The experience of spiritual self-care among Malaysian Counsellors: an exploratory study

ABSTRACTCounselors in Malaysia rely on religious practices for self-care and personal growth, according to a previous study. This exploratory study used a descriptive phenomenological approach to interview four counselors with diverse religious beliefs who are engaged in crisis work. The study identified three key themes of spiritual self-care: 1) religious practice, 2) self-reflection, and 3) internalizing religious values professionally. The research suggests the need for increased religious competence among counselors and emphasizes the inclusion of religious competence as a requirement for crisis work deployment. It also highlights the importance of incorporating cultural aspects into counselor self-care education.KEYWORDS: Spiritual self-careMalaysian counselorscrisis workreligious beliefprofessional functioning AcknowledgmentsThis research was partially supported by Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, USIM Research Grant, PPPI/FKP/0121/USIM/13121.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Authors contributionAll authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Nur Husna binti Mohd prepared the interview protocol. Mohd Zaliridzal bin Zakaria and Nurhafizah binti Mohd Sukor validated Hafiz. Data collection, analysis, and interpretation of the result were performed by Nur Husna binti Mohd. Hafiz under the direct supervision of Mohd Zaliridzal bin Zakaria and Wan Fazrul Azdi bin Wan Razali. The first draft of the manuscripts was written by Nur Husna binti Mohd. Hafiz and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia [PPPI/FKP/0121/USIM/13121].