(PS13-B47) Give Until It Hurts: An Exploratory Analysis of Mental Health Practitioners' Wellness

The wellness of clinical psychologists and mental health professionals has been of growing concern due to the increasing rates of reported stress and burnout (Williams et al., 2020; Enders et al., 2015; Alves, Oliveira, & Paro, 2019). Previous research suggests that the quality of life for mental health professionals is at an increased risk due to clinical load, salary concerns, and lack of time for activities of self-care outside of work (William et al., 2020). There is a lack of research regarding the wellness of mental health practitioners (i.e., psychology graduate students, academic faculty, psychiatrists, mental health counselors) and its relation to the workplace environment. The purpose of this study was to examine job-related factors that impacted participants’ social, emotional, and professional well-being. Participants were recruited via various professional organization listservs. Participants answered questions about their place of work (Quality of Worklife Questionnaire), psychological health (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 and Patient Health Questionnaire-9), support systems (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support) that yielded quantitative results. Participants also responded to three qualitative questions about what they enjoy or find challenging about their work, and any barriers to engaging in self-care activities. Results were analyzed using a thematic qualitative analysis for three qualitative questions, and comparisons were drawn between career stage, amount of social support, and licensure type regarding levels of reported anxiety and depressive symptoms. The implications of the findings discussed may further workplace policies related to the promotion of mental wellbeing and interventions provided to mental health practitioners.