Date of Graduation

5-2018

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education (PhD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders

Advisor/Mentor

Higgins, Kristin K.

Committee Member

Loos, Michael

Second Committee Member

Farley, Roy C.

Third Committee Member

Mamiseishvili, Ketevan

Keywords

Burnout; Counselor Self; Personality Characteristics; Self-discrepancy; The Use Of Self; Wellness

Abstract

This study explores the relationships between counselors’ professional, personal, and reflected selves as well as between counselors’ self-discrepancies and their burnout and wellness. Moreover, an investigation on the impacts of counselors’ self-discrepancies on their burnout and wellness as a professional was conducted. The use of self has been emphasized in order for counselors to elicit meaningful outcome with clients. To demonstrate the use of self as an instrument of the counseling process, integrating professional, personal, and reflected selves is necessary for counselors. One hundred ninety five (N = 195) professional counselors in Mid-South States, who currently practice, supervise, educate, or are in charge of counseling-related work, as well as those who temporarily ceased their career participated in this study.

Results of testing for the relationship between counselors’ professional, personal, and reflected selves found that there were significant positive correlations among the three selves. Moreover, results of testing for relationship between counselors’ self-discrepancies and their burnout and wellness indicated that all three discrepancies between their professional, personal, and reflected selves were positively related to the level of burnout and negatively related to the level of wellness. Additionally, multiple regression analysis revealed that counselors’ professional- personal self-discrepancy positively predicted the level of burnout while negatively predicting the level of wellness. However, counselors’ self-discrepancy between professional and reflected selves, as well as personal selves and reflected selves, were unable to significantly predict both the level of their burnout or wellness.

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