Mar 17 / Guest blogger and occupational therapist,Tabitha R. Gibbs, MSOT, EdD,

“Burnout in Occupational Therapy: What My Research Revealed (and What We Can Do About It)”

Welcome to guest blogger and OT, Tabitha R. Gibbs, MSOT, EdD

I recently completed my EdD, and my dissertation focused on burnout in occupational therapists. 
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I have been an occupational therapist for 12 years and have worked in almost every setting and every population. Over the years, I’ve seen both the incredible impact of our profession and the real strain it can place on practitioners. I recently completed my EdD, and my dissertation focused on burnout in occupational therapists. I specifically looked at how burnout relates to resilience and locus of control—and what might help protect us from burning out in the first place.

Burnout is common in OT. My study found that about 38.6% of OTs in the U.S. experience burnout, with similar or even higher rates reported internationally. It’s more than just being tired—it affects our job performance, sleep, health, and overall well-being. Heavy productivity demands, high caseloads, limited resources, and lack of autonomy are common contributors. And the impact doesn’t stop with the therapist; it affects patients, teams, and organizations too.

One of the most hopeful findings—both in the literature and in my study—is the role of resilience. Resilience is our ability to bounce back from stress. I found that therapists with a stronger internal locus of control (those who believe they have influence over outcomes in their lives) also reported higher resilience. While locus of control was not directly related to burnout in my sample, its connection to resilience suggests that building personal agency may be one way to better handle workplace stress.

So what does this mean for us? On an individual level, it helps to reconnect with your “why,” develop expertise in an area you love, set boundaries, and seek out mentorship or resilience training. For leaders and educators, it means creating realistic expectations, encouraging autonomy, supporting professional growth, and fostering healthy work cultures. Burnout is not a personal weakness—it’s an occupational challenge. And as OTs, we’re uniquely equipped to problem-solve environments and systems—including our own.



Guest Writer

Dr. Tabitha R. Gibbs, MSOT, EdD, is an experienced occupational therapist and educator with over a decade of clinical practice spanning inpatient, outpatient, acute, and subacute rehabilitation settings. She earned her Doctor of Education with a concentration in Executive Leadership from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, where her research explored the relationship between burnout, resilience, and locus of control among occupational therapists. Dr. Gibbs is a Certified Aging in Place Specialist and an active contributor to professional advocacy and scholarship, serving as a proposal reviewer for the American Occupational Therapy Association and a conference speaker for the Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association. With a passion for evidence-based practice, interdisciplinary collaboration, and advancing the profession through leadership and education, Dr. Gibbs brings both clinical depth and academic insight to her teaching and continuing education work.

Burnout, Resilience and Locus of Control 

Join Tabitha in her course that discusses her research on burnout and occupational therapy practitioners.

The Relationship Between Burnout, Reslience and Locus of Control in OT Practitioners debuts Monday, March 30,  2026 at 8 pm Eastern
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