Rekindling the Fire for Addiction Counseling:
Beyond BurnoutJim Seckman, MAC, CACII, CCS
What do you like about this field?
?
What happened?• Managed Care• Government Funding• Regulatory/Accreditation Bodies• Evidenced Based Practices
In the old days we really began to see how we made a difference in people’s lives.
Gradually, we began to have to dance to the tune of different masters.
Crisis Counseling
• A crisis of hope• Probably led to a lack of energy
• A crisis of relationship• May have led to a decrease of
confidence
• A crisis of expectation• May be what led to burnout
BurnoutFeeling
robbed of vitality helpless betrayed
Overwhelmed immobilized depressed
Fatigued oppressed apathetic
discouraged resistant
Negative isolated like a failure
Causes of Burnout• Doing the same type of work with little
variation• Giving personally but not getting back• Being under constant pressure to
perform• Working with a difficult population• Conflict and tension among staff
Causes of Burnout• Lack of trust between staff members• Not have opportunities for personal
expression or initiative• Jobs that are taxing without
supervision• Unresolved personal conflicts
AwarenessKnowing others is wisdom. Knowing oneself
is enlightenment
What are you feeling?
What are your feelings telling you?
AwarenessOur feelings give us information
about
What’s going on inside of us
What‘s going on around us
What we need to do
Suggestions• Work on clearly identifying old messages• Evaluate your goals, priorities, and
expectations• Let go of unrealistic expectations• Learn to monitor the impact of stress• Immediately process intense encounters• Take responsibility for yourelf
BoundariesThe emotional/physical space you allow
What defines our rolesWho we are as a counselor
Protection Taking care of ourselves
External BoundariesSnow White and the Huntsman
Develop detached concern
How is your energy taken?
How do we protect it?
How do we give it away?
How do we replenish it?
External Boundaries• Container Model• Suggestions for working with clients
• Get rid of any “me vs. them”• Be present in the present• Separate the urgent vs. the necessary• Be clear about our stuff vs. their stuff• Be realistic about outcomes and expectations• Don’t act out their anxiety• Work with the team
Internal BoundariesHelps protect ourselves from self-defeating thoughts and behaviorsOur focus shapes our feelings
Our purpose defines our priorities
Internal BoundariesDon’t get caught up in:
Allowing yourself to complainPicturing yourself in other circumstances
Comparing your situation to someone else’sAllowing yourself to wish things had been
otherwiseDwelling on tomorrow
ChoicesWho do we blame?
Responsibility and controlConcentration Camp mentality
What choices are we making, or not making, to keep ourselves
alive?
Choices
Care for yourself
Be deliberate about doing good things for yourself and renewing your energy
ChangeTwo types of activities in
lifeThose that lead to life and those that lead to death
Death is easyLife takes deliberate,
intentional, choices and behaviors
ChangeIndividuals who experience burnout
believe they cannot change their situation. To revitalize a career and move away from a burnout state, individuals need to change their
thought processes and viewpoints about the people and things that
may be contributing to their burnout.
Change
Get busy livingor
Get busy dying
Change
God, grant me the serenityTo accept the things I cannot changeThe courage to change the things I
canAnd the wisdom to know the
difference