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- Title
BURNOUT AND COMPASSION FATIGUE: WHAT LAWYERS NEED TO KNOW.
- Authors
Norton, Lee; Johnson, Jennifer; Woods, George
- Abstract
Burnout and compassion fatigue are not unique to individuals who work in social welfare or the mental health professions. Ironically, lawyers are more susceptible to these problems. This is so for several reasons, notably the extreme value placed on competition, self-sufficiency, and abnegating individual emotional needs; the isolated work conditions characteristic of most law practices; and the effect of the adversarial system on all spheres of professional and personal life. Burnout and compassion fatigue cause chronic health problems, poor job performance, substance abuse and other forms of self-medication, and impoverished relationships. Attorneys must understand the dynamics, symptoms and effective intervention for burnout and compassion fatigue in order to provide competent representation. Burnout and compassion fatigue are related conditions that result from exposure to distressing or traumatic experiences. While the terms are often used interchangeably, there are differences worth noting since the two problems can exist individually or together.
- Subjects
PSYCHOLOGICAL burnout; LAWYERS; PUBLIC welfare; PERFORMANCE evaluation; MENTAL health personnel; PSYCHOLOGY
- Publication
UMKC Law Review, 2016, Vol 84, Issue 4, p977
- ISSN
0047-7575
- Publication type
Article