Leadership, burnout, and job satisfaction in outpatient drug-free treatment programs

J Subst Abuse Treat. 2009 Sep;37(2):160-70. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2008.12.002. Epub 2009 Mar 31.

Abstract

Counselors are a critical component of substance abuse treatment programming, but their working experiences are not yet well understood. As treatment improvement efforts focus increasingly on these individuals, their perceptions of program leadership, emotional burnout, and job satisfaction and related attitudes take on greater significance. This study explores counselor views and the impact of organizational context using data from a nationwide set of 94 outpatient drug-free treatment programs in a hierarchical linear model analysis. Results show counselors hold generally positive opinions of program director leadership and job satisfaction and have low levels of burnout, but they also have important variations in their ratings. Higher counselor caseloads were related to poorer ratings, and leadership behaviors predicted both satisfaction and burnout. These findings add further evidence that treatment providers should also address the workplace environment for staff as part of quality improvement efforts.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Attitude of Health Personnel*
  • Burnout, Professional / psychology*
  • Counseling / methods
  • Counseling / organization & administration
  • Female
  • Health Personnel / psychology*
  • Humans
  • Job Satisfaction*
  • Leadership
  • Linear Models
  • Male
  • Professional Role / psychology
  • Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / organization & administration
  • Substance-Related Disorders / rehabilitation