An Exploration of Decent Work and Psychological Sustainability among Turkish Psychological Care Providers

Psychological support providers, including psychotherapists, psychologists, psychological counselors, and school counselors, hold a valuable position within organizational and societal contexts by contributing to the psychological well-being of individuals and communities. This group, which provides extensive emotional labor and psychological care, is considered part of the care economy (International Labour Organization [ILO], 2018; Duffy, Blustein, Diemer, & Autin, 2019). Despite the essential nature of their work, care providers often remain invisible, underappreciated, and underpaid (ILO, 2018; World Health Organization [WHO], 2022), while being exposed to high emotional demands. As a result, psychological support providers are at increased risk of emotional exhaustion and burnout (Kristensen, Borritz, Villadsen, & Christensen, 2005; Maslach & Leiter, 2016). The well-being of psychological support providers is closely linked to the sustainability of mental health support systems, making this workforce a critical resource for sustainable development (United Nations, 2015; ILO, 2019). The present study is at the intersection of twoof the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and suggests decent and sustainable working conditions are essential for sustainable and effective psychological support. The Psychology of Working Theory emphasizes that access to decent work conditions is essential for meeting fundamental psychological needs and sustaining well-being over time, even in socially meaningful professions (Duffy et al., 2016; Duffy et al., 2019).Drawing on this framework, the present study examines the relationships between decent work (Duffy et al., 2017) and associated psychological factors (etc. Austin et al., 2019; Smith et al., 2008; Kristensen et al., 2005) among psychosocial support providers in Turkey. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data will be collected across clinical, educational, community and self-employed settings. The data will be analyzed using correlational and mediation analysis. It is hypothesized that decent work would predict work need satisfaction and burnout, with resilience mediating the relationship.