An Examination of School Counselor Leadership Practices Related to Burnout, Training Experience, and Caseload

School counselors are expected to be leaders in their educational communities. School counselor practices are impacted by a variety of internal and external factors. Leadership practices explored include five dimensions of leadership: Interpersonal Influence, Systemic Collaboration, Resourceful Problem Solving, Professional Efficacy, and Social Justice Advocacy. Burnout experiences explored include five dimensions: Exhaustion, Incompetence, Negative Work Environment, Devaluing Clients, and Deterioration in Personal Life. Leadership training was operationalized as a total number of hours spent in coursework or professional development activities specifically focused on leadership training or practices. Caseload was operationalized as a whole number with a range from 1-1000 students per school counselor. This study used multiple regression analysis to examine the relationships among school counselor leadership practices, burnout, training, and caseload. 305 participants completed the survey. Findings indicate significant relationships between Burnout and Interpersonal Influence, between Burnout and Leadership Professional Efficacy, and between Leadership Training and Leadership Practices. No significant relationship was found between Caseload and Burnout. Implications for school counselors, counselor educators, and future research suggestions are discussed.