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“Meeting Someone at the Edge”: Counselors’ Experiences of Interpersonal Stress
Author(s) -
Moore C. Missy,
Andrews Sara E.,
ParikhFoxx Sejal
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of counseling and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.805
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1556-6676
pISSN - 0748-9633
DOI - 10.1002/jcad.12307
Subject(s) - stressor , psychology , interpersonal communication , variety (cybernetics) , interpersonal relationship , qualitative research , counselor education , dynamics (music) , stress (linguistics) , clinical psychology , psychotherapist , social psychology , higher education , pedagogy , linguistics , philosophy , social science , artificial intelligence , sociology , computer science , political science , law
Using consensual qualitative research, the authors explored the factors that contribute to counselors’ experiences of interpersonal stress and how counselors respond to interpersonal stressors within therapeutic settings. Thirteen professional counselors representing a variety of counseling contexts and settings participated in semistructured interviews. Through consensus building, the authors identified 4 domains within the data: client characteristics, relationship dynamics, counselor response, and personal vs. professional self. The findings suggest that client characteristics and relationship dynamics are catalysts to counselor interpersonal stress responses, which shape their conscious awareness of the experience. Implications for clinical practice, clinical supervision, and counselor wellness are discussed.