MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION OF BURNOUT IN TEACHERS THROUGH THE BIODANZA SRT EMBODIED TRAINING

Abstract

Several studies show that teachers are increasingly exposed to high stress conditions, and an increased prevalence of Burnout can be observed; it is a typical syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal achievement, affecting the emotional-relational-personal spheres.

Teachers are required to have skills and competences that go beyond the didactics, involving also those related to the relational and many other spheres contributing to place this profession among the so-called "helping professions", i.e., professions based on helping relationships (such as those of nurses, doctors, and psychologists).

How to encourage teachers to develop possible protective factors by facilitating the acquisition of tools and personal resources to deal with stressful events, and prevent/counteract the onset of Burnout?

Soft Skills play an important role in work performance, being them of an emotional nature capable of promoting personal well-being. Therefore, enabling the development of protective factors and positive skills useful to counteract work stress and the onset of Burnout means giving priority to the emotional support.

This paper aims to show how the Biodanza SRT System, a body-mediated social pedagogy, enhances emotional competencies and soft skills through the Embodiment Training, facilitating the development of personal empowerment and the acquisition of Best Practices to improve both the professional and the personal/social life of teachers.