Helping The Helper: Analyzing The Effects Of Clinical Supervision On Levels Of Burnout

Abstract

The hallmark of mental health counseling requires working with people who are experiencing current or previous pain, trauma, stress, grief, anxiety, as well as various complicated psychological needs (Maslach et al, 1996). The constant experience of sadness and emotional fatigue can lead to a form of stress called burnout. Studies report that beginning counselors have been shown to be more vulnerable to symptoms of burnout (Freudenberger, 1990; Tziporah and Pace, 2006). However, despite the knowledge and research on burnout, little attention is devoted to the therapeutic value of beginning counselor’s engagement in clinical supervision to combat symptoms of burnout. This research evaluated and identified a significant relationship between the symptoms of burnout, using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and supervision styles, using the Supervisory Style Inventory (SSI) among beginning counselors in the United States of America.