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Well Being of a Professional Counselor

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Submitted By mbolf
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The Wellbeing of Counseling Professionals
Mariah Shields Bolf
Liberty University

Abstract

The of this intention paper is to help shed light on the issues that can affect a counselor’s wellbeing and impair their ability to counsel clients. When dealing with clients who have experienced sever traumatic life experiences counseling professionals can begin to face emotional issues of their own. Understanding and recognizing how this happens, why it happens and ways to effectively combat it when it does are an important aspect of being a professional counselor.

The Wellbeing of Counseling Professionals Pray, eat right, exercise, get plenty of sleep, take time for yourself and talk to someone. Six common and well know key pieces to dealing with the daily struggles of life, they help control stress and reduce anxiety. But what if you are the one that people turn to when they need to talk, to share distressing life experiences and are seeking understanding and compassion. Caring for the needs of others can quickly over shadow the needs of caring for ones self, what are the consequences of this and how can we as counselors maintain healthy lives so that we may serve others to the best of our abilities. In order for a counselor to be effective in the help that they give to their clients they must offer a more vulnerable side of themselves during a session. This is extremely important in helping the client feel safe and allows them to see the counselor as someone in whom they can trust, but this type of relationship can leave the counselor feeling mentally and physically depleted. “When clients express feelings of pain, confusion, shock, trauma, distress, or other significant emotions, these can sometimes be transferred or projected onto the professional helpers’ psyches” (Stebnicki, 2008, p. 5). This transfer of intense emotions is what Stebnicki (2008) calls empathy fatigue. Empathy fatigue can enter into the professional’s life in different ways and for different reasons. The counseling professional could be coping with stressful events in their own personal lives; being young and less experienced in dealing with others traumatic experiences can likewise contribute to empathy fatigue. Counselors meet with several clients on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, each client bringing with them a different form of pain, suffering and or loss to the session. These stories of darkness and despair can begin to seep into the mind of the counselor; even those with great emotional strength can begin to take the clients issues home with them. The counselor’s thoughts, while away from work, can be saturated with the unpleasantness that his or her clients have suffered through. “These constant emotional interactions with clients who are traumatized are a challenge. It requires the counselor to renew, restore and come to the client with the resources and energy to be a catalyst for change” (Cummins, Massey, & Jones, 2007, p. 37). Listening to and empathizing with their clients can deplete a professional counselor’s ability to handle personal stresses within their own lives. Because much of their time and energy is focused on helping others cope and deal with problems, when it comes to facing their own the professional is tired, mentally drained and unable to handle the stresses of life. The other side to this coin, is when a counselor who is facing personal issues tends to be hyper focused on these issues, causing them to become distracted and less engaged when helping their clients. Becoming emotionally withdrawn during counseling sessions can upset the delicate balance of the counselor counselee relationship; the helper can become the helpee (Cummins et al., 2007). Without the proper balance between the counselor and client progress cannot be made.
Professional counselors can tend to put their own welfare last, believing that their main purpose is to be there for others, this can cause the stress in their own personal lives to build and fester. Many times counselors are unaware of the toll personal stress and or the ability to leave client issues at work can take on their health and mental well being. There must be a constant awareness to self-monitor and engage in self-nurturing activities (Cummins et al., 2007).

Unmanaged empathy fatigue can often lead to burnout, with burnout a professional counselor can become depressed and withdrawn; they can begin to question why they chose to become a professional counselor, are they any good at it and even if they are truly helping anyone. Feeling a lack of progress with a client can also lead to burnout; the sense that the help being offered is not working or is not being taken seriously can signal to the counselor that they are failing. Counselors who experience job burnout are often in work environments that are not supportive of counselor wellness…(Cummins et al., 2007). Add to this a personal stress and the counselor can become a determent to themselves and those they are counseling. How can the counseling professional be sure that they are effectively taking care of themselves as well as their clients, what does self care look like? Self-awareness tools, effective supervision and reflection on their own issues are a few steps in the right direction (Cummins et al., 2007). The most central aspect to the wellbeing of the counselor is a support team, It is essential that the counselor’s supervisors, peers, colleagues, family, and friends recognize any negative shift within the professionals mind, body, and spirit that may signal an empathy fatigue or burn out experience (Stebnicki, 2008). The top of the support team list is the supervisor; a supervisor can offer guidance, help, and encouragement and tend to the welfare of their supervisees (Clinton & Ohlschlager, 2002). It is essential to establishing good lines of communications with a supervisor, talking can be beneficial in dealing with both work and personal stresses. It is not only the sharing of concerns but also the sharing of triumphs that help the professional counselor to maintain a healthy wellbeing.

Take time with family and friends, making meaningful connections with people who are not looking for your emotional stability and strength is vitally important to self-care. Engaging in conversations that do not center on trauma, stresses or loss gives the professional the ability to leave work behind and focus on happier moments. Taking time for ones self is also important to wellbeing, understanding that the professional counselor is not just there to support and comfort others, but they are human and have personal interests outside of work. If helping others is the only focus of a counselor’s life they are more likely to burnout quicker than those that find time for the hobbies they enjoy.
Supervisors, family and friends are great ways to handle empathy fatigue and to stave off the risks of burnout, but these will do little with out the incorporation of Christ and His word. Christ said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”(Matthew11; 28-30 New International Version). When we as humans turn our issues and stresses over to the Lord we are able to find peace and refreshment. God never asked for us to give ourselves over to our work so that we might become burnt out, instead he asks us to work as if working for the Lord and not man. Consulting God through prayer and quiet time can help the professional counselor to become less self-reliant, understand when to say no, set proper boundaries with clients as well as co-workers and engage effectively in self-care. Allowing God into the professionals work life can help recover from burnout as well as avoiding it all together. Who we are called to be is not found in our work but in Christ, and His goal for us is never to create stress, weariness or fatigue but the opposite we are to find renewal, strength and the ability to help others.

Conclusion A professional counselors job can be very demanding, it can cause stress, empathy fatigue and possible burnout. In order for a professional to effectively help others they must ensure they are taking care of themselves. Pray, take time for oneself and engaging in activities outside of work is essential for wellbeing.

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