Introduction
The effectiveness of the critical worker is determined by a variety of personal characteristics and skills affecting the client and counselor. There is a risk of problems directly impacting the quality of assistance to the client and the worker’s health. These problems include occupational burnout, vicarious traumatization, and compassion fatigue. The quality of work is also influenced by the ability of the worker to manage countertransference when it occurs. Such issues are caused by the peculiarities of interaction with clients and the personal traits of the counselor. Thus, an effective critical worker must have the qualities to avoid problems with one’s performance and quality of life in addition to helping people properly. This paper aims to determine the qualities of an effective crisis worker and the dynamics of counselor burnout. In this instance, the main factors for analysis are the causes, components, effects, and ways of preventing and managing counselor problems. In addition, personal qualities, characteristics, experiences, and behaviors influencing the performance of a crisis worker are discussed.
Personal Qualities of an Effective Crisis Worker
The necessity to work with many other people’s problems causes psychological risk factors, due to which such a worker must possess various characteristics. These personal qualities relate to the counselor as an individual and an employee, thus referring not only to professional skills but also to the ability to manage one’s personal life. An essential quality for the counselor is resilience to difficulties, which determines the ability to withstand stress, thus preserving the ability to work (Lee et al., 2019). The resistance depends on several qualities and characteristics required for its implementation in the work process. A counselor’s essential skill is maintaining a balance between work and life (Newell, 2017). This ability allows a person not to concentrate excessively on work issues, thus reducing the risk of burnout. The crucial factor is an appropriate level of empathy and the ability to distance oneself from other people’s problems when it concerns unnecessary psychological harm (Robino, 2019). In general, the qualities determining the resistance to stress and the ability to separate work and personal life contribute to the effectiveness of crisis workers.
Given the stressful nature of a counselor’s work, specific personality characteristics can reduce the performance effectiveness of the work. In identifying the qualities that contribute to decreased performance, it is necessary to consider problematic factors that include exhaustion, a hostile work environment, and a deteriorating personal life (Mullen et al., 2017). Emotional instability in this aspect is one of the determining factors that negatively affect the ability to assist without harming one’s psyche. Considering the need for emotional interaction with clients, the inability to sufficiently understand the problems of others can substantially reduce the effectiveness of the counselor’s work. The lack of empathy impedes the effectiveness of the crisis worker since this trait does not allow for proper emotional aid. Another negative trait is psychological inflexibility, which reduces the overall efficiency of the worker and increases the chance of work burnout or fatigue (Newell, 2017). A crisis worker concentrating on a particular case may have significant problems with other clients, thus lowering their effectiveness. Overall, difficulties controlling emotions, low empathy level, and inability to distribute attention can impair a counselor’s performance.
Crisis Experience’s Impact on the Counselor’s Performance
Personal experience is a critical determinant of counselor and client interaction. The crisis experience may cause an improper attitude toward the client, determined by the counselor’s subconscious reactions. In this regard, traumas similar to those of the client are particularly impactful. In some cases, common experience allows the crisis worker to assess the client’s condition more adequately and optimally to determine the necessary assistance (Foreman et al., 2020). Hence, a counselor with the corresponding personal experience will be able to work more deliberately to help a client by having a basic understanding of the nature of the problem. In addition, this experience contributes to the risk of countertransference as it creates additional triggers for the counselor’s psyche. Countertransference in this context can be expressed as negative and positive feelings toward the client. Nevertheless, excessive positive emotions can also be unacceptable due to violating aid rationality or unethical connections. Thus, the potential influence of countertransference between the crisis worker and client is increased due to the emergence of inappropriate attitudes and feelings of the crisis worker based on common traumas.
Countertransference Management
Countertransference is a substantial problem potentially affecting the counselor’s work, requiring steps from the crisis worker to manage this issue properly. This phenomenon’s subconscious nature must be considered when analyzing the steps necessary to manage countertransference’s effects (Newell, 2017). Thus, the counselor needs to adequately perceive their attitude toward the client, objectively analyzing emerging feelings and attitudes. Self-reflection is essential to eliminating the harmful effects of countertransference (Mullen et al., 2017). By thinking correctly about the situation, the counselor can develop the right attitude towards the problem, thus removing the negative impact on themself and the client. An essential step in preventing and managing countertransference involves consulting peers (Newell, 2017). External help, in this case, can have a positive effect as it will allow one to perceive a situation rationally and less emotionally. In addition, the support of others can create a more comfortable work environment. Generally, following the rules and actions to prevent and manage countertransference is vital in avoiding problems in the critical worker’s performance.
Vicarious Traumatization and Compassion Fatigue Risk Factors
Vicarious traumatization and compassion fatigue can be caused by various reasons related to the critical worker’s personal qualities, experiences, and beliefs. These problems are associated with a considerable amount of the counselor’s interaction with the client’s issues, some of which may trigger the worker. The effort to model another person’s problems based on one’s experiences or beliefs can also negatively affect the worker. The presence of common background features or issues with the client creates an additional risk factor, as it facilitates the emergence of redundant psychological connections (Foreman et al., 2020). Compassion fatigue can also be caused by a lack of empathy in the perception of human problems. Such a feature can create barriers to the worker’s understanding of the client’s problems and severely reduce the help quality. Low self-esteem can also contribute to this issue, considering the negative impact of vicarious trauma on professional self-identification (Foreman et al., 2020). Therefore, excessive or insufficient empathy for the client may impair the adequacy of perception of the client’s problem and reduce the effectiveness of the counselor’s work.
Burnout Risk Increasing Factors
The risk of burnout depends not only on the personal traits of the counselor but also on feelings, attitudes, motives, and expectations. In this regard, setting unrealistic job expectations can lead to fast occupational burnout (Newell, 2017). In this case, a precise comprehension of the counselor’s functions and possible challenges is particularly important. A new crisis worker may be highly motivated to help others but may not have clear ideas about the necessity of sharing clients’ problems. The absence of motives based on the desire to help others overcome problematic situations can also be a detrimental factor. Counselor burnout is severely accelerated by the improper attitude to work, which involves excessive effort and ignoring personal needs and problems. Moreover, an essential factor is the accumulation of stress due to prolonged emotional interaction with people, which results in burnout (Lee et al., 2019). In this case, the risk of burnout may increase due to a wrong attitude to work or insufficient motivation from the counselor. Considering the increased stress workers receive due to the highly emotional nature of the job, a range of feelings and expectations can contribute to potential work issues.
Conclusion
The specifics of a counselor’s work lie in the need for an objective assessment of one’s qualities and expectations to help others properly. The effectiveness of a crisis worker is determined by stress-resiliency and flexibility in dealing with the problems of others. Thus, excessive emotionality or inability to control emotions and feelings can lead to psychological issues. In the work process, crisis workers are at risk for various disorders affecting their quality of life and performance. The ability of crisis workers to prevent and manage such issues when they arise is another crucial determinant of performance. A lack of personal qualities influencing mental stability increases the risk of burnout, vicarious trauma, or compassion fatigue. Insufficient ability to control one’s psyche and behavior may lead to negative consequences when countertransference occurs. In general, an effective crisis worker must possess several qualities that allow them to control their psychological condition and reasonably filter out personal and work problems and experiences. Moreover, the ability to prevent professional burnout and manage countertransference are critical skills that influence the counselor’s effectiveness.
References
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Lee, Y.-R., Lee, J.-Y., Kim, J.-M., Shin, I.-S., Yoon, J.-S., & Kim, S.-W. (2019). A comparative study of burnout, stress, and resilience among emotional workers. Psychiatry Investigation, 16(9), 686–694. Web.
Mullen, P. R., Morris, C., & Lord, M. (2017). The experience of ethical dilemmas, burnout, and stress among practicing counselors. Counseling and Values, 62(1), 37–56. Web.
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Robino, A. E. (2019). Global compassion fatigue: A new perspective in counselor wellness. The Professional Counselor, 9(4), 272–284. Web.