Burnout can happen regardless of a person’s occupation, and counselors-in-training are no exception. Lee et al. (2018) and Newton et al. (2020) suggest that while CITs are not yet professional counselors, they are at the same risk of burnout as practitioners. The main causes of burnout in CITs are, most often, stress, poor self-care and wellness, and attributional style. Research by Lee et al. (2018) and Newton et al. (2020) determined which factors most influence the occurrence of burnout and what coping strategies can be implemented to avoid this outcome.
Among the leading causes of burnout, Lee et al. (2018) name the stress faced by CITs. The most common stressors are “challenging course work, time management struggles, financial issues, thesis or dissertation responsibilities, daily duties, workâfamily imbalances, and interpersonal relationships” (Lee et al., 2018, p.286). At the same time, counselors-in-training must develop self-monitoring and self-care skills to detect changes in their psychological state in time and take the necessary measures to improve it. Newton et al. (2020) state that self-care and holistic wellness are critical factors in avoiding burnout. These concepts began to be introduced into CIT training programs relatively recently since “self-care had a connotation of shame and guilt on the part of counselors” for a long time (Newton et al., 2020, p.253). However, much more attention is now being paid to the psychological state of counselors-in-training.
Moreover, the concept of ‘attributional style’ introduced by Lee et al. (2018) and wellness factors by Newton et al. (2020) have a lot in common. For example, Lee et al. (2018) note that “individuals favoring internal, stable, and global causes to explain negative events are conceptualized as pessimistic, whereas those favoring external, unstable, and specific causes are described as optimistic” (p.287). This understanding of the problem is very similar to the concept of mindfulness discussed by Newton et al. (2020). This approach implies, to a certain extent, a detached view of problems and challenges. It allows not only to maintain objectivity but to reduce stress and increase the number of positive emotions in CITs and improve their wellness. In addition, the ability to regulate emotions to eliminate negative ones plays an important role. According to Newton et al. (2020), the ability to identify and express feelings leads to “fewer depressive symptoms, more life satisfaction, increased optimism, higher self-esteem,” and other improvements in a person’s psychological state.
Both articles present the results of a study predominantly based on interviews with counselors and CITs. Newton et al. (2020) used the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support to assess the relationship between wellness factors and burnout. On the other hand, to explore how attributional style shapes CITs’ susceptibility to burnout, Lee et al. (2018) used the Attributional Style Questionnaire for General Use. Moreover, they paid special attention to the study of the demographic characteristics of the participants. In addition, both groups of researchers used the Maslach Burnout InventoryâGeneral Survey (Lee et al., 2018; Newton et al., 2020), which is why their results have many similarities.
Research results have shown that there is a significant relationship between attributional style, wellness, and the occurrence of burnout in counselors-in-training. Lee et al. (2018) found that the “tendency to regard a negative cause as unchangeable” and “tendency to apply a negative cause across situations” lead to emotional exhaustion and burnout in CITS. In addition, the results obtained by Newton et al. (2020) confirmed that using mindfulness practices helps eliminate negative thoughts, as it eliminates the need for CIT to assess the situation. Moreover, self-care and social support are also important factors in managing burnout.
The results obtained from these two studies can be used in the education and supervision of CITs. Moreover, when designing curricula for counselors-in-training, the possibility of burnout must be considered. Therefore, additional training in self-care practices and conveying to CITs the importance of attributional style is a necessary task during the educational process. Changing the approach to preparing CITs will make their learning process easier and help them in their future careers.
However, both studies have certain limitations that may affect the possibility of applying the results obtained in practice. Both studies used the Maslach Burnout InventoryâGeneral Survey, which “is not specifically designed for counseling studies” (Lee et al., 2018, p. 297). In addition, both groups of researchers note a certain limitation of the results due to the characteristics of the participants. Most of the participants in the surveys conducted by Lee et al. (2018) were “White female U.S. citizens” (p.297), while participants in another study “were from universities located in one region of the United States” (Newton et al., 2020, p.264). These factors question the generalizability of the results obtained for all CITs. Therefore, additional research is needed to substantiate the implementation of the results obtained.
Thus, burnout in counselors-in-training is a fairly common problem. However, the findings from the two studies provide a more comprehensive analysis of the causes of burnout and how it can be prevented and managed. Attributional style and wellness constructors are essential to the psychological state of CITs. That is why both groups of researchers suggest that there is a need for additional training of CITs in these concepts so that they can use them during their studies and in their future activities. However, both studies have certain limitations that affect the possibility of their implementation.
References
Lee, I., Bardhoshi, G., Yoon, E., Sandersfeld, T., Rush, R. D., & Priest, J. B. (2018). Attributional style and burnout of counselorsâinâtraining. Counselor Education and Supervision, 57(4), 285-300. Web.
Newton, T. L., Ohrt, J. H., Guest, J. D., & Wymer, B. (2020). Influence of mindfulness, emotion regulation, and perceived social support on burnout. Counselor Education and Supervision, 59(4), 252-266. Web.