STRESS MANAGEMENT IN COUNSELINGBy:Divya JainRegis College

What is stress?• Stress is often defined as the body’s response to the

demands of life, though stress also involves emotions and the mind. It is the internal, conditioned reaction of a person to perceived external pressures and is experienced as thoughts and feelings as well as physical processes.

Reference: Stress. www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/stress

Key concept of counseling:• Working alliance

• Relationship of trust• Assisting people to bring change and modify behavior

Stressors in counseling:• Caring too much• Anticipated demands and pressures• Faulty assumptions• Misconceptions• Personalization• Overgeneralization• Environmental sources• Magnification and minimization• Self-defeating internal dialogue

Reference: Corey, M. S. & Corey, G. (2016). Becoming a helper, seventh edition. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning

Reciprocity• The integration of psychotherapy skills for professional and personal

applications produces a reciprocal fluidity between psychotherapist as person and his or her clinical work.

• This reciprocity helps the key concepts of counseling be more effective and efficient.

• Reference: Wise, E. H., Hersh, M. A., & Gibson, C. M. (2012). Ethics, self-care and well-being for psychologists: Reenvisioning the stress-distress continuum. American Psychological Association. Vol. 43 (5), 487-494

Impact of stressors:• Burnout

• It is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that results from constant or repeated emotional pressure associated with an intense, long-term involvement with people.

• Compassion fatigue• The stress related symptoms might drain a counselor to cope, the

ability to be compassionate decreases • Empathy fatigue

• A focus for counselors who care for clients every day and eventually wear down (Stebnicki, 2008).

• Impairment• A professional who is unable to effectively cope with stressful events,

and they are unable to adequately carry out their professional duties.

Reference: Corey, M. S. & Corey, G. (2016). Becoming a helper, seventh edition. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning

Ethical issues

Stress

Ineffective working alliance, lack of building trust and unable to assist a client

Incompetency and impairment

Is stress management ethical?• According to ACA code of ethics (2014), section C.2,

“Counselors practice only within the boundaries of their competence, based on their education, training, super- vised experience, state and national professional credentials, and appropriate professional experience” (p. 8).

• Section C.2.g states that counselors monitor themselves for signs of impairment from their own physical, mental, or emotional problems and refrain from offering or providing professional services when impaired (p. 8).

Reference: 2014 ACA code of ethics as approved by the ACA governing council. American Counseling Association. Counseling.org

Stress management

Don’t run out of your empathy reservoir!!Strategies for self-care:

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)• Acceptance and openness to experience • Focus on possibility of experiencing emotions fully• Use metaphors that evokes compassion• Use of ‘and’ instead of ‘but’ or ‘but that’• Defuse negative thoughts by saying it out loud• Be present in the moment, notice your breath• Using chessboard metaphor and noticing self as the board and

not pieces• Write down your deepest value or write yourself a letter from a

wiser future about what to hold dear in the present

Reference: Hayes, S. C., Pistorello, J., & Levin, M. E. (2012). Acceptance and commitment therapy as a unified model of behavior change. The Counseling Psychologist. 40(7) 976-1002 DOI: 10.1177/001 1000012460836

Strategies for self-care:• Positive psychology

• Focus on strengths• Repeat happiness-inducing practices• Take loving-kindness meditation workshop• Practice gratitude – have a gratitude binder/journal• Practice optimistic thinking• Appreciate small things around you• Build your own signature strength• Avoid pitfalls• Cultivate sustainability• Increase evidence-based framework• Consistent activities that brings happiness

Reference: Wise, E. H., Hersh, M. A., & Gibson, C. M. (2012). Ethics, self-care and well-being for psychologists: Reenvisioning the stress-distress continuum. American Psychological Association. Vol. 43 (5), 487-494 DOI: 101037/a0029446

Strategies for self-care:• Mindfulness

• It involves practicing intentional focus on positive, and joyful experiences. It is a meditative practice based on Kabat-Zinn’s 8-week breathing training program that helps developing self-compassion, empathy, and buffers against anxiety.

• Establish priority and cultivate support• In our daily life it is important to reach out and take initiative to build a support

system with people who are positive, productive, and not drawn to dysfunctional work dynamics.

Reference: Corey, M. S. & Corey, G. (2016). Becoming a helper, seventh edition. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning

Strategies for self-care:• Cognitive therapies

• Recognize the activity associated with stress• Observe automatic negative thoughts• Monitor occurrence of negative emotions• Identify irrational beliefs• Dispute irrational beliefs• Create constructive beliefs

Reference: Corey, M. S. & Corey, G. (2016). Becoming a helper, seventh edition. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning

Strategies for self-care:• Staying alive personally and professionally

• Limit too many one-way caring relationships• Paying attention to exercise habits• Pay attention to values and beliefs• Relaxing habits• Eat healthy• Self-regulation

Reference: Corey, M. S. & Corey, G. (2016). Becoming a helper, seventh edition. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning

Conclusion• Although stress management and self-care awareness is

provided in the graduate programs for beginner counselors, the emphasis on professional responsibility and impairment is still lacking.

• Stress management is an ethical imperative factor of counseling, and yet, training promoting self-care is considered an individual issue.

• It is vital to develop an ongoing effort of stress management and increase sustainability in the counseling profession.

• The approach to self-care for psychologists is important for survival, flourish, reciprocity and integration.