A Study of the Relationships Among and Between Factors Within the Workplace, Emotional Exhaustion and Turnover Intention in Professional Counselors

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to gain an understanding of the relationships among and between factors within the workplace, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intention; specifically in mental health counseling settings. This study sought to discover if and how certain factors within workplace settings, studied through the evaluation of organizational justice perception, impact emotional exhaustion and turnover intention in professional counselors. This study employed a quantitative design and reported results that identify how factors within the workplace (perception of organizational justice) correlate with emotional exhaustion and turnover intention in professional counselors. With this knowledge, professional counselors and counseling agencies will begin to identify strategies to be employed within mental health workplaces that support counselor wellness and decrease burnout symptoms, such as emotional exhaustion. Further, understanding the aspects of work and organizational culture that are associated with emotional exhaustion is critical if the larger issue of counselor turnover is to be addressed. Additionally, further discussions of the study findings are also presented. Results have significance for understanding the close correlations among organizational justice, emotional exhaustion and turnover intention in professional counselors. Implications of the study for counselor education are also discussed.