Exploring self-care experiences of school counsellors: A qualitative study

Abstract

School counsellors are responsible for maintaining their well-being to provide quality service for the students. Self-care activities are the best way to preserve and enhance the well-being of counsellors. In this vein, this study aimed to discover the self-care experiences of school counsellors employing a qualitative approach. Fifteen licensed school counsellors (eight of whom were female) from various schools in Turkey participated in the study. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews. The data analysis was carried out with an inductive thematic analysis approach using NVivo 11 software. The results of the study are presented under four interrelated themes which are self-care practices, improved wellness, increased productivity in schools, and barriers to self-care. Findings of the study are discussed based on literature and a number of suggestions are presented for future studies of researchers and practitioners.

A Phenomenological Study of Black Female Secondary School Counselors and Their Experiences With Self-Care

“…Although participants mostly discussed personal self-care activities (Lee & Miller, 2013), three participants also described the need to set boundaries between work and home. As found in other studies (e.g., Şimşir Gökalp, 2022), our participants stated that often their workday did not end at a certain time, and they needed to set firmer boundaries for themselves. Establishing such work-life balance is a professional self-care strategy that these participants learned to develop over time.…”

“…Despite creating boundaries between work and home, participants described other barriers to self-care that they have faced. In the literature, barriers to self-care often include administrative and noncounseling duties, role ambiguity, and high workloads (Maor & Hemi, 2021;S ¸ims ¸ir Gökalp, 2022). Participants in this study experienced similar barriers, which often corresponded with the top five concerns that the ASCA (2021) study revealed, such as the need to lower the student-to-school-counselor ratio, ensuring that administrators understand the school counselor's role, responding to student crises, and addressing school policies that have marginalized certain populations of students.…”

“…Although specific to supporting teacher well-being, Santoro and Price (2021) highlighted structural supports that schools can implement that could also support school counselors, including (a) creating a culture of mutual trust and open communication between educators and school leaders, (b) pursuing a commitment to social and racial justice and to affirming educators’ identities, (c) establishing affinity groups to engage in antiracist and LGBTQIA + -affirming work, (d) protecting educators’ time (e.g., reduce administrative paperwork), and (e) implementing trauma-informed and mindfulness-based support to teach ways to cope with stress. Finally, in a study specific to school counselors, Şimşir Gökalp (2022) found that school counselors “utilize a variety of self-care strategies to cope with professional burnout and the stressors they encounter at school” (p. 259), including strategies that are “physical, cognitive-emotional, professional, relational, spiritual, art and hobbies, and travel” (p. 264).…”

Job Satisfaction of Turkish School Counselors: A Social Cognitive Career Theory Perspective

“…This result suggests that school counselors in Türkiye do not act on personal agency to shape their work environment, overcome problems, and build their well-being, and they do not engage in proactive behaviors. However, Şimşir Gökalp (2022) found that some Turkish school counselors participate in activities to foster their WSE, such as professional development courses, to prevent burnout and cope with barriers. Furthermore, these school counselors stated that as their professional self-efficacy increased, they were better engaged in work-related tasks and problems and their well-being was fostered (Şimşir Gökalp, 2022).…”

“…However, Şimşir Gökalp (2022) found that some Turkish school counselors participate in activities to foster their WSE, such as professional development courses, to prevent burnout and cope with barriers. Furthermore, these school counselors stated that as their professional self-efficacy increased, they were better engaged in work-related tasks and problems and their well-being was fostered (Şimşir Gökalp, 2022). Similarly, recent studies noted that counselor self-efficacy of Turkish school counselors promotes their job satisfaction (Ak & Deniz Yöndem, 2022; Aydın & Odacı, 2020).…”