How To Avoid SLP Burnout

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Dr. Angelyn Franks, an experienced speech-language pathologist (SLP) and recent clinical doctorate graduate, joins Hallie Sherman to discuss overcoming burnout in the SLP profession. With 14 years in the field, Dr. Angelyn has made it her mission to help SLPs prevent burnout and achieve a sustainable work-life balance. Dr. Angelyn also shares her personal journey, including her own experience with burnout and how adopting mindfulness helped her regain her passion for the field. She introduces “The Thrive Method,” her coaching framework designed to move SLPs from survival mode to thriving in their careers. Dive deep into the importance of setting healthy boundaries, prioritizing self-care without guilt and recognizing the signs of burnout before it becomes overwhelming.

Gain practical strategies for stress management, tips on how to protect their mental well-being and advice for sustaining a fulfilling career in speech-language pathology. 

Bullet Points to Discuss:

• SLPs overcome burnout, set healthy boundaries, & prioritize self-care without guilt, enabling them to reclaim their passion for their work and achieve a sustainable, fulfilling career.
• I am happy to share my own burnout experience and what lead me to my Capstone topic (The Effect of a Mindfulness App on Perceived Stress in SLPs).
• I help burned-out SLPs recover from burnout, prevent future burnout, and create a sustainable, fulfilling career with work-life balance and without sacrificing their well-being.
• Three-component definition of burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. What to look for, the different phases of burnout. For SLPs burnout/risk of burnout can look like:
  • Feel drained, overwhelmed, and discouraged by their work
  • Dreads going to work (especially on Mondays)
  • Struggles with setting boundaries and practicing self-care due to guilt, perfectionism, and difficulty asking for help 
  • Experiencing anxiety, stress, and exhaustion despite loving aspects of their job
  • Exhausted and doom-scrolling/on autopilot when they get home from work
  • Difficulty focusing at work
• Identification of primary burnout factors. 6 known areas of mismatch: Workload, Control, Reward, Community, Fairness, Values
• The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model provides a framework for work-life balance. Distinguishes between job demands—such as high caseload/workload, intense work pressure, and the emotional or physical demands of a job—and job resources, which include support from leaders or colleagues, performance feedback, and autonomy.
• My approach to work-life balance is to assess areas of stress/mismatches and build a robust, flexible toolkit of resources. (This includes mindfulness- my area of research).
• I would also be happy to discuss anything I shared about during my hour inside your group— including the deconstruction framework which is one of the primary tools in my toolkit!

Here’s what we learned:

• Burnout often stems from chronic stress.
• Incorporating mindfulness into daily routine can significantly help reduce stress. 
• The importance of setting and upholding boundaries to protect mental health. 
• Prioritizing self-care is essential for maintaining long-term career satisfaction. 
• Implementing small, consistent changes— whether in stress management, boundary-setting or daily habits— can create lasting improvements.

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