Intimacy Assessment

In the counseling profession, counselors are at risk of experiencing burnout, vicarious trauma, and compassion fatigue. It is imperative for counselors to recognize the symptoms of each emotional stressors and implement a wellness strategy to prevent them. When counselors encounter burnout, it affects the counseling process in both the counselor and the client. Sangganjanavanich and Balkin (2013) defined burnout as feelings of emotional fatigue due to work-related stress. In addition, another definition of burnout is that burnout occurs when there is prolonged stress. Burnout also mean a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that results from long-term involvement in work situations that are emotional draining (Moate, Gnika,

The purpose of the assessment is the measure the social need areas: Safety, trust, control, self-esteem, and intimacy.

Compassion Fatigue Self-Test and Intimacy Assessment The Compassion Fatigue Self-Test and Intimacy Assessment is a 40-item test. The assessment includes items on compassion fatigue and burnout. The higher scores indicates more stress.

Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQoL) Professional Quality of Life Scale is a 30-item assessment on compassion fatigue that consists of three subscales: Compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, and burnout. The compassion satisfaction subscale evaluates the pleasure a trauma counselor derives from his or her work. Next, the compassion fatigue subscale evaluates potential distress due to exposure to clients’ cases. The burnout subscale evaluates feelings of hopelessness and less sense of accomplishment. In addition, counselors are at risk for severe traumatic responses if their score is above 17 on the compassion fatigue or a 27 on the burnout subscale.

Maslach Burnout

When counselors experience burnout, they experience a multitude of symptoms such as anxiety, fatigue or exhaustion. To decrease burnout, counselors can talk to their supervisors, exercise, eat healthy meals and receive an adequate amount of sleep. Compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma are similar, but they also are different. For instance, in both compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma counselors are exposed to their clients’ trauma. Another similarity of compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma is that both symptoms are similar to the symptoms of PTSD. On the other hand, the difference between compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma is that the effects of compassion fatigue are immediate and intense, whereas the effects of vicarious trauma occur over time. In order for counselors determine the severity of burnout, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma; counselors can take four assessments: The Traumatic Stress Institute Belief Scale, the Compassion Fatigue Self-Test and Intimacy Assessment, the Professional Quality of Life Scale, and the Maslach Burnout