The wellbeing and work engagement of school counsellors in Southeast Asia: A self-determination theory perspective

School counselling is an effective means of providing school-based support for young people’s wellbeing. However, the wellbeing of school counsellors themselves and the factors that shape it are relatively underexplored. Such research is particularly sparse in Southeast Asia, where school counselling is an emerging, though quickly developing field. Using Self-Determination Theory as a framework, we investigated the association between need supportive leadership and the wellbeing and engagement of school counsellors in the Philippines. We surveyed 168 in-service school counsellors on need supportive leadership, basic psychological need satisfaction, work engagement, and wellbeing. Structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed model. Results showed that, when counsellors perceived their school leaders as supportive of their autonomy, competence, and relatedness, they experienced higher levels of engagement and wellbeing. These associations were mediated by basic psychological needs satisfaction. The findings highlight the importance of providing work environments that support counsellors’ basic psychological needs. Copyright © 2026 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.