קשר בין לחץ בתפקיד, זהות מקצועית ושחיקה בקרב יועצות חינוכיות

Continuous exposure to work related stress has psychological and physiological consequences for employees, especially for mental health professionals whose professions are known as demanding and stressful. The current study focuses on the relationship between role stress and burnout in the contemporary school counselors' role. We also aimed to examine whether professional identity might serve as a protective mechanism against burnout. The research assumptions were investigated using Mixed Methods, both quantitative and qualitative. 205 school counselors currently practicing in the Israeli education system responded to a questionnaire assessing their role stress, professional identity and burnout, which were analyzed quantitatively. Additional 12 counselors responded to open-ended questions, which were analyzed qualitatively. Results indicated that school counselors perceived non counseling role stressors as more stressful than counseling role stressors. Furthermore,non-counseling role stressors contributed to burnout more than counseling role stressors did. Additionally, a negative correlation was found between professional identity and burnout. Lastly, professional identity moderated the relationship between role stress and burnout. Findings highlight the negative impact of non-counseling stressors and the importance of professional identity as a protective factor against burnout among school counselors.