Date of Conferral

8-17-2026

Date of Award

August 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Mark Arcuri

Abstract

Emotional exhaustion is a key element of burnout among clinical psychologists. However, there are limited qualitative studies that examine how psychologists experience and cope with it. This study explored how licensed clinical psychologists experience and cope with emotional exhaustion. The study used Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory to explore how clinicians perceive, interpret, and respond to emotional demands. Semi structured interviews with licensed clinical psychologists experiencing emotional exhaustion were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach, including descriptive and pattern coding to identify themes. Five themes were identified: workplace and organizational stressors; emotional experience of exhaustion; coping strategies and work–life boundaries; professional identity and development; and personal meaning and life perspective. Results showed that emotional exhaustion is more closely related to systems and organizational factors than clinical work and that it affects both professional and personal functioning. Participants in the study used strategies like setting boundaries, reflecting on their work, and prioritizing their well-being. Across time, these helped them cope with emotional exhaustion. This suggests that training and supervision should focus more on these practical skills. Practice implications include the need for organizational support for workarounds, manageable workloads, and early education about emotional exhaustion. The potential for positive social change includes promoting clinician well-being, reducing burnout and attrition, and improving the quality of care provided to clients.

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