What are counsellors, who are Christians, experiences of Sabbath-keeping and its impact on their counselling practice? I am an MA student at Waverley Abbey College working towards my masters in Professional Counselling, Theory and Practice. I am looking for a small number of participants to interview for my qualitative research study into the impact of Sabbath-keeping on professional counselling practice.
Counselling is an emotionally challenging profession with high potential for stress and burnout. Part of the ethical responsibility for counsellors is to manage personal wellbeing and consider ways to enhance self-awareness. I am interested in exploring what impact keeping a Sabbath (a day for rest and worship) might hold for Christians who are professional counsellors – in terms of sustaining healthy spiritual/mental/emotional rhythms and how it might impact overall counselling practice and client work.
I will use interpretative phenomenological analysis of semi-structured, online interviews which will last up to 60 minutes on Microsoft Teams. This is securely linked to my Waverley Abbey College Outlook account. Questions will involve asking you about your experiences of Sabbath-keeping and any perceived impact this has had on your professional counselling practice.
To participate in this study you must:
- Be a UK-based counsellor qualified to Level 4 Diploma or above
- Practice keeping a Sabbath (in some form)
- Have an active Christian faith and be part of a Christian church or community
- Have at least two years' experience of clinical practice post-qualifying
- Commit to one 45-60 minute interview via Microsoft Teams
Please see here for more information.
Please see here to view the participant information sheet.
If you are interested in taking part and meet the above criteria please contact me via my college email address: zoe.beer@waverleyabbeycollege.ac.uk