responsible: Therapists’ society has defined success in recent times by productivity and numbers–a bottom-line mentality which is often opposed to the therapeutic process and dehumanizes the clinician as well as the client.
