Burnout: The Cost of Caring

I'm sorry to see that this book is out of print, because it's even more pertinent today than when it was first written. The author describes the problem of "burnout" common in people in the helping professions, and points out that its causes come from the work environment rather than the individual. This is in contrast to most other studies of burnout, which view it as strictly the individual's problem and thus something to be treated on the individual level. She identifies the institutional problems that can lead to burnout -- e.g., excessive workloads and lack of control -- and offers suggestions on how to improve the work environment. In the era of "managed care," underfunded schools, and lack of support (financial and emotional) for people in the helping professions, her advice is more important than ever. Her 1997 book is excellent, but it focuses more on corporations, while I think the helping professions still have the worst problems with burnout. The writing in this book is more heavily "academic," but it's a thorough and believable study, and still very much worth reading.