Life Balance and Work Addiction among School Counselors at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT

Life balance is prioritizing work and personal life to create a meaningful, quality lifestyle. Work addiction is overworking at the expense of life balance. COVID-19 disrupted K-12 schools and counseling delivery services nationwide. Like many other front-line helping professionals, school counselors responded to the complex and challenging work conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors examined life balance and work addiction among 145 practicing school counselors nationwide. The results of a multiple regression analysis examined the extent to which stress/anxiety and sleep disturbance predicted work addiction. We discuss the findings in light of practice and research.

KEYWORDS:

• School counselor
• life balance
• work addiction
• COVID-19
• stress

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kenya G. Bledsoe

Kenya G. Bledsoe, Ph.D., LPC-S (AL, MS), NCC, NCSC, BC-TMH, is an Assistant Professor in the Leadership and Counselor Education Program at The University of Mississippi. Dr. Bledsoe previously worked as a secondary school counselor with 15 years of school counseling and leadership experience. Dr. Bledsoe’s research interests include school counseling supervision, educational equity for marginalized student groups, and anti-racist school counseling. Dr. Bledsoe has published in numerous peer-reviewed journals including Professional School Counseling. Dr. Bledsoe has served in multiple leadership roles across national, regional, and state counseling organizations. Presently, she serves on the Evidenced-Based School Counseling Advisory Council and the editorial board for Professional School Counseling.

Amanda Winburn

Dr. Amanda Winburn is currently serving as an Associate Professor at The University of Mississippi within the Department of Leadership and Counselor Education. Dr. Winburn is a licensed secondary educator, school counselor, and school administrator. She currently serves as the Assistant Chair and Program Coordinator for the Ed.S. in Counselor Education (Play Therapy and School Counseling Leadership Specialization Tracks) and teaches courses within the School Counseling and Play Therapy specialty areas. Dr. Winburn also has a strong interest in School Counseling and School Based Play Therapy. Her research has been published in journals such as Professional School Counseling and the International Journal of Play Therapy.

Stephanie Lusk

Stephanie Lusk, Ph.D., CRC, is a Professor and doctoral program coordinator at The University of Mississippi in the Counselor Education program. Dr. Lusk has over 25 years of prior work experience in education, career development, transition planning, and addiction treatment. Dr. Lusk has created training programs for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Colombo Plan and has also served on advisory boards for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Stephanie received over $4 million in grant funding from the Department of Education, SAMHSA, and the Center for International Rehabilitation Research and Information Exchange (CIRRIE).

Richard Balkin

Richard Balkin, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, is a Professor and Chair for the Department of Leadership and Counselor Education at The University of Mississippi. He coordinates Educational Research and Design for the School of Education. Some of his research interests include counseling youth outcomes, forgiveness, religious diversity, research methods, and assessment.

Jaimie Stickl Haugen

Jaimie Stickl Haugen, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, ACS, is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Counselor Educator at William & Mary. Dr. Stickl Haugen previously served as a school counselor, school district supervisor, and counseling grant manager in a large metropolitan school district. Her research interests primarily involve cultural considerations in school belonging, youth suicide prevention, and inequities in education for underserved students. She also serves in leadership roles in several state and national counseling organizations.