Wellness, Professional Quality of Life, and Career‐Sustaining Behaviors: What Keeps Us Well?

Abstract

A sample of 506 professional counselors who were members of the American Counseling Association completed measures of professional quality of life, career‐sustaining behaviors (CSBs), and wellness. Significant differences were found both within the sample based on caseload characteristics and between the participants and available norm groups. Counselors with high wellness scores engaged in more CSBs and reported higher positive professional quality of life factors (compassion satisfaction). Implications for counselors, counselor training, and research are discussed.

Perceptions of the Wellness Model of Supervision among Counseling Interns

“…In contrast to the spiritual heights of successes with clients, providing mental health services can be a physically, psychologically, and emotionally exhausting endeavor when met with demands for productivity, challenging client populations, restricted program funding, requirements for short-term interventions, or personal life stressors. Preliminary research has indicated that individuals identifying as counseling students typically demonstrate a higher level of overall wellness when compared to the general population (Myers, Mobley, & Booth, 2003;Lawson & Myers, 2011); however, evidence has also emerged suggesting a negative relationship between overall wellness and the distress experienced during training (Lenz, Sangganjanavanich, Balkin, Oliver, & Smith, 2012;Smith, Robinson, & Young, 2007). These findings have promoted the contention submitted by some authors (Clark, Murdock, & Koetting, 2009;Lawson et al, 2007;Lenz & Smith, 2010;Meyer & Ponton, 2006;Roach & Young, 2007) that counselor education programs may not cultivate meaningful wellness practices and resilience among students.…”

“…Some authors have suggested that well counselors are more helpful to their clients than those experiencing distress and impairment (Lawson & Myers, 2011;Lawson, Venart, Hazler, & Kottler, 2007;Lenz & Smith, 2010;Meyer & Ponton, 2006). In contrast to the spiritual heights of successes with clients, providing mental health services can be a physically, psychologically, and emotionally exhausting endeavor when met with demands for productivity, challenging client populations, restricted program funding, requirements for short-term interventions, or personal life stressors.…”

“…While traumatic experiences are certainly difficult and painful for clients to process, counselors working with these clients may also experience decreased well-being as a result of the therapeutic relationship (Kadambi & Truscott, 2004;Lee, Cho, Kissinger, & Ogle, 2010). Despite efforts to educate and monitor counseling students and professionals about the risks associated with mismanagement of personal wellness, there is considerable evidence indicating that the majority of counselors experience impairment at some point in their professional careers (Clark et al, 2009;Lawson & Myers, 2011;Lawson, 2007;Lee et al, 2010;Smith et al, 2007). Abel and colleagues (2012) summarized that grades, coursework demands, competition, extreme stress, self-doubt, and remoteness are factors associated with compromised student wellness.…”

Personal Counseling in Academic Programs with Counselor Trainees

“…When counseling programs address impairment, personal counseling is often a central component to the remediation plan with which the counselor trainee must comply to remain enrolled in the program (McAdams & Foster, 2007). Counselor educators may be concerned that trainees are more vulnerable and need professional help to overcome their own struggles (McCarthy, 2008); will enter the professional field without addressing their longterm significant impairments and will harm their clients as a result (Lawson & Myers, 2011).…”

Helping ourselves: a mindfulness-based self-care group for novice counsellors

“…In the indivisible self model, the contextual factors included development factors as well as the influence of local, institutional, and global contexts (Myers & Sweeney, 2005, p.1 0-11 ). 13 Given the complex nature ofwellness, Lawson and Myers (2011) argue that the benefit of using a structured holistic model is that it ensures no facets of life are ignored or deemphasized. Using a more structured guide is especially important considering that so many facets of our lives are related to wellness and that changes in one area can lead to changes (positive or negative) in other areas of our lives.…”