Counselling as a calling: Meaning in life and perceived self-competence in counselling students

Both meaning in life (MIL) and perceived self-competence (PSC) have been linked to a sense of calling, and better well-being. To the authors' knowledge, no study has examined MIL or PSC in counselling students. Current counselling students (N = 292) were asked whether studying counselling brought them MIL, and completed the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and an adapted Perceived Competence Scale for Counselling Students (PCS-CS). Results showed that students with a higher sense of MIL had a higher level of PSC. Over 95% of participants found meaning in their study of counselling, implying that many found it to be a calling. The PCS-CS was found to be reliable, and implications include its potential usefulness in future research on PSC in counselling populations. With MIL and PSC being linked to better workplace well-being, this study implies that trainee counsellors have high levels of these protective factors, with further research warranted to establish whether this is also the case for counselling professionals.

Automated summary

The study found a positive association between perceived meaning in life and self-perceived competence among counselling students. The majority of students perceived studying counselling as having significant meaning in their lives, possibly indicating a sense of calling for them.