ABSTRACT

THIS STUDY EXAMINES THE CHALLENGES, STRESS MECHANISMS, AND WELLBEING NEEDS OF SCHOOL COUNSELLOR IN MACAO. WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION POLICIES AND INCREASINGLY DIVERSE STUDENT NEEDS, SCHOOL COUNSELLOR FACE GROWING ROLE COMPLEXITY, YET THEIR PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS REMAIN INSUFFICIENTLY DEFINED. ADOPTING A QUALITATIVE DESIGN, THIS STUDY CONDUCTED SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS WITH 20 STUDENT COUNSELLOR FROM DIFFERENT SCHOOL TYPES AND LEVELS OF EXPERIENCE. DATA WERE ANALYSED USING BRAUN AND CLARKE’S (2006, 2019) THEMATIC ANALYSIS APPROACH. SIX CORE THEMES EMERGED: (1) CONFLICTS BETWEEN CORE CASEWORK AND ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES; (2) BLURRED PROFESSIONAL ROLES AND ETHICAL DILEMMAS; (3) MULTIPLE STRESSORS, INCLUDING HEAVY CASELOADS, TIME PRESSURE, INSUFFICIENT SUPPORT, AND UNCLEAR POLICIES; (4) IMPACTS ON MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH, SUCH AS ANXIETY, BURNOUT, AND CHRONIC STRAIN; (5) THE DUAL INFLUENCE OF SCHOOL MANAGEMENT AND POLICY FRAMEWORKS; AND (6) WELLBEING DEMANDS, INCLUDING SALARY PARITY WITH TEACHERS, HOLIDAY ALIGNMENT, CAREER DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS, AND GREATER SOCIAL RECOGNITION. THESE FINDINGS CONFIRM AND EXTEND EXISTING THEORIES SUCH AS STRESS AND COPING THEORY, THE JOB DEMAND–CONTROL–SUPPORT MODEL, AND CONSERVATION OF RESOURCES THEORY, WHILE HIGHLIGHTING THE UNIQUE CULTURAL AND SYSTEMIC FACTORS SHAPING STRESS IN CHINESE EDUCATIONAL CONTEXTS. THE STUDY RECOMMENDS CLARIFYING SCHOOL COUNSELLOR PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES, STANDARDISING PAY AND LEAVE POLICIES, AND ESTABLISHING ROBUST SUPERVISION AND CAREER PROGRESSION FRAMEWORKS AT THE POLICY LEVEL. SCHOOLS SHOULD STRENGTHEN SUPPORT MECHANISMS AND REDUCE ADMINISTRATIVE OVERLOAD, WHILE SCHOOL COUNSELLOR THEMSELVES SHOULD ENGAGE IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND SELF-CARE PRACTICES. BY FILLING AN EMPIRICAL GAP IN MACAO’S EDUCATIONAL SOCIAL WORK, THIS STUDY PROVIDES THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL INSIGHTS FOR ENHANCING PROFESSIONAL WELL-BEING AND PROMOTING EDUCATIONAL EQUITY.