Introduction
A professional counselor cannot help others when their physical and mental state is unstable. Specialists working with clients who require emotional assistance are often tired of compassion. Their active participation in the problems of other individuals leads to an increased risk of burnout. As a result, the counselor’s inability to ensure their wellness can lead to problems with adequate support from clients, trauma, and subsequent impairment. Effective self-care strategies and an individual wellness plan are essential to a counselor’s work.
Main Body
Counselors often develop emotional problems due to their professional activity when they cannot control the level of their interaction with clients. Hunter (2016) introduces the notion of secondary traumatic stress disorder, or STSD, to define the professional impairment of counselors. It is an example of secondhand depression that is the logical consequence of the burnout of the specialist and tiredness from the problems the clients discuss (Hunter, 2016). This type of mental disorder has the same symptoms as clinical depression, and the only distinction is the different causes of this psychological state (Hunter, 2016). It is possible to assume that such problems as burnout and compassion fatigue combine and contribute to the aggravated psychological state of the counselor.
It is vital to remember that clients come to the counselor in a vulnerable mental state and share their negative emotions with the specialist, hoping to receive professional assistance. The counselor, in turn, is typically an empathetic person who wants to help those suffering and alleviate their pain (Hunter, 2016). This cheerful and professional motivation ensures that the counselor pursues a patient-centered approach (Hunter, 2016). At the same time, the ability to feel the negative emotions of clients, active compassion, and the need to understand all details of the client’s state lead to the situation when the counselor is overwhelmed by these problems (Hunter, 2016). Therefore, these elements are usually typical when the counselor acquires secondhand depression after prolonged working with clients.
As was already mentioned, the impairment counselors have all the signs of moderate clinical depression, which does not allow them to continue working with people. The overall impact of this state on the counseling practice is harmful because a depressed individual cannot help others (Hunter, 2016). The counselors lose their emotional resources for compassion, which is the critical component of professional assistance. The peculiar detail is that counselors cannot emotionally divide themselves from their clients’ problems because it is the basic principle of the profession, and empathy is the critical issue in this practice. At the same time, there is a vital need to preserve personal boundaries and not allow the problems clients tell the counselor to destroy the life of the professional.
Therefore, counselors often tire of compassion and cannot divide their clients’ problems from their own lives. It leads to the development of depressive signs that do not allow specialists to work with the issues of people who require their help. This state makes counselors unsuitable for their work, which leads to professional problems. As a result, the emotional resource of the counselor is devastated, which makes them unable to provide psychological services to other individuals. They need help themselves but cannot do it if they do not change their approach to counseling, their lifestyle, and their view on managing negative emotions.
Implications of Impairment
Impairment among counselors leads to an increasing amount of ethical misconduct. It happens because of the inability of the counselor to control their emotion, focus on their client’s problems, and assist them professionally. The context of law and ethics continues to be changing, as Ahia and Boccone (2017) write. As a result, the field’s risks constantly evolve to keep up with current trends (Ahia & Boccone, 2017). A counselor must know the most important ethical and legal concerns to navigate the field effectively. The tangible information is required to equip counselors-in-training to join the field with an increased awareness of the issues they are bound to face (Ahia & Boccone, 2017). This data can be offered through an ongoing analysis of joint legal and ethical issues related to disciplinary proceedings against qualified psychologists (Ahia & Boccone, 2017). It allows the assumption that counselors should consider the dangers of violating ethical principles in their work.
Ethical violations in counseling are not rare because the human factor is critical in this profession. For instance, counseling has 30 categories of frequent ethics violations (Ahia & Boccone, 2017). Among them is the inability of clinicians to maintain patients’ records because hospitals try to avoid legal persecution for counseling issues related to criminal offenses (Ahia & Boccone, 2017). There is also the problem of the need for counselors to meet the requirements of continuing education (Ahia & Boccone, 2017). Counselors have also been accused of unprofessional behavior, including professional misrepresentation and problems pursuing ethical principles in therapy (Ahia & Boccone, 2017). Most counseling offices are unlikely to disclose information about their ethical violations online because it leads to losing their professional reputation. The anonymous studies that gather statistical information about these problems provide a more thorough and detailed understanding of the topic.
Impairment Prevention
Counselors should take several steps to protect themselves against impairment and burnout. The first thing they can do is to recognize the problem and the signs of developing compassion fatigue and burnout. Most professionals are used to recognizing these symptoms in the stories of their patients, but they typically fail to do it in their cases (Hunter, 2016). They overestimate their physical and psychological abilities and do not tend to think that they can be depressed. Among these signs, one needs to follow the therapeutic scheme, including making case notes or administrative documents, issues with time management, missing the time of the session beginning, or forgetting about the appointment (Hunter, 2016). Second, the counselors can feel that they are not satisfied with their lives, and their problems in personal interactions exhaust them (Hunter, 2016). In addition, they might feel isolated from others, including the professional community (Hunter, 2016). These symptoms show that the counselor lacks the emotional energy to continue working, and it might result in burnout and depression in the near future.
The second vital step for impairment prevention is changing the lifestyle and adding healthy habits. Mindfulness is critical to mental stability and a self-awareness technique (Hunter, 2016). It is possible to describe mindfulness as the breathing exercise that helps the person to stop chaotic thoughts and feel that their mind is calm. Healthy sleeping, exercising, and dieting are also essential in supporting the psychological stability of the counselor. For instance, controversial opinions about using stimulants like coffee or sugar trigger depression (Hunter, 2016). In addition, counselors should not hesitate to seek professional help if their psychological stability worsens. An early reaction to the problems can help the counselor to avoid fatigue, burnout, and depression.
Wellness Plan and Reflection
My current psychological state is stable, and I meet most components of the assessment list about the counselor’s wellness. At the same time, I see evident gaps in my plan, which states that improvement is needed. The practices connected with my physical wellness are satisfactory now and do not need more attention. I work out regularly in the gym and am active throughout the day. In addition, I pay much attention to dieting and sleeping habits because, without them, I cannot achieve good results in training. Therefore, my physical wellness is optimal now, and I plan to continue practicing these habits in the future.
The second vital issue is occupational wellness, which supposes leisure activities and recreation. Physical training is my primary leisure activity; I should improve this component in my plan. For example, it would be significantly better to introduce intellectual leisure activities, including attending the theater, art gallery, and music concerts with my family and friends. At this moment, I lack these activities, reflected in my alienation from the community, which is unsuitable for the counselor’s wellness.
Spiritual wellness is another aspect that I should improve because I lack mindfulness and self-care. My religious practices are primarily theoretical and occasional because I often forget about them. I need to make spiritual practices more regular, which can be achieved through meditation, prayer, attending church, and volunteering. In addition, I can combine the need to improve my occupational and spiritual wellness. Both activities suppose communication with other community members, which is crucial in finding support and connection.
I plan to use the SMART goals scheme to identify the steps I should take to implement the required changes. First, the goal should be specific, so I must articulate it clearly. In this case, I plan to spend more time with others and share intellectual activities with them, including attending art and spiritual events. I should find people who also share these goals and agree about our meetings’ time and format. The second aspect is stating the measurable goal and elaborating on how to evaluate it. I plan to write down the number of art and spiritual events I attend with others and analyze these notes at the end of the month.
Conclusion
The goal for wellness improvement should be achievable, meaning there should be no significant problems in finding my city’s art and spiritual events. In addition, the goal should be relevant, meaning that the events I plan to visit will interest my companions and me. It is also essential to plan convenient activities in terms of time. For instance, as a student, I have limited time for leisure and spiritual activities that require going out and meeting other people. It shows that I should pay more attention to time management while implementing this step of the wellness plan.
References
Ahia, C. E., & Boccone, P. J. (2017). Licensure board actions against professional counselors: Implications for counselor training and practice. VISTAS, 1-14.
Hunter, S. T. (2016). Beyond the breaking point: Examining the pieces of counselor burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondhand depression. VISTAS, 1-16.