Humans First, Professionals Second: Impact of Psychological Distress on Counselling Self-efficacy and Empathy of Trainee Clinical Psychologists

Abstract

The current study aimed to find the relationship between the Psychological Distress (PD) of trainee clinical psychologists with their Counseling Self-Efficacy (CSE) and how this relationship may impact their empathy. It was hypothesized that (i) There will be a significant relationship between PD with CSE and empathy of trainee clinical psychologists, (ii) There will be a significant impact of the relationship between PD and CSE on the empathy of trainee clinical psychologists. A purposive convenient sampling technique was used to gather a sample of trainee clinical psychologists who have at least 1 month to 36 months of experience in client dealing and who are currently working in the field. A total sample of 103 (M = 25.92, SD = 2.73) was collected, including both males (5.8%) and females (94.2%). Participants of the study were provided an online form consisting of self-reported measures including the Kessler PD Scale (K10), Counselor Activity Self-Efficacy Scales (CASES) (Lent, Hill, & Hoffman, 2003), and Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; Davis, 1980, 1996). Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to interpret and further analyze scores. Pearson product-moment correlation showed a significantly weak positive correlation of PD with CSE (p-value < 0.05) and empathy (p-value < 0.01). Regression Analysis (R²=0.07) represented the variance caused by PD and CSE on empathy. This research is a base to appreciate the efforts of the clinical psychologists under training as well as a means to encourage them to accept their distress and seek help for it.