Exploring the Implications of Employment Insecurity Among Counseling Professionals on the Counseling Field

This study aimed to explore how job insecurity in the psychological states of counseling professionals and in their counseling practice, using a qualitative case study approach. In-depth interviews with five counseling professionals who had experienced job insecurity, and data were analyzed based on Creswell’s(2013) case study methodology. Three major thematic domains emerged: perceptions of employment type and insecurity, manifestations of insecurity in counseling sessions, and efforts to cope within unstable environments. Job insecurity was found to lead to psychological instability, limitations in future planning, and reduced job engagement, which negatively affected therapeutic involvement. This study discusses the impact of job insecurity on counselors’ professional functioning and its implications for counseling practice.