Role of Compassion Fatigue and Burnout in Existing and Upcoming Interventions for Mental Health Professionals: A Literature Review

Abstract

ABSTRACT Mental health professionals face several difficulties, particularly in the form of burnout and compassion fatigue (CF). The rate of burnout and CF is on the rise with changing times. Providing mental health services while being burnout or going through CF can be challenging. Therefore, there is a need to explore existing interventions for mental health professionals. This article aims to explore burnout and CF in relation to existing interventions for mental health professionals and highlight implications for further interventions. Recently, mindfulness interventions such as mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, mindfulness self-compassion training, and interpersonal mindfulness program have been studied as a potential intervention for mental health professionals. Another recent intervention called as compassion-focused therapy is on the rise, and the article will research its efficacy in use with mental health professionals. The present article has implications in the field of positive psychology, clinical psychology, and health psychology.