Personal therapy for Israeli school counselors: Prevalence, parameters, and professional difficulties and burnout

This article examines the prevalence and parameters of personal therapy for Israeli school counselors and its role in their professional work and well-being. Counselors working in schools were surveyed with the Development of Psychotherapists Common Core Questionnaire, which was adapted for the Israeli school counseling context. Eighty percent viewed personal therapy as desirable, and 34% had received or were currently receiving personal therapy; its use was related to counselor ethnicity and years of experience. Personal problems were cited as the most common reason for entering therapy, and the majority of counselors reported positive benefit. Counselors who had personal therapy reported fewer professional difficulties and less burnout than those who had not, and their satisfaction with their professional identity varied as a function of seniority. It is suggested that the impact of personal therapy on professional work and development needs to be studied for various psychotherapy and counseling providers in different settings and contexts.