A stress management course to prevent teacher distress

The question of teacher motivation is of paramount concern for educational leaders and managers. Both the commonly observed deficiency in teacher motivation and the abundance of teacher stress are serious problems that can be mitigated through teacher education. This study describes a relational‐training stress‐management course that was prepared and implemented in an attempt to reduce teacher stress. The 30‐hour programme was divided into ten sessions that included thematic exercises on a variety of topics: sharing professional experiences with colleagues, identifying specific stress factors and possible coping strategies, replacing irrational beliefs with more appropriate beliefs, analysing strategies for dealing with student discipline and motivation problems in the classroom, and practising assertiveness and relaxation. Following the course, participating teachers showed a significant decrease in their irrational beliefs and professional distress, as well as an increase in professional motivation and the perception of wellbeing.