Introduction: While psychotherapists are inherently tasked with navigating the emotional burdens of their clients, their own well-being is equally shaped by factors beyond the therapeutic encounter. Personal trauma histories, demanding work conditions, and professional resources—such as supervision, trauma training, and personal therapy—may function as either buffers or risk amplifiers. Understanding how these factors shape psychotherapists' well-being is key to promoting sustainable clinical practice and workforce resilience.
Purpose: This study examined which personal (e.g., age, experience, trauma history, weekly working hours, trauma caseload, organizational satisfaction, sense of belonging) and professional factors (e.g., personal therapy, supervision, trauma training) influence the professional quality of life (ProQOL) of psychotherapists in Türkiye. A secondary aim was to assess whether personal therapy, supervision, and trauma training moderate the relationship between cumulative trauma and ProQOL.
Method: The sample consisted of 233 psychotherapists in Türkiye, aged between 24 and 63. Participants completed an online survey via Qualtrics, which included a Socio-Demographic Information Form, the Cumulative Trauma Scale-Short Form, and the Professional Quality of Life Scale.
Results: Compassion satisfaction was significantly associated only with organizational belonging. Burnout and compassion fatigue were negatively associated with age, experience, organizational satisfaction, and belonging. Higher levels of burnout and compassion fatigue were observed among less experienced therapists and those without trauma training. Interestingly, those actively engaged in personal therapy reported higher compassion fatigue. Moderator analyses showed that only personal therapy significantly moderated the trauma-burnout link. Among therapists receiving personal therapy, the link between trauma history and burnout was weaker, whereas among those without such support, traumatic experiences more strongly predicted burnout.
Conclusions: Findings emphasize the role of organizational and trauma-informed resources in shaping ProQOL and support the buffering function of personal therapy against trauma-related burnout.