Date of Award

5-2020

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Psychological Science

Program

Other

Program

Applied Behavior Analysis

First Advisor/Chairperson

Dr. Jacob Daar

Abstract

Burnout in the workplace has been a predominant concern, long before the 1970s, when the issue of burnout became more mainstream to the general public. Subsequently, burnout within the human services occupation had fallen victim to the growing movement, which was plaguing the world due to the long and grueling hours, dealing with patients/clients’ undesirable demands and complaints, and the lack of resources within the facilities. These issues lead to the three dimensions created by burnout; exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy among health care workers. Until 30-40 years ago, the only research conducted on burnout was focused on prevention strategies. However, there was a paucity of research on the use of reduction strategies to decrease burnout especially in the highly susceptible fields, which include mental health workers. Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) is a behavioral therapy approach aimed at increasing psychological flexibility and encourages people to experience life in the present moment. One of the many goals is to decrease the need to analyze or contemplate one’s past or the future. This study utilized a nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment by focusing on creating values-directed behaviors. Practical increases in values-directed behaviors among the four mental health workers were observed. Positive gains continued to increase throughout the progression of the study. Exploratory data suggested a possible decrease in job-related tension and a possible increase in self-compassion.

Access Type

NMU Users Only

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