Counselor Impairment and Wellness 1
Counselor Impairment and Wellness
Eboni T. Mobley
School of Behavioral Science, Liberty University
COUC 500
Professor Deborah Bannan
Counselor Impairment and Wellness 2
Abstract
Counselor impairment can happen to anyone working in the field. Counselors must care for
themselves mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It took a global pandemic for
Americans to learn about the importance of caring for ourselves and our bodies. Counselors need
to be in a better space to counsel their clients when they become impaired. Impairment is not just
related to drugs and alcohol but mental impairment, distractions, and being overwhelmed.
Counselors must check themselves to avoid being impaired and violating the ACA Code of
Ethics.
Keywords: Counselor Impairment, Burnout, Mental Wellness, Health, ACA Code of
Ethics, Self-care.
Counselor Impairment and Wellness 3
Counselor Impairment and Wellness
People worldwide have become more aware of the importance of health and wellness in
recent years. After all, you only get one body; you might as well take the best care of it. In early
2020, we were forced to shut down after the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world. We were all
forced to stay home and quarantine, hoping not to spread the virus. Some people learned new
hobbies, some became businesses, and others took much-needed time to rest, heal, and care for
themselves in ways they thought they had no time to do before. The world has become obsessed
with health and mental wellness. During the pandemic, I was forced to stay home with my
husband, two toddlers, two infants, and my mother. And as one would imagine, it was a
madhouse, and I was burned out. Working in a field where your primary task is providing care to
anyone can take a toll on one’s body, mentally and physically. Counselors take on the mental
load alongside their clients to provide them with the best guidance and experience. While
counseling is a career we have chosen to pursue, there is no foolproof way to prevent us from
getting exhausted. We must be intentional with proactively taking care of ourselves while
helping others learn to care for themselves.
Defining Impairment
When I typically think of someone being impaired, I think of someone under the
influence of drugs or alcohol. According to Webster’s Dictionary, impairment is a loss of
function. According to Simmons, Lilley, and Kuhnley, impairment regarding counselors can be
defined as the inability to manage personal stress, mental health, drug or alcohol abuse, and
medical conditions which could interfere with their ability to counsel clients effectively. A
counselor being impaired while managing clients could potentially lead to malpractice. There are
many reasons a counselor could become impaired. As I noted previously, counselors have lives
Counselor Impairment and Wellness 4
outside of their work. Counselors must take on their client’s stresses on top of whatever they are
already dealing with. Managing personal stressors can be challenging for many people. The
Covid-19 pandemic caused a great deal of stress for many people. While many of us could stay
home and care for our families safely, many were essential workers, counselors being one of the
professions that did not shut down during the pandemic. Counselors were expected to maintain
their sanity while helping the world through our Counselors are humans and are not new normal.
immune to life’s curveballs.
Counselors can go through a divorce, have deaths in their families, lose meaningful
relationships, the practice they were working with could have shut down, or maybe they could
have gotten overwhelmed. Counselors are not immune to addiction or mental health challenges
themselves. They can’t avoid life-changing illnesses like getting cancer, having a stroke, or
becoming handicapped from a near-fatal car accident. Many of us were a part of the fantastic
generation that was exposed to the program in school. Many of us D.A.R.E to be Drug-Free
looked forward to the day when the police department would come to the school and give us
goody bags with pencils and brochures about how harmful drugs were. Many of those same
students who were excited to participate in the program still grew up to struggle with substance
abuse. There are many reasons someone chooses to take a drug they know is addictive and could
kill them.
Counselor impairment can look like many things. Counselors being burnt out could
impair their ability to provide quality services to their clients. When burned out with life, I can
become withdrawn and quiet, isolate myself, or lash out at those closest to me. Someone burned
out can become frustrated quickly, not be attentive to their client’s needs, or show signs of
emotional instability. Counselor impairment can be a counselor incapable of keeping the
Counselor Impairment and Wellness 5
appointments they have made, having a melancholy mood, or having a negative viewpoint on the
client’s situation. Counselors can get depression from dealing with the depressive state of their
clients. Counselors, like many other people, can show signs of drug and alcohol abuse by how
they present themselves. They could go from being polished and well put together physically to
always looking tired, sad, or unkept physical appearances.
Counselor impairment can affect the practice because if a counselor is not in the right
mind, they could unintentionally violate any ACA ethical codes. This could lead to being
investigated by the state board, disciplined, licensure being revoked, or even held criminally or
civilly liable if something happens to their client. Counselor impairment not only affects the
counselor, but it has just as significant an effect on their clients because clients seek counseling
to get help for their issues. A counselor must provide that help to benefit the client's healing and
well-being. This could make clients not seek out help in the future. They would say, “how can
she help me when she doesn’t even have her own life together?”. And rightfully so.
Implications of Impairment
Counselors are held to a higher standard that requires us to be capable of providing a
service without misconduct and discrimination. The ACA Code of Ethics C.2.a explains how
counselors should only practice within their competency. This means that if a counselor is
showing signs of being impaired, their competency level is potentially greatly diminished.
Therefore, the scope of work they can handle will be less than acceptable. And clients deserve a
counselor who can provide what they need. If I am not thinking clearly and mentally capable of
making sound decisions, I should not be counseling anyone else on resolving their issues. This is
not to say that counselors are supposed to be without flaws, but the Code of Ethics requires us to
monitor ourselves and each other and act accordingly before we get to the point of impairment.
Counselor Impairment and Wellness 6
When I researched the information regarding the ACA Code of Ethics violations
in Texas, I found that the records took much work to see to the general public. I checked the
website of the Texas Counseling Association and the Texas Behavioral Health Executive
Council. I could not find any information on the most frequently reported ethical violations by
counselors in this state. I found the website to search for counselors based on their licensing
number. I could search specifically by the license number or name within this area. If they have
had any violations, they would be listed. This information was hard to follow because, without a
license number or the name of a licensed counselor, I could see the counselors alphabetically. If
they did not have any violations, nothing was shown. I was able to see the dates that their
licenses were to expire or if they had already passed. I wish there were an easier way to locate
this specific information because I would like easier access if I were looking for a counselor.
Impairment Prevention
As mentioned above, the world has taken a new love for self-care. We are taking care of
ourselves not only physically but mentally. To me, self-care is anything that benefits my overall
health and anything that brings me joy. When I become a working counselor, I know I have
prioritized my health and wellness more efficiently. During the pandemic, being stuck in the
house with little to no outside interaction with other people forced many Americans into
depression. Many of us learned that we rely on external sources to make us happy. The issue is
that we didn’t have the skills to recoup what was lost once those sources were taken away. This
is where we all learned a lot about self-care and monitoring our moods. One example of
counselors preventing impairment is knowing when they need a break. Awareness of their
feelings and mood trends can help avoid burnout.
Counselor Impairment and Wellness 7
Counselors should always have their own counselors to help them sort through the things
they carry on their own. Exercising, eating healthy, having supportive friends, weekend
getaways, and shopping, aka retail therapy, are all ways counselors can avoid impairment.
Americans have a culture where we tend to work ourselves beyond recognition. Other countries
are fine with 4-day work weeks or holidays (vacations) when needed. But, in America, many
people rarely miss a work day or take time off for rest or leisure. Working yourself into burnout
is dangerous for your mental health and physical health.
When I speak about things that bring me joy as a method of self-care, this can be
anything that makes me happy. Taking an uninterrupted nap makes me happy at this stage in my
life. I get mental and physical rest. At least once a week, I turn my phone on, do not disturb,
close my shades, get in bed, and sleep. Even if it is just for 30 minutes. I wear many hats and
responsibilities, and sometimes something in my life has to suffer. I can’t decide if I’m not going
to feed my children or not take care of my home. So, instead of getting the 8-9 hours of sleep that
I would like, I may have to get what I can, which may only be 5-6 hours of sleep on any given
day. Eventually, the lack of sleep is going to catch up to me. When the lack of sleep catches up
to me, I feel groggy, get sick, can’t think, move slower than usual, and know that I cannot do my
best work. Taking care of myself and listening to my body is the best way to ensure I can provide
my best. The best way to describe it, I cannot pour from an empty cup. If I am constantly pouring
into others and not refilling myself, I will end up empty or burned out.
Wellness Plan and Reflection
I enjoyed completing the impairment and wellness quizzes. I don’t think I was shocked,
but seeing it on paper was eye-opening. I am a visual person. My time management is subpar,
and I always vow to improve. I understand what improper care can do to someone. My parents
Counselor Impairment and Wellness 8
suffered from heart disease, and my mother was a stroke survivor. Both of my parents lacked
information about self-care and general wellness. They’re from a generation raised to work hard
and then work some more. The Multidimensional Scale of Social Support quiz was precisely
where I expected it to be. Since my parents are both deceased, I receive most of my support from
my husband. I have adequate support from friends and my immediate family. The Life-Changing
Index Scale sheet was one that I predicted would be higher. As I have said, I understand my lack
of improving my physical health.
At this point in my life, I scored 225, which is high, but life has had its fair share of ups
and downs. My Self-Care Assessment Worksheet was scored appropriately as well. I have tried
off and on to do better with my self-care. I suffered from Postpartum Depression and lost Eboni
the Woman, after becoming a wife and a mother. Learning to properly care for myself mentally,
emotionally, and spiritually was like learning a foreign language. I was coded to take care of
everyone and everything except for myself. I scored the lowest in the Professional Self-Care
portion. In past positions, I have had trouble with my work-life balance. I felt like I had to finish
the work because I did not want to fall behind. I burned out when I worked as an Investigator
with Child Protective Services. Not because the work was so hard, I got burned out with working
all the time, even after hours and weekends, and listening to the stories of abuse and neglect
happening to children the same ages as mine. It taught me that I must set boundaries and
prioritize my mental wellness, so I don’t get secondary depression or PTSD from hearing the
stories. The most fun assessment was Assessing Your Life Balance. I realized all the pretty
colors, or lack thereof, showed that I don’t have a well-rounded balance in my life. The visual
wasn’t the stunning picture that I was expecting. The spiritual, social, emotional, and intellectual
slots were all filled about 70-100%. I suffered in the physical and financial areas. Those slots
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were equally up and down. There was no balance, and it was proper to my life now. Taking these
assessments indeed confirmed what I already knew. I need to do a better job balancing. Stress
and impairment will kill your spirit and mind if not managed. I understand that life can be
stressful at times, and it is partially inevitable. Life is 90% of the problems we face, and 10% of
how we face them determines how they affect our lives.
I could devote more time to care for myself physically and financially. I want to create
generational wealth for my children. I know it will not happen overnight, but I should be able to
navigate better with discipline and a plan. I plan to improve my life balance by learning what
physical activities I enjoy. The goal is for them to be fun instead of daunting tasks. The first
thing that I should do is think about what I like to do. I love dancing, so finding a dance class
would be an easy way to have fun, exercise, and meet new people. I also plan to create a budget
and see where I can reduce the amount of money I am spending to create a better savings plan
for the future. I will share my dreams with my husband. He is my biggest supporter, and I know
he will agree with me. My life also affects him and our children.
My Wellness Plan
After completing the assessments and reflecting, I know I have some changes to make. I
need to invest more of my time in my physical health to be around for my children because I
want to see them have children one day. I need to invest more time in my spiritual health, also. I
want to have a long career. I want to serve in whatever way God sees fit to use me. I can’t do that
if I am not taking care of myself first. I also want to give more of my time to my finances. I don’t
know what life is like without life’s luxuries. I also don’t know what it is like not being unable to
feed my family. I also don’t want to know what that feels like. I need to get my finances in order
because God refers to us as the stewards of creation. We are responsible for caring for everything
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God provides us; mind, body, and spirit. Luke 12:48, I learned that to whom much is given,
much is required. God will provide me with what I need, but I must take care of it. I can’t abuse
it or neglect it. The most significant change I need to make is simple, just start. I won’t
accomplish anything if I don’t take action. The Bible says that faith without work is dead. I can
make these changes, but I have not done the necessary work to make them happen. I am willing
to make realistic goals. I have to start small because I don’t want to be discouraged or
overwhelmed while trying to figure it out. I also have to give myself some grace. It takes time to
create habits. I love when my friends hold me accountable because it shows me that they are
interested in my success. They want to see me win. And having that level of support is fantastic.
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