Order ID | 53563633773 |
Type | Essay |
Writer Level | Masters |
Style | APA |
Sources/References | 4 |
Perfect Number of Pages to Order | 5-10 Pages |
Professional Identity Development in Counseling Careers”
Journal of Counseling & Development ■ January 2014 ■ Volume 92 3
Research
© 2014 by the American Counseling Association. All rights reserved.
Received 09/06/12 Revised 02/12/13
Accepted 02/18/13 DOI: 10.1002/j.1556-6676.2014.00124.x
Julie M. Moss, Hand Middle School, Columbia, South Carolina; Donna M. Gibson, Department of Educational Studies, University of South Carolina; Colette T. Dollarhide, Department of Counselor Education and School Psychology, Ohio State University. Donna M. Gibson is now at Department of Counselor Education, Virginia Commonwealth University. This research was made possible through partial funding provided by a grant from the Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society International. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Donna M. Gibson, Department of Counselor Education, School of Education, Virginia Commonwealth University, PO Box 842020, Richmond, VA 23284-2020 (e-mail: dgibson7@vcu.edu).
Counselor professional identity encapsulates the idea of con- tinuous growth and development within a certified context. Counselor growth and development is a continuous and lifelong process (Borders & Usher, 1992). It begins as individuals enter counseling training programs and continues until they retire. Professional identity is part of being a counselor (Gazzola & Smith, 2007; Gibson, Dollarhide, & Moss, 2010) and is the integration of the professional self and personal self (including values, theories, and techniques). Personal attributes combine with professional training as a counselor forms his or her own professional identity. Within an ethical context, counselors rely on their professional identity as a frame of reference as they make decisions regarding their work with clients (Brott & My- ers, 1999; Friedman & Kaslow, 1986; Skovholt & Rønnestad, 1992). In essence, counselor professional identity includes interpersonal and intrapersonal dimensions.
Interpersonal dimensions of professional identity involve one’s relationship to society and the professional community (Gibson et al., 2010). The professional community includes professional organizations, licensing boards and credentialing bodies, and accrediting agencies. Interpersonal aspects also involve the professional community of counselors. Emerg- ing counselors learn about the culture of the counseling profession through supervision and experience (Dollarhide & Miller, 2006).
Professional identity is also shaped from within a person and comprises the intrapersonal dimensions of professional identity (Gibson et al., 2010). Personal definitions of coun- seling evolve, locus of evaluation changes, and reflection
Professional Identity Development: A Grounded Theory of Transformational Tasks of Counselors Julie M. Moss, Donna M. Gibson, and Colette T. Dollarhide
The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to investigate practicing counselors’ professional identity development at nodal points during their career. Through the use of 6 focus groups of beginning, experienced, and expert counselors, 26 participants shared their experiences, and 6 themes emerged to form a theory of transformational tasks of professional identity development. Through these tasks, counselors encountered issues of idealism toward realism, burnout toward rejuvenation, and compartmentalization toward congruency.
Keywords: professional identity development, practicing counselors
becomes increasingly important as counselor identity is solidified. New professionals move from an external to an internal locus of evaluation and from a reliance on experts to a reliance on their own experience and training (Auxier, Hughes, & Kline, 2003; Brott & Myers, 1999; Gibson et al., 2010; Skovholt & Rønnestad, 2003). The majority of research pertaining to counselors’ identity development centers on the professional identity development of counselors-in-training rather than working professional counselors (Auxier et al., 2003; Howard, Inman, & Altman, 2006; Gibson et al., 2010; Nelson & Jackson, 2003; Woodside, Oberman, Cole, & Car- ruth, 2007). Theories of identity development of counselors- in-training (Auxier et al., 2003; Gibson et al., 2010) showed that through experience, course work, and a commitment to the profession, identity develops over time.
However, there is limited research about counselor identity development at various points in the career life span. Mellin, Hunt, and Nichols (2011) found that counselors believe their work to be different from other helping professions and that counselors’ identity focused on a developmental, prevention, and wellness orientation. Several studies cite the need for greater information about the development of professional identity during the professional life span (Bischoff, Barton, Thober, & Hawley, 2002; Brott, 2006; Brott & Myers, 1999; Dollarhide, Gibson, & Moss, 2013; Gibson et al., 2010; Howard et al., 2006; Rønnestad & Skovholt, 2003; Skovholt & Røn- nestad, 1992). Rønnestad and Skovholt (2003) provided a phase model that described “central processes of counselor/therapist development” (p. 5) from the novice professional to the senior
Journal of Counseling & Development ■ January 2014 ■ Volume 924
Moss, Gibson, & Dollarhide
professional. The postgraduate professionals interviewed in their cross-sectional, grounded theory qualitative study had an average of 5, 15, and 25 years of professional experience with doctoral degrees in professional psychology. On the basis of the data, the following themes emerged: (a) There is an increasing higher order integration of professional and personal selves; (b) continuous reflection is required for optimal learning; (c) an intense commitment to learning drives development; (d) professional development is continuous, is lifelong, and can be erratic; (e) clients are influential to counselor development; (f) personal life experiences are influential to counselor devel- opment; (g) interpersonal sources (i.e., mentors, supervisors, counselors, peers, family) are influential to counselor develop- ment; and (h) thinking and feeling about the profession and clients change over time.
Conceptual Framework of Current Study Although many of the professional identity development studies in the literature are focused on one specific type of population and at one point in time, a few longitudinal studies in other disciplines indicate that there are specific influences on professional identity development over time (Dobrow & Higgins, 2005; Monrouxe, 2009). Rønnestad and Skovholt’s (2003) work provided a foundation for the current study. Because Rønnestad and Skovholt focused on postgraduates with doctoral degrees in professional psychology, for the current study, we determined that more research including participants who were professional counselors (with and without doctoral degrees) could determine if similar themes are experienced. Hence, we created a series of four separate cross-sectional studies to examine the professional identity development of individuals in the counseling profession. The four studies investigate counselors-in-training (Gibson et al., 2010), practicing professional counselors, doctoral students in counselor education programs (Dollarhide et al., 2013), and counselor educators. No data were used more than once in data analysis and reporting across the four studies. The cross-sectional design allowed us to determine what transfor- mational tasks were occurring for these groups of participants and if longitudinal research was warranted for further study.
Transformational tasks describe the work counselors must accomplish at each stage of their professional life span. Counselors’ professional identity is transformed in response to completing each task. For example, Gibson et al. (2010) found three transformational tasks that counselors-in-training must accomplish to develop a firm professional identity: defining counseling, transitioning responsibility for growth, and integrating a systemic identity. They found that course work,
Professional Identity Development in Counseling Careers”
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