Burnout in MFT trainees: Impact of demands and resources.

Burnout, defined as a state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion caused by involvement in emotionally demanding work, is an occupational risk of helping professions that has significant negative consequences. This study examined burnout among Couple/Marriage and Family Therapy (C/MFT) trainees and its association with various demands and resources at the individual and practice-related levels as well as variables specific to their trainee status. Data came from an online study on 78 C/MFT trainees from 13 states enrolled in Couple and Family Therapy graduate programs nationwide. More than half of the participants reported various levels of burnout indicating that the issue of burnout merits the special attention of C/MFT educators and supervisors. All significant factors associated with burnout were related to the training context and included: supervision satisfaction, hours spent in a setting and caseload dissatisfaction. Findings and implications for supervision are discussed in the context of C/MFT training.