| Summary: | This study was inspired by the desire to understand the experience of mental
health clinicians coping with work related stress in treating traumatized children. In
studying this experience, heuristic design and methodology was followed. The findings
of this study are based on interviews of 3 Caucasian, female clinicians, a 49-year-old art
therapist with eight years experience, a 61-year-old licensed clinical social worker with
34 years of postgraduate experience, and a 44-year-old licensed clinical social worker
with 21 years of experience. Mental health practitioners, clinical supervisors and
consultants as well as professionals in counselor education benefit from the findings of
this study that extends knowledge of effective coping with work related stress in treating
traumatized children. Participants in this study coped by using the following core
characteristics the most often: seeking emotional and instrumental support from others,
maintaining balance in work and private life, staying spiritually oriented, participating in
leisure activities, focusing on health and using cognitive restructuring techniques. The
least mentioned was the use of humor. Four themes permeated the experience of these
clinicians: (1) Maintaining Balance: Coping included maintaining a balance in work and
private life; (2) Healthy Personal Identity: Coping successfully meant keeping the
career as work and not a definition of the self; (3) Clear Role Definition: Coping to
continue the work included increased focus on professional and personal boundaries and
the role of the clinician; (4) Realistic Control: Successful coping included differentiating
between what can and can't be controlled. This study also found that part of coping with
work-related stress meant moving from the public sector into private enterprise. In
private practice, participants found that coping with stress improved with the decrease of
high client caseload requirements and the ability to screen potential clientele for the
purpose of creating a balance in treatment issues. Overall, this study found that the
experience of coping successfully with work-related stress had a great deal to do with
increased professional autonomy. === Graduation date: 2003
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