An Examination of the Relationship Between Personality, Specialty, and Work Setting to Counselor Burnout.

Abstract

In the past few decades, burnout has become an increasingly significant topic of discussion within the workplace. It is commonly thought that individuals in the helping professions are more susceptible than others to experience symptoms of burnout due to the intimate nature of the profession. Furthermore, there is currently a lack of research regarding burnout within the mental health counselor population. This correlational design study examines the relationship between internal (personality) and external (work setting, counseling specialty, and demographics) factors that may influence individuals’ likelihood of developing burnout symptoms. Results from this study indicate a positive, significant correlation between neuroticism and burnout. Overall, there was a high rate of burnout present within the sample.