A Look Into Counselors&rsquo; Differentiation of Self and Mental Health

Aime  T. Guarino,; Rosarie Anne  S. Borja,

A Look Into Counselors’ Differentiation of Self and Mental Health

Abstract:

This study explored the importance of Bowen's Differentiation of Self (DoS) in counselors' mental health. Specifically, it determined if the four dimensions of DoS: Emotional Reactivity (ER), 'I' Position (IP), Emotional Cut-off (EC) and Fusion with Others (FO) would predict job burnout and emotional functioning among 132 Filipino school counselors and counselor educators. Results indicated that ER, IP, and EC negatively predicted job burnout, and positively predicted emotional functioning. As FO did not predict both outcome variables, culture may be taken into account to explain it. Implications for future research and counselors' mental health are discussed.