About The PR- Advocacy Project

In the process of dissertation research, gaps in the existing literature revealed the necessity for a resource aimed at promoting proactive coping and reducing dysfunctional coping mechanisms resulting from work-related stress among mental health professionals. The relentless exposure to chronic stressors and secondary traumatic stress within their profession often leads to neglect of self-care. While the concept of proactive coping is widely accepted, mental health professionals frequently face a lack of resources, thereby limiting their ability to advocate for themselves and build resilience. Self-help resources are commonly viewed as self-indulgent, and there exists the prevailing belief that professionals are meant to provide care rather than seek it for themselves.  

Furthermore, mental health professionals encounter victimization through stigmatization and emotional contagion in their work. Some professionals also find themselves operating in non-traditional settings where support is either minimal or non-existent. Thus, the need to establish resources tailored for professionals in various psychological fields becomes imperative. 

Addressing these challenges by creating an accessible website heavily focused on advocacy may mitigate the adverse effects experienced by professionals, thereby boosting retention rates, psychological well-being, resilience, and support while reducing maladaptive behaviors associated with work-related stress.  

Prior research supports the provision of psychological resources for proactive coping in response to work stressors, but this has primarily been explored through administered psychological services in research studies. Moreover, few tailored resources are available for professionals to use independently after their participation in studies. Similarly, advocacy and social support through resources are found to be lacking. These findings underscore the necessity for a standardized service catering to the psychological and social needs of mental health professionals.  

These revelations laid the groundwork for the conception of PR-Advocacy.   

Future recommendations include the full implementation and application of the PR-Advocacy project in a qualitative study, the refinement of psychological and social resources for target populations, and the exploration of future phenomena through thematic analysis.  

PR-Advocacy is envisioned for use in future qualitative research to explore the extent to which social resources offer advocacy and whether psychological resources enhance the resilience of helping and mental health professionals. A convenient sample of no more than 30 professionals could shed light on how to mitigate dysfunctional coping resulting from work stressors. Furthermore, this program resource will be utilized in a future external qualitative study to determine the impact of created psychological resources on compassion fatigue, burnout, staff burnout, distress, work deviance, early retirement, and secondary traumatic stress. It will also investigate how to promote advocacy through social resources and how to improve, expand, and enhance existing resources.  

To effectively utilize PR-Advocacy in a qualitative study, participants will be required to complete an open-ended survey, provide a personal reflection statement, and participate in an interview after using the program resource guide website. The decision on whether this will be a longitudinal study is pending.  

While triangulation is not mandatory for a future qualitative study, the use of three data collection points will ensure a comprehensive and robust understanding of how social and psychological resources can foster proactive coping and advocacy.  

For those interested in participating or serving as researchers in this future study, please reach out using the contact box below. Compensation will be provided for participants. 

Klara is a research psychologist and state-credentialed counselor specializing in working with children and adolescents with exceptional needs in specialty educational environments in Arizona. With over a decade of experience in the Phoenix area, she has honed her skills in working with individuals on the autism spectrum and other related disorders and diagnoses. Her doctoral training includes a focus on crisis and trauma counseling. Notably, she has spent the last two years working as a crisis counselor and behavioral specialist in Japan, with a specific focus on suicide prevention, domestic violence, and sexual violence. Klara's professional goals involve expanding her practice to work with clinical populations in the United States through post-doctoral work and additional licensure.