Graduate Counseling Students' Levels of Ego Development, Wellness, and Psychological Disturbance: An Exploratory Investigation

Counseling students' experiences and interpretations of purpose development

The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of counseling students regarding their development of sense of purpose in life and further seek their recommendations for fostering sense of purpose within educational settings. In this study, we have used pragmatism as our research paradigm and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as our data analysis approach to gain deeper insights into the phenomenon of purpose development and further use the findings of this study to suggest specific purpose-strengthening educational approaches. Based on the interpretative phenomenological analysis, we identified five themes that revealed purpose development as a non-linear process that involves exploring, engaging with, reflecting upon, articulating, and actualizing one's purpose, and is influenced by both internal and external factors. In light of these findings, we discussed implications for counselor education programs that aspire to cultivate counseling students' sense of purpose in life as an important dimension for their personal wellness, which research has shown could further promote their professional development and career success.

Self-Compassion and Psychological Well-Being Among Malaysian Counselors: The Mediating Role of Resilience

This study investigated the associations between self-compassion, resilience, and psychological well-being among 408 counselors in Malaysia. Data were collected by using a web-based survey. PLS-SEM analyses revealed that self-compassion was positively related to counselors’ resilience and psychological well-being, whereas resilience was positively related to counselors’ psychological well-being. Results also showed that resilience significantly mediated the associations between self-compassion and psychological well-being among counselors. The hypothesized model explained the substantial influences of self-compassion and resilience on counselors’ psychological well-being. This study highlighted the two important human factors, i.e., self-compassion and resilience, with implications for integrating these two influential constructs in the development of counselors’ psychological well-being.

Wellness, Exposure to Trauma, and Vicarious Traumatization: A Pilot Study

Due to the increasing number of clients seeking counseling who have experienced trauma, counselors are at a greater risk for developing vicarious traumatization and becoming impaired. Wellness has been described as helpful in managing the effects of working with clients who have experienced trauma and in mitigating impairment. The current pilot study examined how exposure to client trauma experiences impacted counselors' (N = 68) wellness and how exposure to client trauma along with wellness influenced vicarious traumatization. Participants had an average of 12.9 years of experience and a caseload on which most clients reported a trauma history. The expectation that greater exposure to client trauma would influence wellness was not met. However, results indicated that counselors with higher levels of wellness along with exposure to client trauma exhibited significantly lower levels of vicarious traumatization. The pilot study builds awareness of vicarious traumatization and highlights the importance of wellness.