Counseling Trainees’ Burnout, Professional Identity, and Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies: A Two‐Wave Prospective Study

ABSTRACT

The authors of this study examined how counseling trainees’ ( N  = 89) burnout and professional identity influenced their multicultural and social justice counseling competencies (MSJCC) based on the conservation of resources theory. Prospective multiple regression analyses using a two‐wave survey design showed that professional efficacy and professional identity positively and significantly predicted their MSJCC, whereas exhaustion and cynicism were not statistically significant predictors of MSJCC. No differences in counseling trainees’ MSJCC scores were found across their sociodemographic characteristics. Implications for counseling trainees’ MSJCC development are provided.