Humanistic Professional Identity: The Transtheoretical Tie That Binds

Abstract

This article explores the intersectionality of professional identity and theoretical orientation relative to humanism. Evidence of the humanistic foundations of counseling practice is offered to highlight how humanistic professional identity evolves and manifests in counseling practice, and examples of humanistic and parahumanistic theories are provided.

The Meaning Connection Between Mindfulness and Happiness

“…Thus, mindfulness meditation can aid in the process of meaning formation to ensure that the practitioner sees the world through a more personally integrated and values‐aligned perspective (D. Siegel, ). Humanistic counselors, who bring client empowerment to the forefront of their work (Dollarhide & Oliver, ), can benefit from this understanding of the relationship between mindfulness meditation and the meaning in life potential in choosing to return.…”

Metamodernism: A New Philosophical Approach to Counseling

“…Although this struggle appears in the literature about professional identity more broadly, it applies with particular salience to counselors. Dollarhide and Oliver () observed an eightfold increase in professional identity articles published between 1986 and 1999 compared with articles published between 2000 and 2013, a shift that the authors indicated “highlights concern over ‘who we are' and ‘what we do' for a wide variety of professions” (p. 203). This identity struggle holds particular salience for counselor educators because “holding humanistic values while concurrently teaching neo‐medical strategies such as the use of treatment planners, diagnostic criteria, and highly structured treatment programs could result in strong dissonance” (Dollarhide & Oliver, , p. 205).…”

“…more specifically, these dominant paradigms and cultural institutions often find themselves at odds with the ideals of humanism (mcWilliams, 2005). according to Dollarhide and Oliver (2014), multiple studies have found that humanism and humanistic values are integral to the professional identity of counselors and counselor educators. counselors often struggle to reconcile the demands of the current climate with the humanistic ideals that undergird a counselor's professional identity (Dollarhide & Oliver, 2014;strong, Ross, chondros, & sesma-Vazquez, 2015).…”

“…according to Dollarhide and Oliver (2014), multiple studies have found that humanism and humanistic values are integral to the professional identity of counselors and counselor educators. counselors often struggle to reconcile the demands of the current climate with the humanistic ideals that undergird a counselor's professional identity (Dollarhide & Oliver, 2014;strong, Ross, chondros, & sesma-Vazquez, 2015). although this struggle appears in the literature about professional identity more broadly, it applies with particular salience to counselors.…”

Marginalizing Humanism, a Preference for the Objectifiable, and Moving On

“…The current mental health culture finds itself in the midst of a protracted tilt toward the objectifiable, that is, toward perspectives that seek to quantify, define, and act upon human behavior (Fatemi, ; Hansen, , ; La Roche & Christopher, ). This shift, embodied in the rapid growth and influence of the evidence‐based practice (EBP) movement, raises concerns that the mental health culture exerts pressure on contemporary practice to move away from subjective relational processes (Hansen, ; House, )—processes that constitute the fundamental values of the professional counseling identity (Calley & Hawley, ; Dollarhide & Oliver, ).…”