Investigating How Trainee and Qualified Counsellors Navigate the Mental Toll of Working in a Hospice Setting

Abstract

Aim

Existing psychological literature regarding how counsellors navigate the mental toll of working in a hospice setting signifies that there are substantial gaps in empirical knowledge and understanding. To address this, the study aimed to explore lived experiences of counsellors working in a hospice, including how they experienced and responded to the mental toll and how they were supported.

Method

An inductive, qualitative approach was adopted to discover counsellors' unique lived experiences from the frame of reference of the experiencing persons. Six individuals participated in semi-structured interviews, which were analysed using the heuristic framework. Through immersion, incubation, illumination, explication and reflexivity, significant findings between interview transcripts were determined.

Findings

Four themes were identified: (1) Emotional intensity of counselling in a hospice setting; (2) Self-care considerations in navigating the mental toll; (3) The importance of reflection in processing counselling in a hospice setting; and (4) The significance of counsellors feeling supported mentally when working in a hospice setting.

Conclusion

Participants were able to recognise the significant emotional burden of working in a hospice setting and had identified self-care and reflection techniques to manage their own emotional health and well-being. However, participants felt that more could be done to support them in this work, and called for changes in training, hospice settings and professional bodies, and from colleagues to provide the support they need.

Recommendations

Core counselling training needs to embed self-care and reflection as an integral part of their programmes, to ensure trainees are equipped to face the emotional demands of working in placement settings. Strong networks of open communication in these settings is vital to promote open dialogue regarding counsellors' mental well-being. The introduction of peer support systems between novice and more experienced counsellors could assist in encouraging openness in how the work impacts personal mental health and well-being.