Staff Burn-Out Prevention and Stress Management

In many ways, adolescent seasonal camp staff are asked to do what no parent would likely be capable of doing: to be best friend, role model, and risk manager for a group of young strangers. The high expectations for camp responsibility converge at a time when the developmental stages of most camp staff and their growing skill sets may be most challenged. What we ask of seasonal staff may, in fact, be at direct odds with their developmental capabilities as adolescents. This conflict may be a primary source of daily hassle-type stress, which has been shown to have tremendous impact on health and general well-being. To help prevent or, at least, mitigate this impact, the combination of administrative structure, supervisory support, and peer and self-care is critical to staff development. This article provides a brief exploration of the developmental stages and capabilities of seasonal staff and, an overview of methods to support and empower staff while on the job to help prevent burnout and encourage stress management. The focus of this article is on mechanical and procedural prevention as a stress management tool.