How EFT‐Oriented Emotional Safety Supports Resilience and Burnout Prevention: A Path Analysis

ABSTRACT

Mental health professionals (MHPs) engage in emotionally intensive work that places them at increased risk for burnout. Although burnout and resilience have been widely studied, less attention has been given to the role of adult attachment in shaping MHPs’ vulnerability to burnout and capacity for recovery. Informed by emotionally focused therapy (EFT), this study examined relationships among attachment style, resilience, and burnout in a sample of 271 MHPs in the United States. Participants completed self‐report measures of attachment, resilience, and burnout. The results suggest that attachment styles and resilience are significantly associated with burnout among MHPs. Secure attachment was associated with lower burnout and greater resilience, whereas dismissing/avoidant and fearful/disorganized were associated with higher burnout. Resilience mediated the relationships between each attachment style and burnout, except for dismissing/avoidant attachment. Findings highlight relational and intrapersonal processes underlying MHPs’ burnout and underscore the importance of attachment security and resilience in supporting well‐being.