Master Thesis

This study intended to determine the different faces of work-related burnout confronted by guidance counselors and their coping strategies to address those issues and develop an appropriate intervention program to assist guidance counselors in reducing and coping with their work-related burnout. To capture data, produce information, and achieve its purposes, the researcher utilized the qualitative method of phenomenology using a semi-structured interview questionnaire to describe the phenomena experienced by the eight (8) registered guidance cOunselors, five (5) counselors from private schools, and three (3) counselors from public schools in Parañaque City, Pasay City, and Manila. The results showed that participants are experiencing emotional and physical exhaustion based on the symptoms manifested in their bodies. The findings indicated that the assignment of clerical duties contributed to exhaustion for counselors. Furthermore, counselors' burnout was caused by more work and responsibilities, too many roles and duties outside of counseling, and a lack of support from their institutions' administration, in addition to the fact that they had to deal with difficult and extreme cases as part of their job. Moreover, this study found that clerical and administrative duties are burnout factors among guidance counselors. As a result, the researcher proposed a healthy work-life balance intervention program for guidance counselors that includes self-care with peer support and administrative support interventions that would greatly help them reduce and cope with work-related burnout that they might experience due to their work in the helping profession.