Understanding and Preventing Burnout Among Behavioral Health Workers

This capstone project aims to address burnout among behavioral health workers through research and survey development. The research component involves reviewing existing studies and conducting interviews with staff members of Valley Health Associates to identify key factors contributing to high burnout rates and their consequences. Contributing factors researched include organizational culture, increasing workloads, and demand for behavioral health workers, and organizational climate. The consequences of burnout include physical and emotional health impacts, overwhelming caseloads, and low retention rates. The research findings inform the development of an employee satisfaction and engagement survey that includes questions related to burnout, workload, company culture, job satisfaction, organizational support, and opportunities for growth and development. The survey serves as a tool for Valley Health Associates to help identify and prevent burnout among staff. By addressing burnout, this project aims to improve the well-being of behavioral health workers at the agency and ultimately enhance the quality of care provided to patients