How does being a counsellor affect your mental health?
Compassion Fatigue (CF), Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) and Vicarious Trauma (VT) have all been highlighted in the research literature as risks for counsellors, psychologists, and other mental health professionals (Sutton, et al, 2022). In the current post-pandemic era, burnout amongst mental health workers is a subject more prevalent than ever and subsequently has been studied widely in practitioners from numerous countries, including India, Australia and the United Kingdom (Joshi, 2020, Dobson et al, 2021, Pappa et al, 2021). This article discusses the notion of burnout in therapists, looking at the arguments for what causes the various types of psychological stress, the perspective of a counsellor who has experienced symptoms of burnout and finally what the protective, evidence-based,... »
