It is widely accepted that counselor impairment presents a problem in the counseling profession (M. E. Young & G. W. Lambie, 2007). Wellness as a unifying philosophy in counselor education may be a way to prevent impairment and burnout in students and professionals. Although counselor educators strive to promote a wellness philosophy in students, their efforts may be largely unsuccessful. This study examines the influence of counselor education programs on counselor wellness by investigating broad trends in levels of wellness among students at 3 points in their training and offers insights into the influence of wellness in the training of today's counselors.

Two‐hundred and four entering master's‐level counseling students from 9 programs in 5 states participated in a study testing the only counseling‐based wellness assessment measure, the Five Factor Wellness Evaluation of Lifestyle (J. E. Myers, R. M. Luecht, & T. J. Sweeney, 2004), for its relationship to 2 other constructs: psychological distress and social desirability. There was a statistically significant negative relationship between level of wellness and psychological distress; the relationship between level of wellness and social desirability was found to have no statistical significance; and there was a statistically significant negative relationship between level of social desirability and psychological distress. Implications for counselor education and clinical significance are included.

The effect of a 6‐week loving‐kindness meditation (LKM) on the multidimensional empathy of 103 master's‐level counseling students was evaluated, in addition to the correlation between reported levels of time spent meditating and empathy. Statistical analyses indicated that participants who received the LKM intervention experienced gains in dimensions of empathy. A significant relationship between quantity of meditation and perspective taking was noted. Implications and suggestions for future research are explored.

Wellness is a positive state of health that can be promoted in all counselors, impaired or not. This article discusses prevention from counselor preparation to clinical practice. Recommendations for preventing impairment are proposed for counselor education faculty, regulatory boards, employing organizations, and practicing counselors.