Compassion Fatigue and Burnout in Mental Health: A Survey of Music Therapists
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Author
Suedkamp, Lindsey
Date
2011
Degree
Master of Arts in Music Therapy
Abstract
With ever increasing job demands on those in the care-giving professions, the potential for
compassion fatigue and burnout have increased. With little research and information on
compassion fatigue and burnout related specifically to music therapists working in mental
health, further investigation is needed. The purpose of this study was to examine the current
knowledge of the signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue and burnout in music therapists
who have worked with the mental health population. A researcher-designed survey was
developed for the purpose of this research. Subjects were 150 professional music therapists
who identified themselves with the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) as
working with mental health populations. The main focus of this survey was to assess the
knowledge of signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue and burnout among music
therapists working in mental health. Additionally, a secondary focus was to learn where
information was obtained, if they have experienced or are currently experiencing signs and
symptoms of burnout, and if there was assistance offered to address the aforementioned
issues. Finally, the survey participants were asked if they feel as though there is a need to
increase the awareness ofthese issues through the educational process for students and new
music therapy professionals. The results show that burnout was experienced by 65.5% of
respondents while only 37.8% reported having experienced the signs and symptoms of
compassion fatigue while working in mental health. Survey participants were able to identify
symptoms they have experienced which included stress, mental/physical exhaustion,
decreased productivity and pessimism. The results of this survey also indicate that music
therapists feel there is a need for increased education for students and new music therapy
professionals. These results are discussed as supporting the need for further investigation and research surrounding compassion fatigue and burnout among music therapy professionals
working in mental health.