Burnout among social workers structural causes, coping strategies, and organizational interventions

Burnout in social work is frequently misrepresented as an individual shortcoming rather than a structural condition. This article reframes burnout as a systemic phenomenon rooted in institutional underfunding, emotional overload, ethical dissonance, gendered labor expectations, and precarious employment. Drawing on established theoretical models and critical social theory, it examines the multilevel causes of burnout and evaluates coping strategies in light of their structural limitations. The article highlights the need for organizational and policy reforms—such as caseload regulation, trauma-informed leadership, and ethical workplace cultures—to mitigate burnout sustainably. Burnout, the article argues, reflects systemic injustice, not personal failure.