Identity Development in Counselors‐in‐Training

Abstract

Researchers used 2 rounds of individual interviews and a focus group meeting to explore the identity development experiences of master's‐degree counselor education students. Grounded theory procedures generated a tentative substantive theory that conceptualized these experiences. The theory illustrated how counselors‐in‐training used a recycling identity formation process that involved conceptual and experiential learning experiences to identify, clarify, and reclarify their identities as counselors.

Forming a Professional Counselor Identity: The Impact of Identity Processing Style

“…This focus has two distinct but related areas: a) the identity of counseling as a unified profession (Kaplan & Gladding, 2011;Kaplan, Tarvydas, & Gladding, 2014;Mellin et al, 2011;Reiner, Dobmeier, & Hernandez, 2013), and b) the development of individuals' professional counselor identities (Auxier, Hughes, & Kline, 2003;Gibson et al, 2010). These two areas mutually inform one another with professional identity shaped by the individuals it represents and the professional identity of individuals cultivated by the larger professional body.…”

“…The development of a professional counselor identity involves exploring and working to integrate the professional values, attitudes, and behaviors proffered by the counseling community with one's larger identity system (Auxier et al, 2003;Gibson et al, 2010). Gibson et al (2010) described this process as involving three transformational tasks: (a) the development of a personal definition of counseling, (b) the adoption of responsibility for professional growth, and (c) the recognition of professional identity as interlinked with larger systems (i.e., the professional counseling community and larger systems of practice).…”

“…Gibson et al (2010) described this process as involving three transformational tasks: (a) the development of a personal definition of counseling, (b) the adoption of responsibility for professional growth, and (c) the recognition of professional identity as interlinked with larger systems (i.e., the professional counseling community and larger systems of practice). By navigating these transformational tasks students experience significant fluctuations in confidence and emotion as they cycle through conceptual and experiential learning opportunities while processing evaluative feedback from faculty, supervisors, and peers (Auxier et al, 2003).…”

“…The integration of professional values, attitudes, and behaviors into one's identity system is a challenging task. While models of counselor identity development proffered by Auxier et al (2003) and Gibson et al (2010) help identify the experiences of students in the process, they do not account for differences among students in their approach to professional identity development. Berzonsky's (1989) identity style theory is a helpful framework for understanding different approaches to this task.…”

In relationship: An illustrated autoethnography of counsellor identity development.

“…According to Skovholt and Ronnestad (1992), counsellor identity evolves through a process of individuation in which accumulated knowledge, experience, values, and beliefs are increasingly integrated into practice; a process which may continue throughout counsellors' careers. Unlike many other professions, the blended personal-professional identity becomes the framework for making clinical decisions (Auxier, Hughes, & Kline, 2003).…”