Correlates of empathy among women school counsellors

Abstract

The aim of the present investigation was to study the correlates of empathy among women school counsellors. The variables taken up were Compassion satisfaction, Compassion Fatigue, Gratitude, Burnout, Prosocial Behaviour and Emotional Intelligence. The research study also investigated predictors of empathy. For this purpose, 136 school counsellors in the having minimum 10 years of experience were selected from Delhi and Chandigarh. newlineCorrelation analysis reveals positive relationship between empathy and compassion satisfaction. Compassion Fatigue was negatively correlated with Empathy. Empathy was negatively correlated with components of Burnout viz. Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalisation and positively correlated with Personal Accomplishment. Empathy was positively correlated with three types of prosocial behaviour viz. Emotional, Dire and Compliant and no significant relationship between Empathy and Public, Altruism and Anonymous types of prosocial behaviour. Empathy was significantly and positively correlated with Emotional Intelligence and its four factors. newlineIn Stepwise Multiple Regression analysis, perception of emotions, gratitude and depersonalisation emerged as positive predictors whereas Job burnout emerged as a negative predictor for criterion variable empathy. newlineThe result of this study indicated the importance of empathy as a vital skill for student-counsellor relationship. It is important to inculcate empathy, through empathy enhancement training, by incorporating it in counselling curriculum. Psychology Council bodies can arrange workshops to create awareness about compassion fatigue and burnout and strategies to combat it. Also focus should be given on building emotional literacy and practicing gratitude which would promote prosocial behaviour among school counsellors. newline newline