Counselors’ Experiences of Workplace Aggression and Organizational Values: A Descriptive Analysis

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA; n.d.) reported that nearly 2 million Americans experience episodes of workplace aggression on an annual basis. Reported incidents stretch across a spectrum and include threats, verbal hostility, physical assault, and homicide (OSHA, n.d.). Researchers and scholars have examined distinct facets of adversarial work conditions (e.g., harassment, discrimination) and linked these facets to the overarching phenomenon of workplace aggression (Schat, Frone, & Kelloway, 2006; Schat & Kelloway, 2005). Workplace aggression encompasses multiple variables that may negatively affect an employee physically or psychologically (Schat et al., 2006). Schat et al. (2006) examined workplace aggression within a blended sample of social workers, counselors, doctors, and nurses and discovered that employees in these occupations reported high prevalence rates of physical abuse and psychological aggression. Although commonalities exist between the helping professions (e.g., helping clients in times of need), the counseling profession is distinct in its operational values, professional philosophy, training procedures, and clinical applications (Kaplan & Gladding, 2011). Schat et al.’s findings are alarming to all helping professions; however, specific factors (e.g., professional values) raise particular concern about workplace aggression in the counseling profession.