Compassion fatigue in mental health counselor

Empathy fatigue is a common psychological problem among mental health professionals, especially counselors. Based on several literatures, this paper explores the effects of empathy type, self-efficacy, level of mindfulness and mental well-being on empathy fatigue. Research suggests that excessive emotional engagement, especially negative or self- directed empathy, can exacerbate emotional exhaustion, while positive experiences of empathy and higher self-efficacy contribute to occupational adaptability and emotional resilience. In addition, the article also focuses on the global empathy fatigue and cultural differences, and proposes intervention strategies such as psychological education, emotional regulation training, occupational boundary setting and professional support to alleviate empathy fatigue and promote the sustainable career development of psychological counselors.