APN WEBINAR 

Jonathan Gaston

Clinical Psychologist in Private Practice

Sydney Anxiety Disorders Practice &

Aberfoyle Psychology

About this webinar: Burnout is a psychological syndrome that develops after prolonged exposure to chronic stressors in the workplace. The prevalence of burnout across various helping professions averages between 6 & 11%, with rates over 20% reported in some contexts. The costs of burnout can be high both for the individual and the workplace. For the individual, there can be longer term emotional difficulties such as anxiety and depression, increased physical illness, increased drug and/or alcohol use, work avoidance and overall questioning of career suitability. For the organisation, workplace burnout can result in increased staff dissatisfaction, unexpected leave, absenteeism, high staff turnover rates and ultimately higher training and employment costs.

Many professionals, such as those working in the health and helping industries, are at greater risk for burnout due to the high level of ‘emotional labour’ utilised in their day-to-day work. These emotional labour demands can include tasks such as paying attention, maintaining a neutral tone, understanding the client’s feelings, considering their affective needs, showing concern and empathy, suppressing feelings of fear or irritation and generally handling intensely emotional situations.

At a societal level, there is also increasing evidence of an emerging stressor that is being labelled ‘chronic time pressure’ (CTP). CTP seems to be defined by two factors; an actual shortage of time (time poverty) combined with a constant feeling of being rushed (harried). Initial evidence is suggesting a relationship between CTP and burnout, including poorer mental and physical health outcomes.

In this seminar, I will be discussing the concept of burnout, how to identify the signs and symptoms, and the role of risk factors such as emotional labour and chronic time pressure.

About the presenter: Jonathan Gaston is a clinical psychologist who has previously worked in both public health and University settings and co-founded the Sydney Anxiety Disorders Practice in 1998.  From 1999 to 2010 Jonathan held the position of Clinic Director at the Macquarie University Centre for Emotional Health, where his work involved the design and evaluation of group treatment programs for adult anxiety disorders, including social phobia, GAD, panic disorder and blood-injection-injury phobia. He also helped establish the Anxiety Practitioners’ Network in 2001, a non-profit association dedicated to the advancement of the treatment of anxiety disorders. Jonathan’s interest in burnout began with his first clinical role at the UNSW Student Counselling Service. This interest continues today in his role as a private practitioner at Aberfoyle Psychology in Marrickville.