When the hat stays on : the impact of the professional role on the life of the counsellor

Abstract

This qualitative study investigates how being and working as a counsellor affects the personal life of the counselling professional in Malta. It attempts to do this by delving into the lived first-hand experience which six established Maltese counsellors have of this phenomenon. The research portrays the satisfactions, joys, hardships, tensions and even dangers which these practitioners experience in their lives as a result of their professional role – all very intimately linked. The data was gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews and was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis as a methodological approach. The distillation of the essence of the phenomenon led to the emergence of the main theme of “Counselling as a burdened gift”. The significance and implications of the study are also discussed and a number of suggestions for further research are put forward.