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WK 6 Counselor Impairment Paper
Orientation to Counseling Professional Identity (Liberty
University)
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Running head: COUNSELOR IMPAIRMENT 1
Counselor Impairment
Toni Kittrell
Liberty University
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COUNSELOR IMPAIRMENT 2
Abstract
Counselors help others develop coping skills to get them through life and work problems
and reduce the effect stress factors have on them. Counselors are highly educated and specially
trained to give clients quality care. It is crucial for counselors to be focused, understanding,
empathetic, and have self awareness in order to be effective in their role. Being a counselor
comes with a daily pressure to be motivating and positive to each client which can lead to a
counselor feeling stressed or burned out. Just like their clients, counselors experience their own
trauma and mental health problems putting them at a risk of impairment. Counselors play an
important role in their client’s life as they empathize with them and inspire them to live a
healthier life. When a counselor’s mental functioning is impaired, the counselor’s effectiveness
is significantly less, putting the client in harm. The article “Preventing Counselor Impairment:
Vulnerability, Wellness, and Resilience” describes the most common definitions of counselor
impairment and the vulnerabilities associated with the term. This paper will explore the
definition and characteristics of counselor impairment, the prevalence, risk factors, and
recommendations to treating and preventing impairment in the professional counseling
community.
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COUNSELOR IMPAIRMENT 3
Definition
Counselor impairment has become a major concern in the counseling profession and can
be explained using several terms associated with the physical and mental clarity of professional
counselors. According to the American Counseling Association (ACA, 2002), counselor
impairment is defined as “counselors who are distinguished from stressed or distressed
counselors and are experiencing significant stressors, but whose work is not significantly
impacted.” The ACA also termed professionals dealing with personal struggles who showed
empathy for their clients as therapeutic impairment which can negatively impact the client
during the session. When impaired, counselors are unable to stay focused on the client and lose
the goal of providing quality care to clients due to traumatic life events.
Incidence
Many professional counselors believe they are unsusceptible to the impact of traumatic
events and forget to be self-aware of their own needs and wants, often leading to mental fatigue
or trauma, social problems, and/or abuse. As the percentage of mental and emotional disorders
increases, the prevalence of impairment among professional counselors becomes unclear as new
evidence surfaces. The Surgeon General released statistics in the 1999 Mental Health Report
that identified approximately 21% of the American population is suffering from mental and
emotional disorders. In 2015, Lawson and Venart conducted a study that found evidence that
there is a significant difference in the number of counselors impacted by mental and emotional
disorders than the number affected in the general population. This has been attributed to the risk
factors related to the role. A study led by Wardle and Mayorga (2016) discovered that 85.72% of
counseling students with higher education displayed symptoms of burnout in different aspects.
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COUNSELOR IMPAIRMENT 4
Characteristics
Impaired counselors can display various signs and symptoms. The cause of the
impairment determines what symptoms will develop. According to the American Counseling
Association (2002), the indications of impairment in counseling professions includes “burnout,
depression, temporary emotional imbalance, stress and anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse,
exploitation of clients, over-involvement and overwork, and contagion.” A counselor may be
considered impaired if he or she suffers from one or more of these indications. Commonly,
counselors who are impaired withdraw from work or their personal life experience an increase in
anxiety, feel depressed, and have mood swings. The most visible sign that can also be used to
distinguish impaired counselors from mentally healthy ones is stress. Counselors who are facing
intense stressors may not show any changes in their work.
Studies have found burnout to be the most prevalent in the professional counseling
community. Burnout is an apparent indicator of impairment classified by physical, emotional,
and mental stress and exhaustion. Symptoms of burnout include a negative outlook on life or
one’s self, loss of empathy, avoidance of social interactions, and emotional exhaustion. Apparent
signs of impairment can sometimes be substance abuse or the overidentification with a client,
also known as contagion. These signs influence the development of symptoms such as memory
loss, decrease in focus, and physical health issues. If displayed in sessions, they can be
detrimental to the client’s mental health and safety.
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COUNSELOR IMPAIRMENT 5
Risk Factors
Risk factors are what make professional counselors susceptible to the onset of
impairment, influencing the transference of negative emotions from the client to the counselor,
traumatic stress, and depression. Many factors and elements that counselors are exposed to in
their daily work schedule make them vulnerable to mental impairment. For example, a
counselor who over sympathizes with their client is at risk of counselor impairment. Client’s
stories and issues might bring up past traumatic experiences in a counselor’s life. The best way
to handle this situation and to avoid counselor impairment would be to recommend the client to
another counselor in order to remove the counselor’s newly developed stress or memories.
Common causes of impairment include substance abuse, physical illness, personal crisis, and
mental illness.
Conclusion
The professional counseling community has a high percentage of counselors who leave
the field which has been attributed to a high rate of burnout in professional counselors. To
prevent counselor impairment, it is recommended that the counselor practices and maintains self-
care and wellness. By keeping professional counselors informed, they will know how to identify
signs and symptoms as well as have a good understanding of the risk factors related. This tactic
can significantly decrease the number of impaired counselors in the counseling community and
increase awareness.
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COUNSELOR IMPAIRMENT 6
References
American Counseling Association (2002). American Counseling Association’s Taskforce on
Counselor Wellness and Impairment. Retrieved from //www.creating-
joy.com/taskforce/tf_definitions.htm
Lawson, G., & Myers, J. E. (2011). Wellness, professional quality of life, and career-sustaining
behaviors: What keeps us well? Journal of Counseling and Development, 89(2), 163-
171.
Miville, L. M., Carlozzi, E. A., Gushue, V. G., Schara L. S., & Ueda, M. (2006). Mental health
counselor qualities for a diverse clientele: Linking empathy, universal-diverse
orientation, and emotional intelligence. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 28(2),
151- 165.
U.S. Surgeon General. (1999). Mental health: A Report from the Surgeon General. Retrieved
September 28, 2004, from
https:// www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter4/sec1.html
Wardle E.A., Mayorga, M.G. (2016). Burnout Among the Counseling Profession: A Survey of
Future Professional Counselors. I-manager’s Journal on Educational Psychology, Vol.
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