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Abstract
The ongoing global refugee crisis has led to an unprecedented number of forcibly displaced individuals, with over 700,000 new asylum claims submitted in the United States in the first half of 2024 alone (UNHCR, 2024). Refugees resettling in the U.S. are supported by a network of public and private organizations, staffed by service providers who are frequently exposed to traumatic narratives and high emotional demands (Akinsulure-Smith et al., 2018). This exposure places them at elevated risk of burnout (Kim, 2017; Roberts et al., 2021) – a psychological syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment (Maslach & Jackson, 1981). Although burnout has been widely studied among helping professions, research specifically examining refugee service providers in the United States remains limited, particularly from a systemic perspective. Guided by Bowen Family Systems Theory (BFST), this study seeks to examine burnout among refugee service providers through both individual and organizational lenses. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional predictive design, this study employed a hierarchical multiple regression to investigate the extent to which four variables – coping mechanisms, personal history of trauma, perceived organizational support, and differentiation of self – predict burnout after controlling for demographic factors (i.e. age, gender, and history of forced migration). Implications for counselors, counselor educators, and future research are also included.