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Benchmark Counselor Impairment and Wellness Paper Assignment
Allison V. Hobaugh
Department of Behavioral Sciences, Liberty University
Abstract
Avoiding burnout and impairment is essential as a counselor. In this paper, the definition of
impairment is discussed. This paper discusses the various types of impairment, how to identify
when a counselor is heading into impairment, and the prevention of impairments. The impact
of impairment on the counselor’s ability to perform care for clients is explored. Counselor
wellness in the forms of intellectual, emotional, physical, occupational, and spiritual wellness is
outlined in this paper. American Counseling Association and North Carolina discipline policies
and procedures and common violations are addressed. Techniques that can be used to prevent
counselor impairment, burnout, and compassion fatigue are listed and discussed. Identification
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of possible discrepancies of the counselor’s wellbeing is shown using various wellness
evaluation tools. A detailed personal wellness outline from the author that includes a plan for
integration into the counselor’s life is addressed and discussed on the last page of this paper.
Keywords: wellness, impairments, counselor, burnout, compassion fatigue, stress
Benchmark Counselor Impairment and Wellness Paper Assignment
Becoming a clinical mental health professional requires a level of empathy necessary to
effectively help clients navigate their own mental illnesses and conflicts. Empathy, both clinical
empathy and natural empathy, can take its toll on the psyche of anyone in a helping profession.
Dr, Gerard Lawson spoke of how he recognized when he was approaching burnout. He started
to see people as their problems and not as individuals (Smith, 2020). If a counselor begins to
approach their calling as a box to check, they will seem to check out mentally and not be
present during the session.
Professional Counseling and Impairment
The American Counseling Association Code of Ethics (ACA, 2014) outlines in Section
A.1.a the responsibility of the counselor to promote the welfare of the client. A counselor must
be self-aware and have the necessary plans in place to avoid impairment of skills and burnout. If
a counselor does not have this in place and continues to counselor clients in an impaired
capacity, the counselor is not considering the welfare of the client and is in fact doing harm to
the client. This goes against the ACA, as stated in Section A.4.a, to avoid causing harm to the
client.
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The lay definition of impairment is the “diminishment or loss of function or ability”
(Merriam-Webster, n.d.). In the context of professional counseling, it is defined as a “decrement
in the body’s typical physiological or psychological functioning” (American Psychological
Association , n.d.). It is when counselors lack overall wellness in any of the eight wellness
sections that impairment can occur (Simmons et al., 2024). The signs of impairment seem to
build on top of each other. Impairment does not start at full force but rather as a gradual
inclination to the summit. This summit represents the peak of a volcano that has erupted, and
impairment has occurred full force, therefore causing the client more harm than good and
breaking the trust in the therapeutic relationship (Simmons et al., 2024). This occurs when the
counselor feels overworked and unappreciated in the counseling setting. Burnout and
impairment can manifest in physical symptoms such as insomnia, apathy, irritability and
depression (Kerulis, 2018).
It is important that counselors take inventory of their own wellness on a regular basis.
Drs. Witmer, Myers, and Sweeny collaborated to create the Wellness Wheel, based on Adlerian
theory (Simmons, et al., 2024). The Wheel serves as a visual representation of the various
factors that contribute to overall well-being for counselors. Counselors tend to have high
burnout rates if their overall wellness is ignored. It is easy to become focused primarily on the
calling of helping others through various crises on the road to mental wholeness. People may
choose to enter the field of counselling because of their experiences with trauma, grief or
mental illness (Simmons et al., 2024). The combination of the drive to join an intense helping
profession and lack of selfcare make the counselor vulnerable to the risk factors associated with
burnout and impairment.
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Impairment may be a result of several factors. These factors can include environmental
stressors (i.e., financial stress, workplace satisfaction) or a physical or psychological issue (i.e.,
autoimmune diagnosis, depression). It is important to consider one’s wellness so as not to affect
the client. Building and nurturing the eight types of wellness according to Witmer, et al., social,
emotional, psychological, physical, intellectual, spiritual, occupational, and environmental is an
important step to becoming a well-rounded, well-adjusted counselor (Simmons, et al., 2024). Dr.
Lawson addressed this by stating “good client care begins with good counselor self-care” (Smith,
2020). Simmons et al., used the analogy of riding a bike to the balance of the factors that
contribute to wellness. The balancing act does not happen all at once but gradually and with
practice.
Ethical Implications of Impairment
Ethical violations are a serious matter in the field of counseling. The American
Counseling Association (ACA) outlines how counselors should evaluate themselves for signs of
impairment by monitoring their physical, mental and emotional wellness and to seek assistance
as needed and to not treat clients when impaired (ACA, 2014, p.9). States differ in their board of
licensure laws and policies as well as from the federal laws and requirements. All states have a
basis of The Code of Ethics in the practice of counseling within the state. According to the laws
and rules of the North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors
(NCBLCMHC), under the North Carolina General Statues, Chapter 90 Article 24, any counselor
that practices while impaired, whether known or unknown, will face consequences up to and
including revocation of right to practice counseling. The following steps will be taken during the
investigation. There will be mandatory psychological evaluations performed on the counselor in
question to pinpoint the level of impairment and offer services to help alleviate the stressors.
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There is usually a long probation period up to two years. While the majority of the disciplinary
actions listed on the NCBLCMHC website are focused on dual relationships, sexual misconduct
and insurance fraud, there could be a root cause of impairment.
Impairment Prevention
In Section C.2.g of the ACA Code of Ethics it states that counselors have a personal
responsibility to monitor themselves for signs of impairment and to refrain from practicing
counseling while impaired (p.9). Counselors have the responsibility to seek help with dealing
with any impairment issues that arise from emotional stress. The counselor must continue to
limit or terminate their access to clients until it is found that they can safely resume work. The
end part of this section of the Code of Conduct speaks to the responsibility of all counselors to
evaluate their colleagues for signs of impairment. This is just another layer of gatekeeping as
mentioned by Simmons et al. This is a term used to describe the assessment of a counselor
(usually by a fellow counselor) of professional disposition and the ability to practice responsible
counseling (Simmons et al., 2024). This is like someone taking you aside when you’ve had a
particularly bad day and asking if everything is okay.
Prevention of impairment can take many forms for a counselor. Having a well established
self-care plan in place allows the counselor to “practice what they preach”. Activities such as
mindfulness mediations, exercise, participating in hobbies and spending time with
friends/family can have a positive impact on the overall wellbeing of the counselor. This will
contribute to the decrease of the chance of burnout and impairment, allowing for the counselor
to continue practicing with resiliency. As the practice of self-care becomes second nature to the
counselor an awareness of their needs becomes more obvious and a quicker response in finding
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the solutions to meet the specific problems that may arise in the self-care journey of the
counselor.
Wellness Assessment
The wellness assessments provided for this assignment were eye opening. I was as
honest as possible in all of my answers and was surprised by my results. I thought that I might
score lower considering since I’m in treatment for anxiety and depression. Based on my results, I
believe that I am at a level in my diagnosis that it is not a hinderance to my life anymore.
The Life Change Index Scale was the most basic of the assessments and can be used to
quickly pinpoint what areas in life are giving the most trouble to the individual. I had only four
life changes happen in the past year. Sex difficulties arising from entering menopause has been
the most difficult. My family and I just got back from Germany after a month visit with my
husband’s family. The added stressor to vacation was finding good Wi-Fi to turn in my work.
Christmas coming soon and the revision of personal habits were the last two life changes for
this assessment. The results for me were a total of 88 with a 30% chance of illness in the future.
The next assessment was the Self-Care Assessment Worksheet. This one was a little
harder for me to be honest with my answers. I had to really look deep and ask myself if this was
something I’m currently doing actively, something I’ve thought about doing, or something that I
want to do. I had to focus on only answering in the high positive if it was something that I was
actively doing in my life. The areas in my life that I identified as wanting to improve on were
exercise, journal, affirmations, praying/meditation, and taking a break at work. Intellectually, I
know I should exercise more and that it will help with a good part of my physical and emotional
hurdles, but I always find excuses not to exercise. Journaling is one for me that I start and then it
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fizzles out after a week. I tend to keep my emotions bottled up. I have given myself a lot of
negative self-talk over the years. It’s been a long time since I’ve looked in the mirror and told
myself that I am good and worthy. Praying and meditation need attention in my life and just
spending time in the Word. Although I work in a low stress, part-time job in a thrift store, I know
I should take breaks. I usually eat quickly in the processing room and immediately go right back
to work. I take the regular breaks to take care of physical needs, but I do not ever just stop
working until I go home.
Assessing Your Life Balance was a fun exercise to complete. The two colors that were
prominent in my assessment were red and green. This has taken a lot of work on my part to get
to this level. I used to fear social interactions and the fear of rejection that I had no social life
outside of my husband and children. As a result, my emotional tank was almost always empty. I
believe that now I have matured emotionally and have a better balance. Overall, the colors on
my wheel were within a few points, either up or down, of each other. I had no areas in which I
was 100%.
The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support gave me a rough score of about
6 across three categories. These categories were Significant Other, Family and Friends. Based on
the result of 6, I have a high level of support in my life from all three areas.
Personal Wellness Plan
The areas that I need to focus more on in my life are the spiritual and physical aspects. I
do not take enough time to take care of myself or my relationship with God. I tend to spend my
time caring for others in my family and friend circle. This has become burdensome in the past
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and I begin to feel resentful that no one is taking care of me. I am reminded that I am
responsible for my own wellbeing, no one else is.
The changes that need to be put in place are a plan for physical activity that fits into my
current schedule without tipping the work/life/home balance too drastically. I find that I have
more time in the afternoon, so I will plan to walk my dog every afternoon when I get home from
work. Once my children go back to school at the end of the month, I plan to walk while waiting
to pick them up from school. I work forty-five minutes away from my children’s school and
usually get in line at the pickup an hour before school releases. Because it is summer, I can have
more time for myself in the mornings. I plan to use that time to read my Bible and devotion. My
co-workers and I also read a devotion related to bringing God into the workplace each day
before we open the store. I plan to listen to worship music as I’m coloring in my journal Bible. I
have done this for the past two days and I already feel more at peace and a better version of
myself.
Conclusion
Recognizing impairments and maintaining wellness are important aspects of becoming a
good counselor who can care for clients meaningfully and without harm. Self-care should be
practiced everyday as a prevention not when impairment is actively taking place. Impairment
means that the counselor is not perform at the best level for the care of the client and can
result in violations of ethics and disciplinary actions. Counselors and counseling students should
have a solid self-care plan in place and practice it daily to avoid impairment. Counselors who
have good mental and physical health can continue to bring much needed care to clients
without fear of impairment.
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References
Smith, J. (Producer). (2020, January 28). EP155: The Quest for Wellness-A Conversation with
Dr. Gerard Lawson [Audio Podcast]. The Thoughtful Counselor. Retrieved from
https://wp.me/p7R6fn-Xct.
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved July 31,
2025, from https://dictionary.apa.org/
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved July 31, 2025, from
https://merriam-webster.com/
Kerulis, M. (2018, April 16). Identifying and Overcoming Burnout:Essential Practices for
Counselors. American Counseling Association.
https://counseling.org/resources/aca blogs/member/post/member-blog/2018/04/16/
identifying-and-overcoming-burnout essential-practices-for-counselors
Simmons, et al., (2024). Introduction to Counseling: Integration of Faith, Professional Identity,
and Clinical Practice, 2nd Edition [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from
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