The relationship between mindful self-care and resilience in psychological counselors working in the earthquake zone

This study aimed to examine whether the resilience of school counsellors working in institutions affiliated with the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) in Hatay province differed according to certain demographic characteristics and earthquake-related experiences following the February 6, 2023 earthquakes, and to investigate the relationship between their mindful self-care and resilience. The study group consisted of 543 school counsellors (358 women and 185 men) working in MoNE-affiliated institutions in Hatay during the 2024–2025 academic year. The participants were reached through convenience/purposive sampling and snowball sampling methods. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Mindful Self-Care Scale, and the Resilience Scale for Adults, and were gathered online via Google Forms between January and March 2025. The analyses were conducted using SPSS 22.0. Independent samples t-tests, Pearson correlation coefficients, and standard multiple regression analyses were employed. The results revealed that resilience did not significantly differ by gender, marital status and parental status. School counsellors who participated in post-earthquake field-based psychological support work had higher resilience compared to those who did not. Those who experienced the loss of a first-degree relative had lower resilience than those who did not experience such a loss. However, no significant differences in resilience were found based on whether the participants were in one of the 11 provinces affected at the time of the earthquake, whether they had received training (e.g., supervision, consultation) to assist disaster-affected individuals, or whether they had personally received psychological support after the earthquake. Significant low to moderate positive correlations were found between the sub dimensions of mindful self-care and resilience. Collectively, the sub dimensions of mindful self-care accounted for 38% of the variance in resilience. The order of importance of these sub dimensions in predicting resilience was self-compassion and purpose, supportive relationships, supportive structure, and mindful awareness. When the predictive power of each sub-dimension on its own was examined, it was found that the physical care and mindful relaxation sub-dimensions did not significantly predict resilience. The findings were interpreted in light of the literature, and recommendations were provided. Keywords: Resilience, mindful self-care, psychological counselors, psychological support in disasters.