Counselor happiness: Effects of therapy work with similar trauma

ABSTRACT

Many studies have researched burnout, compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, vicarious trauma, and shared trauma of practicing mental health professionals. Few have focused directly on the impact of personal trauma history on mental health professionals’ happiness. This exploratory study used an online survey to investigate the relationships among mental health professionals’ personal trauma history, happiness, and the effects of seeing clients with similar trauma. Personal trauma history was determined through a demographic survey and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist, and happiness was analyzed using the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire. The study examined several demographic variables to predict happiness. The study found that posttraumatic stress and number of client sessions were the most significant predictors of happiness.