When "Do More" No Longer Works: Community-Based Strategies for Professional Preservation and Support

Date: Friday, February 20^th at 1 pm EST, 12 pm CST, 11 am MST and 10 am PST

1.0 CE for APA & NBCC - Co-Sponsored by ACCA
NASW Application is currently pending

Cost:
Members - $30
Non-Members - $40

Title: When "Do More" No Longer Works: Community-Based Strategies for Professional Preservation and Support

Presenters:  Dr. Erica Lennon and Dr. Jane Y. Yang

Abstract:   

The "do more" imperative pervades the culture of college student mental health, rewarding overwork and self-sacrifice while pathologizing boundary-setting and self-care as selfish or inadequate. This pressure is particularly acute for clinicians from marginalized communities who carry the disproportionate burden (Newhart, Pohto & Mullen, 2021) of community-based outreach alongside their clinical, supervision, and administrative responsibilities. This presentation examines how the individualistic "do more" pattern perpetuates burnout (Bovee, 2024; Cook et al., 2021; Lee et al., 2023; Silva, Dean, & Balkin, 2024; Walden, Rockland-Miller, & Carlton, 2022) and compromises clinician wellbeing, quality of client care, and other aspects of workplace functioning.

Drawing on the historical foundations of community-based outreach, we will explore alternatives to the unboundaried “do more" approach. Participants will learn to distinguish between individual responsibility and systemic accountability, recognizing when problems require collective action rather than personal martyrdom. The session addresses practical strategies for appropriate boundary-setting in professional contexts, redefining self-care as essential rather than indulgent, and leveraging community-based approaches to distribute professional responsibilities more equitably.

We will critically examine how reward structures in higher education systems perpetuate unsustainable patterns (Gorman et al., 2024) and discuss concrete strategies for both navigating existing systems and advocating for systemic change, while protecting well-being. Special attention will be given to the unique challenges faced by clinicians who are often expected to perform uncompensated emotional labor and outreach work. Attendees will leave with actionable tools for building sustainable practices rooted in collective care rather than individual depletion.