2,311
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

Work-related experiences of mental health professionals during COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

, , &
Pages 69-92 | Received 12 Feb 2022, Accepted 11 Feb 2023, Published online: 20 Feb 2023

References

  • Aafjes-van Doorn, K., Békés, V., Luo, X., Prout, T. A., & Hoffman, L. (2021). Therapists’ resilience and posttraumatic growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 14(S1), S165–173. Advance online publication. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0001097#
  • Aafjes-van Doorn, K., Békés, V., & Prout, T. A. (2020a). Grappling with our therapeutic relationship and professional self-doubt during COVID-19: Will we use video therapy again? Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 34(3–4), 1–12. doi:10.1080/09515070.2020.1773404
  • Aafjes-van Doorn, K., Békés, V., Prout, T. A., & Hoffman, L. (2020b). Psychotherapists’ vicarious traumatization during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(S1), S148–150. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0000868
  • Ackerley, G. D., Burnell, J., Holder, D. C., & Kurdek, L. A. (1988). Burnout among licensed psychologists. Professional Psychology, Research and Practice, 19(6), 624–631. doi:10.1037/0735-7028.19.6.624
  • Allen, T. D., Merlo, K., Lawrence, R. C., Slutsky, J., & Gray, C. E. (2020). B oundary management and work-nonwork balance while working from home. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 70(1), 60–84. doi:10.1111/apps.12300
  • Annink, Gorgievski, M., & Den Dulk, L. (2016). Financial hardship and well-being: A cross-national comparison among the European self-employed. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 25(5), 645–657. doi:10.1080/1359432X.2016.1150263
  • Aughterson, H., McKinlay, A. R., Fancourt, D., & Burton, A. (2021). Psychosocial impact on frontline health and social care professionals in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative interview study. BMJ Open, 11(2), e047353. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047353
  • Banton, L. (2020). Living through a shared crisis with a client. Retrieved September 14, 2022, from https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/living-through-shared-crisis-client
  • Baron, R. A., & Branscombe, N. R. (2014). Social psychology. ( 13th edition, Pearson new international edition/Robert A. Baron, Nyla R. Branscombe). Harlow, Essex: Pearson.
  • Békés, V., & Aafjes-van Doorn, K. (2020). Psychotherapists’ attitudes toward online therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 30(2), 238–247. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/int0000214
  • Bell, S., Hopkin, G., & Forrester, A. (2019). Exposure to traumatic events and the experience of burnout, compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction among prison mental health staff: An exploratory survey. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 40(4), 304–309. doi:10.1080/01612840.2018.1534911
  • Boldrini, T., Schiano Lomoriello, A., Del Corno, F., Lingiardi, V., & Salcuni, S. (2020). Psychotherapy during COVID-19: How the clinical practice of Italian psychotherapists changed during the pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.591170
  • Bowe, M., Wakefield, J. R. H., Kellezi, B., Stevenson, C., McNamara, N., Jones, B. A. … Heym, N. (2021). The mental health benefits of community helping during crisis: Coordinated helping, community identification and sense of unity during the COVID ‐19 pandemic. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 32(3), 521–535. doi:10.1002/casp.2520
  • Callan, S., & Fry, B. (2012). Completing the revolution: Commissioning effective talking therapies. The Centre for Social Justice. https://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/TalkingTherapiesPaper-1.pdf
  • Chandola, T., Kumari, M., Booker, C., & Benzeval, M. (2020). The mental health impact of COVID-19 and lockdown-related stressors among adults in the UK. Psychological Medicine, 1–10. doi:10.1017/S0033291720005048
  • Chen, C. K., Nehrig, N., Wash, L., Schneider, J. A., Ashkenazi, S., Cairo, E. … Palfrey, A. (2020). When distance brings us closer: Leveraging tele-psychotherapy to build deeper connection. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 34(3–4), 554–567. doi:10.1080/09515070.2020.1779031
  • Connolly, S. L., Miller, C. J., Lindsay, J. A., & Bauer, M. S. (2020). A systematic review of providers’ attitudes toward telemental health via videoconferencing. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 27(2), Article e12311. doi:10.1111/cpsp.12311
  • Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design. : Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th edition (international student ed.). SAGE Publications.
  • Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry & research design : Choosing among five approaches. / John W. Creswell, Cheryl N. Poth.). Fourth edition, International student. SAGE.
  • Davies, L., LeClair, K. L., Bagley, P., Blunt, H., Hinton, L., Ryan, S., & Ziebland, S. (2020). Face-to-face compared with online collected accounts of health and illness experiences: A scoping review. Qualitative Health Research, 30(13), 2092–2102. doi:10.1177/1049732320935835
  • Delgadillo, J., Saxon, D., & Barkham, M. (2018). Associations between therapists’ occupational burnout and their patients’ depression and anxiety treatment outcomes. Depression and Anxiety, 35(9), 844–850. doi:10.1002/da.22766
  • Eatough, V., & Smith, J. A. (2017). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In C. Willig & W. Stainton-Rogers (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative psychology (2nd ed., pp. 193–211). London, UK: Sage.
  • Eisma, M. C., Tamminga, A., Smid, G. E., & Boelen, P. A. (2021). Acute grief after deaths due to COVID-19, natural causes and unnatural causes: An empirical comparison. Journal of Affective Disorders, 278, 54–56. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.09.049
  • Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117–140. doi:10.1177/001872675400700202
  • Flick. (2007). Designing qualitative research. London: SAGE.
  • Frankl, V. E. (2004). Man’s search for meaning: The classic tribute to hope from the holocaust. London: Rider.
  • Geller, S. (2020). Cultivating online therapeutic presence: Strengthening therapeutic relationships in teletherapy sessions. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 1–17. doi:10.1080/09515070.2020.1787348
  • Gladding, S. T. (2014). Counseling: A comprehensive profession (7th ed.). Delhi: Pearson Education, Inc.
  • Golding, L., & Moss, J. (2019). How to Become a Clinical Psychologist (1st). Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781315226859
  • Grondin, F., Lomanowska, A. M., Békés, V., & Jackson, P. L. (2020). A methodology to improve eye contact in telepsychotherapy via videoconferencing with considerations for psychological distance. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 34(3–4), 586–599. doi:10.1080/09515070.2020.1781596
  • Hammond, T. E., Crowther, A., & Drummond, S. (2018). A thematic inquiry into the burnout experience of Australian solo-practicing clinical psychologists. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01996
  • Haslam, S. A., Jetten, J., & Haslam, C. (2019). The social identity approach to health. In Eds., R. Williams, V. Kemp, S. A. Haslam, C. Haslam, K. S. Bhui, S. Bailey, & D. Maughan Social scaffolding (pp. 31–39). doi:10.1017/9781911623069.004
  • Hassard, J., Teoh, K. R. H., Visockaite, G., Dewe, P., & Cox, T. (2018). The cost of work-related stress to society: A systematic review. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 23(1), 1–17. doi:10.1037/ocp0000069
  • Husserl, E. (1900/2001). In D. Moran (Ed.), Logical Investigations (Vol. I, 2nd ed.). London: Routledge.
  • Ishikawa, R. Z. (2020). I may never see the ocean again: Loss and grief among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(S1), S85–86. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0000695
  • Jacobson, E. (1938). Progressive relaxation (2nd ed.). Univ. Chicago Press.
  • Joffe, H. (2012). Thematic analysis. In D. Harper & A. R. Thompson (Eds.), Qualitative Research Methods in Mental Health and Psychotherapy. Chichester: John Wiley.
  • Johnson, J., Hall, L. H., Berzins, K., Baker, J., Melling, K., & Thompson, C. (2017). Mental healthcare staff well-being and burnout: A narrative review of trends, causes, implications, and recommendations for future interventions. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 27(1), 20–32. doi:10.1111/inm.12416
  • Jones, C. (2022, September 7). I’m leaving the NHS for better pay as a private therapist – I wish I didn’t have to. Metro. https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/07/im-leaving-the-nhs-for-better-pay-privately-i-wish-i-didnt-have-to-17306847/
  • Jurcik, T., Jarvis, G. E., Zeleskov Doric, J., Krasavtseva, Y., Yaltonskaya, A., Ogiwara, K. … Grigoryan, K. (2020). Adapting mental health services to the COVID-19 pandemic: Reflections from professionals in four countries. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 34(3–4), 649–675. doi:10.1080/09515070.2020.1785846
  • Kinman, G., & Grant, L. (2020). Emotional demands, compassion and mental health in social workers. Occupational Medicine, 70(2), 89–94. doi:10.1093/occmed/kqz144
  • Kotera, Y., Kaluzeviciute, G., Lloyd, C., Edwards, A. -M., & Ozaki, A. (2021a). Qualitative Investigation into therapists’ experiences of online therapy: Implications for working clients. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(19), 10295. doi:10.3390/ijerph181910295
  • Kotera, Y., Maxwell-Jones, R., Edwards, A. M., & Knutton, N. (2021b). Burnout in professional psychotherapists: relationships with self-compassion, work–life balance, and telepressure. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(10), 5308. doi:10.3390/ijerph18105308
  • Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
  • Krouwel, M., Jolly, K., & Greenfield, S. (2019). Comparing Skype (video calling) and in-person qualitative interview modes in a study of people with irritable bowel syndrome – an exploratory comparative analysis. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 19(1). doi:10.1186/s12874-019-0867-9
  • Lamb, D., & Cogan, N. (2015). Coping with work-related stressors and building resilience in mental health workers: A comparative focus group study using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 89(3), 474–492. doi:10.1111/joop.12136
  • Langdon, P. E., Marczak, M., Clifford, C., & Willner, P. (2021). Occupational stress, coping and wellbeing among registered psychologists working with people with intellectual disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 47(3), 1–11. doi:10.3109/13668250.2021.1967588
  • Lemonaki, R., Xanthopoulou, D., Bardos, A. N., Karademas, E. C., & Simos, P. G. (2021). Burnout and job performance: A two-wave study on the mediating role of employee cognitive functioning. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 30(5), 1–13. doi:10.1080/1359432x.2021.1892818
  • Lent, J., & Schwartz, R. (2012). The impact of work setting, demographic characteristics, and personality factors related to burnout among professional counselors. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 34(4), 355–372. doi:10.17744/mehc.34.4.e3k8u2k552515166
  • Lin, T., Stone, S. J., Heckman, T. G., & Anderson, T. (2021). Zoom-in to zone-out: Therapists report less therapeutic skill in telepsychology versus face-to-face therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychotherapy, 58(4), 449–459. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pst0000398
  • Liu, C., Cao, J., Zhang, P., & Wu, G. (2020). Investigating the relationship between work-to-family conflict, job burnout, job outcomes, and affective commitment in the construction industry. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(16), 5995. doi:10.3390/ijerph17165995
  • Machluf, R., Abba Daleski, M., Shahar, B., Kula, O., & Bar‐kalifa, E. (2021). Couples therapists’ attitudes toward online therapy during the COVID‐19 crisis. Family Process, 61(1), 146–154. doi:10.1111/famp.12647
  • Mancinelli, E., Gritti, E. S., Schiano Lomoriello, A., Salcuni, S., Lingiardi, V., & Boldrini, T. (2021). How does it feel to be online? Psychotherapists’ self-perceptions in telepsychotherapy sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.726864
  • Maurer, R. (2020, December 16). Remote Employees Are Working Longer Than Before. SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-news/pages/remote-employees-are-working-longer-than-before.aspx
  • McBeath, A. G., Plock, S., & Bager‐charleson, S. (2020). The challenges and experiences of psychotherapists working remotely during the coronavirus* pandemic. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 20(3), 394–405. doi:10.1002/capr.12326
  • McCormack, H. M., MacIntyre, T. E., O’shea, D., Herring, M. P., & Campbell, M. J. (2018). The prevalence and cause(s) of burnout among applied psychologists: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 9. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01897
  • McKee, G. B., Pierce, B. S., Donovan, E. K., & Perrin, P. B. (2021). Examining models of psychologists’ telepsychology use during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A national cross‐sectional study. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(10), 2405–2423. doi:10.1002/jclp.23173
  • Mitchell, L. (1984). The Mitchell Method of Physiological Relaxation. In F. J. McGuigan, W. E. Sime, & J. M. Wallace (Eds.), Stress and Tension Control 2 Boston, MA: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4613-2803-2_34
  • Netemeyer, Warmath, D., Fernandes, D., & Lynch, J. G. (2018). How Am I Doing? Perceived Financial Well-Being, Its Potential Antecedents, and Its Relation to Overall Well-Being. The Journal of Consumer Research, 45(1), 68–89. doi:10.1093/jcr/ucx109
  • NHS Sickness Absence Rates NHS Sickness October 2020 to December 2020, Provisional Statistics. (2020, June 25). NHS digital.Retrieved November 11, 2021, from NHS Sickness Absence Rates February 2020, Provisional Statistics - NHS Digital
  • Norrman Harling, M., Högman, E., & Schad, E. (2020). Breaking the taboo: Eight Swedish clinical psychologists’ experiences of compassion fatigue. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being, 15(1), 1785610. doi:10.1080/17482631.2020.1785610
  • O’connor, K., Muller Neff, D., & Pitman, S. (2018). Burnout in mental health professionals: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence and determinants. European Psychiatry, 53, 74–99. doi:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2018.06.003
  • O’connor, R., Wetherall, K., Cleare, S., McClelland, H., Melson, A., Niedzwiedz, C., Robb, K. (2021). Mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: Longitudinal analyses of adults in the UK COVID-19 mental health & wellbeing study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 218(6), 326–333. doi:10.1192/bjp.2020.212
  • Pierce, B. S., Perrin, P. B., Tyler, C. M., McKee, G. B., & Watson, J. D. (2021). The COVID-19 telepsychology revolution: A national study of pandemic-based changes in U.S. mental health care delivery. The American Psychologist, 76(1), 14–25. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000722
  • Poletti, B., Tagini, S., Brugnera, A., Parolin, L., Pievani, L., Ferrucci, R. … Silani, V. (2020). Telepsychotherapy: A leaflet for psychotherapists in the age of COVID-19. A review of the evidence. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 34(3–4), 1–16. doi:10.1080/09515070.2020.1769557
  • Porter, T. (2022, December 7). After 28 years, I’m leaving the NHS. And it wasn’t the patients who pushed me over the edge. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/dec/07/28-years-leaving-nhs-patients-cost-cutting-bureaucracy
  • Probst, T., Humer, E., Stippl, P., & Pieh, C. (2020a). Being a psychotherapist in times of the novel coronavirus disease: Stress-level, job anxiety, and fear of coronavirus disease infection in more than 1,500 psychotherapists in Austria. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.559100
  • Probst, T., Stippl, P., & Pieh, C. (2020b). Changes in provision of psychotherapy in the early weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown in Austria. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(11), 3815. doi:10.3390/ijerph17113815
  • Quality Watch. (2017, April). NHS staff sickness absence. Retrieved July 29, 2018, from http://www.qualitywatch.org.uk/indicator/nhs-staff-sickness-absence
  • Remen, N., May, R., Young, D., & Berland, W. (1985). The wounded healer. Saybrook Review, 5(1), 84–93.
  • Rowen, J., Giedgowd, G., & Baran, D. (2021). Effective and accessible telephone-based psychotherapy and supervision. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 32(1), 3–18. Advance online publication. doi:10.1037/int0000257
  • Rupert, P. A., & Kent, J. S. (2007). Gender and work setting differences in career-sustaining behaviors and burnout among professional psychologists. Professional Psychology, Research and Practice, 38(1), 88–96. doi:10.1037/0735-7028.38.1.88
  • Ryan, G., Duncan, C., & Moller, N. P. (2019). Counsellors in the national health service: A mixed‐method study of efficacy and satisfaction from the counsellor perspective. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. doi:10.1002/capr.12221
  • Singh, J., Karanika-Murray, M., Baguley, T., & Hudson, J. (2020). A systematic review of job demands and resources associated with compassion fatigue in mental health professionals. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.17(19), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17196987
  • Singh, & Hassard, J. (2021). Emotional labour, emotional regulation strategies, and secondary traumatic stress: a cross-sectional study of allied mental health professionals in the UK. The Social Science Journal (Fort Collins), ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/03623319.2021.1979825
  • Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method and Research. London: Sage.
  • Smith, J. A., & Osborn, M. (2015). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In J. A. Smith (Ed.), Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods (pp.25–52). London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
  • Stevenson, C., Wakefield, J. R. H., Felsner, I., Drury, J., & Costa, S. (2021). Collectively coping with coronavirus: Local community identification predicts giving support and lockdown adherence during the COVID‐19 pandemic. British Journal of Social Psychology, 60(4), 1403–1418. doi:10.1111/bjso.12457
  • Thompson-de Benoit, A., & Kramer, U. (2020). Work with emotions in remote psychotherapy in the time of Covid-19: A clinical experience. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 34(3–4), 368–376. doi:10.1080/09515070.2020.1770696
  • Towey-Swift, K., & Whittington, R. (2019). Person-job congruence, compassion and recovery attitude in community mental health teams. Journal of Mental Health, 30(4), 431–439. doi:10.1080/09638237.2019.1608931
  • Webster, C. (2020). Fear of falling: Impressions from working through a global pandemic and thoughts on burn-out. Journal of Child Psychotherapy, 46(3), 289–295. doi:10.1080/0075417x.2021.1891558
  • Westwood, S., Morison, L., Allt, J., & Holmes, N. (2017). Predictors of emotional exhaustion, disengagement and burnout among improving access to psychological therapies (IAPT) practitioners. Journal of Mental Health, 26(2), 172–179. doi:10.1080/09638237.2016.1276540
  • Willig, C. (2013). Introducing qualitative research in psychology (3rd ed.). England: McGraw Hill Education, Open University Press.
  • Xiong, J., Lipsitz, O., Nasri, F., Lui, L. M. W., Gill, H., Phan, L. … McIntyre, R. S. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in the general population: A systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders, 277(1), 55–64. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.08.001
  • Yang, Y., & Hayes, J. A. (2020). Causes and consequences of burnout among mental health professionals: A practice-oriented review of recent empirical literature. Psychotherapy, 57(3), 426–436. doi:10.1037/pst0000317
  • Yardley, L. (2015). Demonstrating validity in qualitative psychology. In J. A. Smith (Ed.), Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods. London: SAGE Publications Ltd 257–272 .