| A quantitative study in which social workers in private practice were surveyed by use of a self-administered mail questionnaire for the purposes of establishing a knowledge base of data pertaining to the private practice of social work in Ontario and ascertaining whether a relationship exists between the use of professional development practices (defined by the author as; continuing education, supervision/consultation, social support and performance evaluation) and measures of burnout experienced by social workers in private practice. The survey findings, with few exceptions, did not support the hypotheses that use of professional development would show a significant association with burnout measures. Significant data concerning the current beliefs, attitudes and actions of social workers in private practice have been summarized in the study findings. The study raises questions in regards to the usefulness of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) for future burnout measurement. |
