Relationships among counselor trainees’ emotional intelligence, stress and empathy.

High levels of emotional intelligence, low levels of stress and high empathetic tendencies are successful counselor training propellers. However, ostensibly, relationships between such variables among counselor trainees are underexplored. Thus, this study evaluated such relationships with a cross-sectional, correlational design. A questionnaire made of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index collected data from 92 respondents. The study employed means and standard deviations, t-test, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple linear regression to analyze the data set. The means and standard deviations analysis revealed that counselor trainees had high levels of emotional intelligence, moderate stress and high empathy levels. Also, the t-test analysis revealed a not statistically significant difference in their gender, age and years of training concerning the evaluated variables. Additionally, Pearson’s correlation showed that emotional intelligence and empathy levels correlated positively, a moderate negative correlation existed between emotional intelligence and stress levels, and a weak negative correlation existed between stress and empathy. Finally, the multiple linear regression revealed that emotional intelligence and stress levels jointly predicted empathy. These findings suggest that counselor trainees with high emotional intelligence levels will have lower stress levels and higher empathetic dispositions. Thus, there is a need for counselor educators to use awareness creation, curriculum infused with emotional intelligence activities, and stress management workshops to assist counselor trainees in demonstrating higher emotional intelligence levels and stress resilience and coping mechanisms to enrich their empathetic tendencies.

Keywords: Counselor trainee, emotional intelligence, stress, empathy