Eaves Simpson Tanika, Robinson Joann L, Brown Edna
University of Connecticut.
Infant Ment Health J. 2018 Jul;39(4):478-488. doi: 10.1002/imhj.21719. Epub 2018 Jul 3.
Infant mental health practice requires the performance of intense emotional labor. Professionals comprising the infant mental health (IMH) field are largely women at seminal points in adult life-span development. The purpose of this article is to explore the day-to-day challenges faced by clinical infant mental health professionals and their perspectives on the supports available for effective job performance. We review reflective supervision as a long-cherished professional support in the IMH field designed to hold the practitioner's fears, worries, and ambivalence, so that she may return to the work fortified to remain in therapeutic alliance with families despite unsolvable problems and an unknowable future (Weatherston, D., 2009). Yet, we propose that reflective supervision alone may not be an adequate protective measure for a workforce performing intensive emotional labor for extended periods and therefore at potentially increased risk for burnout and high turnover (Hochschild, A.R. ; C. Maslach, , C.M. Brotheridge & A.A. Grandey, 2009; A.S. Wharton, ). We suggest that structural factors concerning organizational culture, flexibility in scheduling, and professional growth and versatility bear deeper examination for their merits in supporting the IMH workforce. Finally, we contend that the overrepresentation of women in practitioner positions in IMH leaves an empirical gap where little is known about the experience of male IMH practitioners and the ramifications of their performance of emotional labor.
婴幼儿心理健康实践需要付出高强度的情感劳动。在成人生命周期发展的关键节点，从事婴幼儿心理健康（IMH）领域工作的专业人员大多为女性。本文旨在探讨临床婴幼儿心理健康专业人员面临的日常挑战，以及他们对有助于高效工作表现的支持措施的看法。我们回顾反思性督导，它是IMH领域长期以来备受珍视的专业支持，旨在承载从业者的恐惧、担忧和矛盾情绪，使她能够在面对无法解决的问题和不可知的未来时，仍能坚定地回到工作中，与家庭保持治疗联盟（Weatherston, D., 2009）。然而，我们认为，对于长时间从事高强度情感劳动、因此面临更高职业倦怠和高离职率风险（Hochschild, A.R.; C. Maslach, C.M. Brotheridge & A.A. Grandey, 2009; A.S. Wharton）的员工队伍而言，仅靠反思性督导可能并非充分的保护措施。我们建议，组织文化、排班灵活性以及职业发展与多样性等结构性因素，在支持IMH员工队伍方面的优势值得深入研究。最后，我们认为，在IMH从业者岗位上女性占比过高，留下了一个实证空白，即对于男性IMH从业者的经历及其情感劳动表现的影响知之甚少。
