LIVED EXPERIENCES OF COUNSELORS DEALING WITH BURNOUT AND COMPASSION FATIGUE

This phenomenological study focused on the lived experiences of counselors to find the imprints made by burnout and compassion fatigue. Purposive sampling was used in selecting the three guidance counselors from Lucena City. Their responses were uncovered using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Data were gathered using an interview guide and question prompts. Results revealed that burnout and compassion fatigue caused them to struggle in upholding the vision of their noble profession, affecting their personal relationship with family, friends, peers, and other loved ones. Moreover, a preoccupation among people in the help profession is their desire to alleviate other people’s personal troubles. Counselors are perceived to be understanding and accepting individuals because of their empathy. However, constant exposure to client’s pain and suffering caused them to feel empathy antithesis. However, they remained enthusiastic in their profession because they feel they are in their most helpful and magnanimous state of being being given the opportunity to provide well-being to others. They chose to be a help-giving professional because of their life experiences from people in the same profession when they needed inspiration of what they wanted to be in the future. On the other hand, mental health advocates still experienced lack of benefits and institutional support from their employments. Their expertise still remains undervalued due to lack of mental health awareness in the Philippines. It is then recommended that counselors be given proper benefits and privileges to improve their therapeutic practice.