The Role of Self-Compassion in the Relationship Between Empathy and Compassion Fatigue in Counseling Psychologists

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the role of self-compassion in the association between empathy and compassion fatigue. The research included 104 counseling psychologists, with a mean age of 35.05 years. The results revealed that self-compassion and its positive dimensions predicted are both positively correlated with perspective taking and empathetic concern, and negatively correlated with personal distress. Conversely, the negative dimensions of self-compassion had the opposite effects. Compassion fatigue was negatively correlated with perspective taking and empathetic concern, whereas it was positively correlated with personal distress. Among psychologists with low levels of mindfulness and common humanity, there was a negative relationship between empathetic concern and compassion fatigue. The negative dimensions of self-compassion mediated the relationship between empathetic concern and compassion fatigue. Further research is needed to re-examine these models. Self-compassion training programs could be beneficial for counseling psychologists to improve empathy and manage compassion fatigue.