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A significant component of therapy is wellness. To deal with clients and to look after for
oneself, one must be able to strike a balance. Therapists must sometimes remember to take care
of themselves and their health when they are only concerned with their clients (Weingarten et al.,
2020). One must find a method to look after oneself not just emotionally but physically and
spiritually to avoid burning out on the job. Without finding that balance, one is more likely to
burn out and be unable to assist their clients as effectively as they might otherwise be able to
(Weingarten et al., 2020). It is simpler to burn out in today's culture, and owing to the epidemic;
we lose sight of what matters and our spiritual selves. Marriage and Family therapist can lead a
demanding and sometimes challenging career. It is essential that Marriage and Family therapist
understand how to identify the stressors that lead to vicarious trauma and burnout, recognize
their areas of strengths and weakness, and formulate a self-care plan that will be beneficial to
them and their careers.
MFT Stressors
Negative attitudes and losing customer care are both stressors that may lead to burnout,
characterized by physical and emotional tiredness. The Demands-Resource (JD-R) model
emphasizes the imbalance between work demands and resources as a crucial factor contributing
to the development of burnout in many jobs (Glebova et al., 2022). Fatigue, worry, and sadness
are among burnout symptoms. Failure, tiredness, or weariness may also be signs of burnout.
MFT Therapists must exercise caution since burnout is a gradual process. They must make
themselves aware of the signs and potential triggers. A MFT therapist may also develop
vicarious trauma (VT), also known as compassion fatigue; this can result from being exposed to
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traumatizing experiences and the suffering of their clients. According to the studies of Gilbert
Franco, MFTs who work or have worked for a community mental health service experience
burnout at a greater rate than MFTs in private practice (Franco, 2015). This indicates that the
workplace environment can have a major effect on a individual’s mental state. Traumatic stress
disorder is sometimes known as burnout and compassion fatigue. A MFT's judgment may be
disrupted and erroneous by experiencing vicarious trauma. It is also stated by Gilbert Franco
that, many symptoms of (VT) include losing sleep over patients, feeling less satisfied and
accomplished, having intrusive thoughts about clients who have experienced particularly severe
trauma, and having a sense of pessimism related to their profession or clients (Franco, 2015).
The personal life of a counselor, including their interactions with friends and family and their
mental and physical health, may also be impacted by vicarious trauma.
Assessment of Wellness
It is essential for MFT’s to observe and embrace their strengths and weaknesses. Once a
MFT is able identify their strengths and weakness; they will then be able to assess the areas in
their life they are mastering and the ones that require more attention. As a result of completing a
self-care life pie chart, I was able to determine my areas strength; which are academics and
social interaction. I put effort and time into developing both professionally and personally. Intake
pride in my education and my relationships. I like engaging in cognitively challenging talks and
social interactions with people. Spirituality is one commonality in strengths that I share with my
family. My entire family is religious. We hold our faith with great regard. God is someone we
adore and worship. Some areas in my life that can use some improvement are health and
financial well-being; surprisingly, the same areas are neglected by members of my family as
well. In my opinion, we all need more discipline and supervision to improve our negative habits.
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It will take a lot of discipline but it is obtainable. Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) states, l can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me.
God desires for my family to persevere no matter what happens because perseverance is
crucial to our spiritual growth. He wants His people to overcome challenges and adversity to
triumph in Him truly. God’s word states in 3 John 1:2 (KJV) Beloved, I wish above all things
that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. One way we can
overcome challenges that come our way is to realize there is help available. In most cases,
seeking assistance can be viewed as a sign of weakness and that we can handle anything. We
consider ourselves Super people, but we fail to realize that asking for assistance is not a sign of
weakness but rather a maturity. It takes a courageous person to acknowledge that they need help.
Self-Care Plan
We must formulate a strategy that will improve and sustain our overall well-being.
Essentially, the plan will be composed of methods that maximize strengths, techniques that will
permit the opportunity to improve areas of weaknesses, and present the importance of the
involvement of others. First, my self-care plan will demonstrate ways of maintaining my
strengths in the social, intellectual, and spiritual realm. I intend to keep pursuing and fulfilling
social interactions and meaningful connections. I will nurture my friendships and continue to
build my family unit, for example, planning more trips, celebrating special occasions, and casual
dates. Personal connections are necessary in growth. When we surround ourself with love and
unity, we tend to develop a sense of worth and accountability. The saying is true, knowledge is
power; and in order to gain knowledge one must pursue and obtain levels of academics. I will
continue to motivate myself to explore new options and broaden my intellect. I will continue
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reading, studying, and learning. I will put effort and time into developing myself both
professionally and personally. I will make and adhere to reasonable objectives.
Spiritually, I plan to increase my level of faith. My ultimate desire is to please God in
everything that I do. I will incorporate prayer into my morning routine, I will organize a weekly
Bible study meeting, and I will continue to attend church regularly. Having a faith based lifestyle
makes a major difference because when the cares of life start to overwhelm me or when the spirit
of defeat and stress start to overtake me, I have the ability and resource to communicate with
God. It is in God that I find my strength and peace. I will also recite my daily affirmations to
help motivate me. I will look at difficulties as chances to improve. I will continue to grow
spiritually by maintaining this mindset.
My financial and physical health are both in need of improvement. I will construct a
financial budget that will allow me to pay my bills on time, pay off some debt, and put money
aside for savings. I realize this may difficult at first, but it will be worth sacrifice in the end. I
will gradually start this plan to eliminate getting overwhelmed. My plan is to starting a workout
regiment that best suits my needs and capability. I plan to hire a personal trainer that will cater to
my personal physical goals. I will also choose a more nutritious diet, eating smaller portions and
cutting back on a lot of sugar and sodas. Health is wealth. We function at our greatest potential
when we feel good in our bodies and about ourselves.
Accountability and motivation would result from members' participation in the strategy to
maintain and improve wellness (Shell et al., 2021). Family members’ participating in my strategy
to maintain and improve wellness would provide accountability. It’s vital to have a couple of
people in your corner with like-minded goals and aspirations on your team. They will keep you
motivated by cheering you on, joining in on health journey, and hold you to a standard. When
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your family members unite and agree on a common goal, change is inevitable. It’s much easier to
stick to a goal such as choosing healthier meals when you have family members along with you
making those same healthy decisions. When you have family and/or friends that are willing to
stand with you it makes it less easier to quit.
Fear of failure will be sparked by limitations, which could be setbacks or unrealistic
expectations from others. As Christians, we have a mandate to carry out a task. We are described
as the salt of the earth in the Bible, but how can salt be made to taste salty again if it has lost its
flavor? It is now only useful for disposal and for being trampled under by people. Matthew 5:13,
it is stated that we must have our faith and purpose continually renewed. A light for the world is
what we are here to be. In order to fulfill our objectives, we need to be fed spiritually. Feeding
our souls ought to be our main self-care strategy. In the long run, one will be more likely to burn
out and experience more problems if one cannot put God first and allow Him to help them
through difficult times. God must always come first in every circumstance if we can serve others
as Christ did when he was on earth. When working, putting the needs of the clients first is
essential, but once the workday is over, we also need to be able to take care of ourselves (Franco,
2015). This will prevent us from bringing our work home with us and letting it control our lives.
In order to be able to serve others, we must find a healthy balance.
Conclusion
It is true that Marriage and Family Therapist can experience a burnout period, and most
have experienced vicarious trauma. There are many factors that attribute to these moments, such
as identifying the stressors, not acknowledging their strengths and weaknesses, and neglecting to
formulate a self-care plan that help mitigate burnout.
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References
Franco, G. E. (2015). Supervision and MFT burnout: overcoming the challenges therapists face
in the workplace. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1644.
Glebova, T., Lal, A., Girard, A., & Van Ligten, J. (2022). Burnout in MFT trainees: Impact of
demands and resources.FJournal of Marital and Family Therapy,F48(3), 908-926.
Shell, E. M., Teodorescu, D., & Williams, L. D. (2021). Investigating race-related stress,
burnout, and secondary traumatic stress for Black mental health therapists.FJournal of
Black Psychology,F47(8), 669-694.
Weingarten, K., Galván‐Durán, A. R., D’Urso, S., & Garcia, D. (2020). The witness to witness
program: Helping the helpers in the context of the Covid‐19 pandemic. Family Process,
59(3), 883-897
MFTs’ Burnout Prevention and Coping: What Can Clinicians Supervisors, Training
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