In the past year, the higher education community has experienced massive changes. As practitioners working in a helping profession, advisors may be experiencing burn-out and pandemic fatigue. The authors discuss strategies to combat additional stress and promote advisor self-care.
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It is no secret the work of an academic advisor can be stressful. With large caseloads, changing policies and demands from upper administration, and the wide varieties of emotions students bring to our office, it often can be overwhelming—and the field acknowledges this fact.
How we feel as advising professionals carries over into the student experience, directly impacting our interaction with students. Acknowledging this and developing tools to cope with stress gives us the capacity to enhance that student experience. The authors present the BRIGHT model using lessons from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), resilience theory, positive organizational psychology, and personal life experience. BRIGHT is an acronym for: boundaries, reframing, intuition, goal setting, help-seeking, and time management. The authors have developed the BRIGHT acronym to stand for consideration points when battling burnout. Each component of the model stands for actionable items that advisors can practice and incorporate into their professional work to improve their experience and their interactions with students.
