Moderating effect of self compassion on compassion fatigue and satisfaction among counselors

Counselors are professionals who provide guidance and psychological counseling services in places such as educational institutions and guidance and research centers. The main purpose of this cross-sectional quantitative study was to investigate the relationship between compassion fatigue (CF) and compassion satisfaction (CS) among Turkish counselors and the moderating role of self-compassion in this relationship. A sample of 367 counselors (mean age 36.56 years: 52% female) completed an online survey including measures. Pearson correlation and moderation analyses were conducted. CF and CS were significantly related to each other (r = - .77), while self-compassion and CF were highly negatively correlated (r = - .68). Furthermore, a significant positive relationship was found between self-compassion and CS (r = .70). The analysis revealed that self-compassion moderated the relationship between CF and CS. The present results suggest that self-compassion may act as a protective factor against the effects of CF. However, the cross-sectional design limits causal interpretations, and self-report measures may be subject to response biases. Future research should consider longitudinal designs and explore intervention strategies to enhance self-compassion among counselors.