Counsellors' need of social support

Abstract

The present study investigates the impact of social support on mental health among Norwegian counsellors. Data were collected by means of anonymous self-report questionnaires addressing central aspects of the counsellors’ job, health and well-being. The results show that leader support act as a strong predictor of counsellors’ mental health compared to other sources of social support, such as co-worker support, family support and friend support. Furthermore, the results indicate that leader support moderates and has a stress-preventing effect on the relationship between perceived stress and mental health. Thus, the findings suggest that leader support is an important factor likely to influence the health of counsellors.