Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Human Services

Advisor

Greg Hickman

Abstract

School counselors are the epitome of social change agents and advocates for children. Working mothers, particularly those who serve as school counselors, have reported experiences of fatigue, burnout, anxiety, and stress. Researchers have established the need to address the distinctive juncture of motherhood and school counselor responsibilities, as well as the overlap in demands. Rotter’s social learning theory was used as the theoretical framework of this study. This quantitative cross-sectional study examined the relationship between secondary traumatic stress and locus of control as predictors of burnout among working mothers in the school counseling profession. Survey data were collected from 72 school counselors at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Results of a multiple linear regression analysis showed a negative correlation of the relationship between secondary traumatic stress and locus of control onto burnout, although not statistically significant. Findings may be used to advocate for aligning appropriate tasks for school counselors with education and training, which may enable school counselors to reduce stress and maintain balance, professionally and personally. The social change implication is that school counselors could more effectively serve the emotional and academic advancement of students when counselors' secondary traumatic stress is reduced.

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