The purpose of this study was to develop and implement the program to prevent burnout of social workers and to verify its effect. For this purpose, there search questions were as follows.
First, how does compose the existential counseling program to prevent burnout of social workers?
Second, how does effect of the program?
For the purpose and subject of inquiry of this study, literature research was studied. And the necessary contents were extracted to structure the program by collecting in-depth data about the field experience of social work and program structure. Also, it was developed after feasibility study of experts on selected elements of program structure base on analysis of the level of awareness about the burnout prevention program and of the required examination about necessary elements for the program.
The burnout prevention program of this study was developed with experts advice based on existential counseling. The contents of the program were composed of three parts. The first part is exploring of itself deeply and awareness of the existence by forming of trust and intimacy. Second, the participants re-establish their identity as a social worker and find out the meaning of work by understanding of basic exhausted and reconsider their value, the purpose of life. Lastly, forming a system of social support for expanding their influence, and to overcome the burnout by clearly focusing of life. And it’s belong to the part of choice and free.
The experiment was done after the 22subjects who were willing to participate in the program among social workers at general social welfare centers in 6 areas of Busan megalopolis were chosen and randomly assigned into experimental group and stand by control group. The experiment was done October 5, 2013, October 9 for concentrated 2 days of 10 sessions with 90 minutes per session, with the control group without any treatment.
In order to verify the effect of this study about the burnout prevention program, pre, post and following-up test was performed the experiment and control group of job tress, meaning of life and burnout and statistic analysis was implemented using SPSS WIN 18.0. The homogeneity of dependant variables was analyzed by T-test and their score difference was confirmed by analysis of variance by repeated measure. Paired t-test was implemented for the periodic difference(pre, post, following-up) of dependant variables of each group, dependant t-test was used for the difference of dependant variables in each period between the groups. Quality analysis was also implemented throughout the whole period of the program to establish the way how the change and reaction was occurred based on the experience-based report made by the experimental group after the program finished to supplement quantity analysis about the effect of the program.
The results of this study are as follows;
First, the score of job stress were not shown significantly gap comparing the experimental group of participating the program with control group.
Second, the score of meaning of life were shown Significant differences comparing the experimental group of participating the program with control group.
Third, the score of burnout were shown Significant differences comparing the experimental group of participating the program with control group.
Considering of these results, this burnout prevention program is found to be effective in reducing the burnout of and increasing the meaning of life of the social workers. Therefore, by running the program, it is possible reducing job stress of social workers and promoting scores of the meaning of life. Also this program will be served high quality service to workplace organization members and clients of the welfare services.
Accordingly, This program will be useful to design a desirable future like existential experience of life, a meaningful life, free life.