The Effectiveness of a Proposed Counselling Program in Reducing Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University Personnel’s Psychological Burnout and Raising Their Life Orientation

Abstract

This study aimed at designing a group eclectic counselling program, testing its effectiveness in reducing psychological burnout and raising their life orientation, and examining the correlation between psychological burnout and life orientation. A sample of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University personnel took part in the study. They received a 10-session counselling program in five weeks, i.e., two sessions in each week. The study followed the quasi-experimental method and the one-group design, and considered the internal and external validity threats of the experimental treatment. The study used two scales whose psychometric characteristics were verified: the psychological burnout scale which was developed by the researcher, and the life orientation scale prepared by Badr Al-Ansari. A significant negative correlation was found between the participants’ life orientation and psychological burnout before experimenting the program. The results also indicated statistically significant differences between the experimental group participants’ psychological burnout pre- and post-testing mean scores in favor of the pre-testing, and statistically significant differences between their life-orientation pre- and post-testing mean scores in favor of the post-testing.  On the other hand, no statistically significant differences were found between the experimental group participants’ psychological burnout or life orientation post- and follow-up-testing scores.