Understanding Mental Health Provider's Experiences of Burnout, Vicarious Trauma, and Vicarious Resilience from the provider perspective

The physical and psychological impacts on mental health providers as a result of burnout, vicarious trauma, and vicarious resilience have not been researched extensively. This study examined burnout and vicarious trauma among mental health providers in New Mexico given the high need population and low access to resources. This qualitative study, employed individual interviews, examined the lived experiences of seven mental health providers who are currently employed in the state of New Mexico in order to better understand the impact of burnout, vicarious trauma, and vicarious resilience. Inclusion criteria for participants included providing mental health services to children and families in the state of New Mexico, being employed with an organization affiliated with the state of New Mexico, and being employed for a minimum of six months. A thematic analysis framework (Braun & Clarke, 2008) was used to examine the themes that emerged from the data, which included: (1) burnout, (2) mental health career trajectory, (3) occupational preparedness, (4) support, (5) vicarious trauma, (6) vicarious resilience, (7) job satisfaction, (8) employment challenges, (9) spirituality/ faith, (10) impacts of COVID-19. The findings of this study demonstrated high rates of burnout, vicarious trauma, and vicarious resilience. Investigating the experiences of mental health providers may, in turn, help future organizations implement interventions to reduce the negative outcomes of burnout and vicarious trauma while helping support vicarious resilience.