Date of Award

8-22-2025

Date Published

September 2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Counseling & Human Services

Advisor(s)

Yanhong Liu

Keywords

Autonomous Motivation;Basic Psychological Needs;Burnout;Counselors in Training;Motivation

Abstract

Burnout is a pressing concern among counselors-in-training (CITs), threatening not only their well-being but also the quality of services they provide. Guided by Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2017), this study investigated the relationships among basic psychological needs satisfaction (BPNS), autonomous motivation (AM), and burnout in a national sample of CITs enrolled in Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited counseling programs. Specifically, it examined whether AM mediates the relationship between BPNS and the three dimensions of burnout, emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and diminished personal accomplishment (DPA), as conceptualized by Maslach and colleagues (Maslach & Jackson, 1981; Maslach & Leiter, 2016). A total of 355 CITs completed validated self-report instruments assessing BPNS, AM, and burnout. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted using both covariance-based (CB-SEM) and partial least squares (PLS-SEM) approaches to evaluate the hypothesized mediation model. Results indicated that BPNS was positively associated with AM and negatively associated with all three burnout dimensions. AM partially mediated the relationship between BPNS and DPA, but not EE or DP. These findings suggest that while BPNS plays a central role in reducing burnout risk, AM may serve as a more specific protective factor for preserving a sense of personal accomplishment. Implications for counselor education and supervision include the value of fostering autonomy-supportive environments, reflective practices, and mentoring relationships that reinforce CITs’ self-determined motivation. This study contributes to a growing body of literature highlighting the psychological mechanisms underlying burnout and provides a foundation for developing motivation-based interventions to support CIT wellness and professional resilience (Howard et al., 2021; Skovholt & Trotter-Mathison, 2016).

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Open Access

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