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Counselor Wellness and Understanding Professional Risks
Larry Harris
School of Behavioral Sciences, Liberty University
Counselor Wellness and Understanding Professional Risks
Defining Counselor Wellness
In any helping profession, wellness is a vital part of the experience for the person
providing help. In counseling, wellness can be defined as the deliberate practices a professional
adopts to maintain optimal health and well-being, aligning the body, mind, and spirit to serve
others better (Ohrt et al., 2019). Counselors are people who hold differing responsibilities, lives,
obligations, and health concerns. Therefore, to provide sound and quality counsel, an individual
must self-examine daily to ensure there are no impairments in their own lives that would
interfere with the delivery of quality counseling services (Jackson-Cherry & Erford, 2024).
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Being a counselor involves contributing to the profession as a whole. This happens
through various means, including study, continuing education to enhance effectiveness and
ethical conduct, and research. The pursuit of excellence requires the counselor to prioritize
wellness. The American Association of Christian Counseling (AACC, 2023) affirms, “Christian
counselors maintain the highest standards of competence with integrity, knowing, and
respecting the boundaries of competence, both personally and with others.” The personal
commitment to a higher standard and greater competence comes before providing client care.
When a counselor is healthy, they can better ensure that wellness is shared with their clients.
Wellness promotes clear and consistent boundaries in one’s work. Poor self-care can
lead to compassion fatigue, burnout, and vicarious trauma, which negatively affect both the
counselor and the client. Incorporating spiritual practices into the self-care routine ensures a
holistic approach to wellness is maintained. Ephesians 3 states, “Now to him who is able to do
immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within
us,” (New International Version, 1978/2011). This passage reflects a person's reliance on God for
strength and God’s promise to do things beyond our understanding.
Additionally, relying on scripture helps counselors stay rooted in the truth and wisdom of
the gospel. It can bring refreshment and renewed hope, impacting both their personal lives and
their service to others. Proverbs 3:5 advises, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not
on your own understanding” (New International Version, 1978/2011). Moreover, the Holy Spirit
dwells within all believers, and if a believer is a professional counselor, they are called to
demonstrate a Christ-like attitude. David Wheeler (2015) described this as incarnational
apologetics—living out faith in daily life. When applied correctly, a counselor can authentically
show their faith through love, grace, and compassion, starting with their own well-being.
Professional Risks to Counselor Well-being
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Burnout
Burnout is a prolonged response to ongoing interpersonal stressors at work that occur
when a counselor becomes deeply exhausted physically and emotionally due to overload.
Typically, burnout develops gradually and results from a lack of support, self-care, and
demanding caseloads, as well as exposure to various issues caused by poor agency leadership
(Jackson-Cherry & Erford, 2024). Signs of burnout include decreased quality of work, higher
absenteeism, and dissatisfaction. Helping professionals experiencing burnout have a reduced
capacity for empathy, struggle to manage personal stress and trauma, and are less capable of
effectively supporting clients dealing with trauma. If these signs and symptoms are present, the
helper may become unable to function correctly and may ultimately harm the client (Jackson-
Cherry & Erford, 2024).
Compassion Fatigue
Compassion fatigue is the toll of caring for others. It can develop abruptly and is often
characterized by emotional numbness, a diminished sense of personal achievement, irritability,
and difficulty concentrating. These signs and symptoms arise from constant exposure to clients'
traumatic stories and experiences (Jackson-Cherry & Erford, 2024). While burnout is a state of
emotionally driven exhaustion, compassion fatigue is an inability to detach from the traumatic
stories being told. This all leads to a decline in quality care, withdrawal or overinvolvement, and
impairs the counselor's ability to make sound decisions (Jackson-Cherry & Erford, 2024).
Moral Injury
Moral injury can be understood differently across various fields. In military contexts, it
may refer to the betrayal of what is right by someone in authority during high-stress situations.
For the counseling field, moral injury involves line-stepping or boundary-breaking by an
authoritative figure over another (Thibodeau et al., 2023). Essentially, moral injury is the
spiritual, psychological, or emotional pain caused by a person's actions or their unwillingness to
act. This distress can manifest as increased shame, anger, and guilt. Often, the inability to act is
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out of the person’s control due to organizational constraints or power imbalances (Thibodeau et
al., 2023). This impacts the client because the counselor might see no way out and decide to
leave the agency. The counselor may struggle to cope with their decision-making, or lack
thereof, and could fall into depression, anxiety, or despair.
Contributing Factors to Counselor Distress
Research shows that helping professionals are vulnerable to burnout depending on their
choice of career. Different factors related to the profession, the counselor, and the organization
they work for influence this. Usually, burnout happens when there is an imbalance between job
demands and available resources. For instance, high clinical caseloads and exposure to client
trauma can cause exhaustion, stress, and work pressure. Many counselors in training or
experienced professionals face low supervisory support and insufficient training (Duncan &
Pond, 2024).
There are many personal therapists or internal factors that increase vulnerability to
burnout, like the counselor's mental health history and their exposure to trauma. The
combination of psychological distress and work stress, the provided training and confidence a
counselor develops, and the coping strategies utilized when all these factors collide. In addition
to the organizational and personal factors, counselors still have to consider the client factor and
the heaviness they can bring to the counseling room (Duncan & Pond, 2024).
Cultural and organizational challenges seem to be the main factors that lead to the most
vulnerable state. If there is a sense of control over the job through policies, caseload, and
support that can be balanced with established self-care strategies, wellness in the profession
can be maintained.
Personal Wellness Reflection and Sustainable Strategies
I completed the self-care assessment, though I still find some categories tricky to score.
Overall, I rated myself a two across the board. What really stood out to me is how intentional I
have been about maintaining a healthy work-life balance, spending quality time with my wife,
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and nurturing my spiritual life. Reflecting on my daily routines, I see a clear commitment to
these areas: my wife and I enjoy a date night once a month, sometimes more if we can; I set
aside time each morning for prayer in my closet; and I make it a point to read faith-based stories
to my children at night.
I was not expecting to score low on questions about appreciating the arts and being
involved in causes that matter to me. I have many interests and projects I hope to join, but I
often feel I do not have enough time or mental space to participate fully. To maintain the
balance I cherish, I plan to keep practicing spiritual disciplines like prayer and scripture reading.
Spending quality time with my wife and children is also wonderful because it gives us a chance
to enjoy new experiences together and helps prepare the kids for a life of meaningful service.
Two things I enjoy doing that are creative in my experience are spending twice a week in
the sauna, meditating, and taking walks on the trail around my community. This allows me to go
outside myself and experience the power of the Holy Spirit at work. As Galatians 5:25 declares,
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Furthermore, keeping in step
with the spirit can consist of enjoying God’s creation as we ask for more faith and wonder to live
our daily lives afresh.
Future Wellness Planning for Ethical Practice
I will actively pay attention to social support and emotional self-care to prevent ethical
violations and clinical fatigue. This will be reflected in seeking help and guidance from
supervisors, peers, and trusted mentors when I feel overwhelmed, burdened by work, or
uncertain in my career. By building a supportive network of competent and compassionate
people, I can prevent feelings of isolation while remaining grounded. In addition to the social
support system, I intend to regularly reflect on my feelings, strengths, and areas of growth
through morning prayer and daily scripture reading. This will be a holistic approach in that, as I
want to see growth in my personal life, i.e., marriage and relationship with my children, this will
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pour over into my professional life as I continue to see the heart of Christ manifested in my
attitude toward people.
References
American Association of Christian Counselors. (2023). AACC Y-2023 code of ethics. Retrieved
from https://www.aacc.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/AACC-Y-2023-Code-of-Ethics
Duncan, S., & Pond, R. (2024). Effective burnout prevention strategies for counsellors and other
therapists: a systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies. Counselling
Psychology Quarterly, 38(3), 526–555. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2024.2394767
Jackson-Cherry, L. R., & Erford, B. T. (2024). Crisis assessment, intervention, and prevention
(4th ed.). Pearson.
Liberty University. (2015, Spring). EVAN 525: Evangelism. Week five: Incarnational
apologetics. https://blackboard.liberty.edu
New International Version Bible. (2011). Zondervan. (Original work published 1978)
Ohrt, J. H., Clarke, P. B., & Conley, A. H. (2019). Wellness counseling: A holistic approach to
prevention and intervention. American Counseling Association.
Thibodeau, P. S., Nash, A., Greenfield, J. C., & Bellamy, J. L. (2023). The association of moral
injury and healthcare clinicians' wellbeing: A systematic review. International journal of
environmental research and public health, 20(13), 6300.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20136300
Wendel, A. R. (2022). A Christian psychology approach to counselor wellness: Instilling and
improving counselor wellness in clinical supervision. Journal of Psychology and
Christianity, 41(4), 265–277.
