A model of work wellness for non-professional counsellors in South Africa

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of job demands, job resources and sense of coherence on the burnout and work engagement of non-professional counsellors in South African banks. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The sample consisted of 165 non-professional counsellors doing trauma counselling in three of the major banks in South Africa. The Maslach Burnout Inventory—Human Services Survey, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Orientation to Life Questionnaire and Job Characteristics Scale were administered. A good fit was found for a model in which sense of coherence was a positive predictor of perceived low job demands and high availability of job resources and work wellness (low burnout and high work engagement). Non-professional counsellors with a stronger sense of coherence experienced more work wellness (low burnout and high work engagement) than those with a weaker level of coherence, presumably because stimuli from the environment are perceived as making cognitive sense, as under control of both the counsellor and significant others, and as motivationally relevant and meaningful.