The Professional Identity of School Counselors

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis G. Gilbride ◽  
Kristopher M. Goodrich ◽  
Melissa Luke
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
School Counselors

scholarly journals Personal and Group Professional Identity in the 21st Century Case Study: The School Counseling Profession

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
Einat Heled ◽  
Nitza Davidovitch
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
School Counseling ◽  
School Counselors ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Counseling Profession ◽  
Professional Mobility ◽  
The Status ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Role Boundaries

The current study focuses on the concept of professional identity in the school counseling profession, its definition and measurement. According to the definition in this study, the concept of “professional identity” is divided in two: personal professional identity, which is the practitioner’s sense of belonging to and solidarity with the profession, and group professional identity, which includes the features attributed to the profession, both by those who belong to it and by those who do not practice it, and makes it possible to discern between professions. The school counseling profession, occupied mainly by women, is contending with a lack of clarity regarding its role definition, role boundaries, and demands. Therefore, despite the change in the status of the profession in recent years, various issues impede the group professional identity of school counseling and the personal profession identity of its practitioners. This study is the first to examine the professional identity of school counselors on two levels: personal and group, among school counselors in Israel. The study included 174 school counselors who completed two professional identity scales constructed for the purpose of the study. Each scale underwent factor analysis, and a significant association was found between the two scales and the factors they comprised. The research findings indicate that the personal professional identity of school counselors is affected by their group professional identity, and vice versa. The research findings indicate the need to distinguish in future studies between personal and group professional identity, both in the school counseling profession and in other professions, particularly in a world characterized by professional mobility where current professions will become irrelevant while others will be in demand and there may be a need to define the personal and group professional identity of workers.

scholarly journals An Occupation in Search of Identity—What Is School Counseling?

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 215
Author(s):  
Einat Heled ◽  
Nitza Davidovitch
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
School Counseling ◽  
School Counselors ◽  
School Counselor ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Professional Career ◽  
Research Findings

This study will focus on the professional identity of school counseling, which is a key function in Israeli schools. Forming a professional identity is part of the process of professional development that begins with academic training and continues throughout one’s professional career. Professional identity distinguishes between different occupations and provides practitioners with a safe base that lets them better understand their work and form a team spirit within their field of occupation. The research literature indicates an association between one’s professional identity and her professional functioning and success, sense of stability, confidence, and pride in practicing the occupation. The professional identity of school counseling is related to gender. This is a predominantly female occupation and most of its practitioners in Israel are women. Few studies have been conducted on the professional identity of school counselors (Note 1) and its impact on the quality of their work. It appears that the definition of the school counselor’s role is neither clear nor unambiguous, both in Israel and elsewhere, and this affects the professional identity of counselors and the quality of their work. The current study included semi-structured interviews with 15 school counselors, in which they spoke about the structure of their work, their professional vision, satisfaction, and sense of self-fulfillment as a result of their job, as well as their professional self-efficacy. The research findings show that the structure of the counselor’s work, her role definition and workload, are related to her professional identity, including how she perceives the counseling occupation, her satisfaction and sense of self-fulfillment. Based on the interviews, no differences were found between the narratives of counselors with different levels of seniority in the profession with regard to professional identity, satisfaction, and self-fulfillment. The research findings indicate the need to define the school counseling occupation and its place in the school in order to help school counselors establish a clearer professional identity, with the aim of adapting the role to the challenges of the school system in the 21st century, in the world in general and in Israel in particular.

scholarly journals The Role of School Counselors in Meeting Students’ Mental Health Needs: Examining Issues of Professional Identity

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 2156759X0001600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine Dekruyf ◽  
Richard W. Auger ◽  
Shannon Trice-Black
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Professional ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
School Counselors ◽  
Mental Health Professional ◽  
School Counselor ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Professional School ◽  
Mental Health Needs ◽  
Educational Leader

The professional identity of school counselors has evolved over time. This article traces the historical context driving this evolution, and suggests it is time for the profession to conjoin the roles of educational leader and mental health professional. This proposal is prompted by heightened awareness of unmet student mental health needs, referrals that go unmet, school counselors displaced by other mental health providers in schools, the potential loss of the unique school counselor role, and the natural link between the mental health professional role and the array of personal-social factors that impact student achievement. A conjoint professional school counselor identity that includes the roles of both educational leader and mental health professional positions school counselors to better respond to all students, including those with mental health needs. This article discusses potential roadblocks and offers suggestions for action.

A Phenomenological Study of Early Career School Counselor Clinical Supervision Experiences

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 2156759X2199714
Author(s):  
Kenya G. Bledsoe ◽  
Joy J. Burnham ◽  
Ryan M. Cook ◽  
Madeline Clark ◽  
Alan L. Webb
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
School Counselors ◽  
Clinical Supervision ◽  
School Counselor ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Counseling Services ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Counseling Supervisors ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological

Researchers conducted a qualitative, phenomenological investigation of the clinical supervision experiences of nine early career school counselors using semi-structured interviews. Researchers discovered six themes and related subthemes regarding clinical supervision experiences, including (a) challenges, (b) support, (c) knowledge, (d) self-efficacy, (e) improved professional identity, and (f) improved counseling services. Implications for school counselors, counseling supervisors, and counselor educators are discussed.

EFFECT OF EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND AND WORK EXPERIENCE ON COUNSELOR’S WORK ENGAGEMENT

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 14-30
Author(s):  
Fathur Rahman ◽  
Siti Aminah ◽  
Yuli Nurmalasari
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
School Counselors ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Utrecht Work Engagement Scale ◽  
Work Involvement ◽  
Instrument Reliability ◽  
Complete Framework ◽  
Engagement Scale

Work engagement is one of the dimensions that contribute to the development of professional identity. This article aims to describe 1) the level of work involvement of the counselor, and 2) the influence of work experience and educational background on counselors' work engagement. The research method used is comparative. A total of 211 school counselors participated as online-incidental sampling respondents. The research respondent was asked to be involved by sharing the invitation link to several counselor social media groups in Indonesia. The instrument used is a work engagement scale adapted from the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. The results of the instrument reliability test showed a score of 0.88. The data were analyzed by inferential statistics using a two-way analysis of variance (two-way ANOVA). The conclusions of this study are the average work engagement of 211 respondents in this study is in the high category and there is no effect of work experience and educational background on counselor work engagement. The results of this study serve as preliminary findings of a complete framework for further research on the professional identity of school counselors in Indonesia.

The Queer Experience of School Counselors: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 2156759X2110431
Author(s):  
Jeff D. Tucker ◽  
Caitlyn G. Nelei-Nunnemaker ◽  
Kelsey L. Scanlan
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
School Counseling ◽  
School Counselors ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Counseling Services ◽  
Qualitative Research Design

Although a vast amount of research now exists concerning the provision of competent counseling services to LGBTQ+ clients and students, a gaping aperture remains in the literature regarding the experiences of counselors who identify as LGBTQ+. This gap in the literature is especially evident for the profession of school counseling. In this study, we employed the qualitative research design of interpretative phenomenological analysis to delve into the lived experiences of six school counselors who self-identify as LGBTQ+ and the meanings they ascribed to their experiences. Although each participant provided a unique voice and perspective, several common themes emerged that could help provide a better understanding of these populations. Data analysis yielded four superordinate themes: systemic, historical, and cultural context; experiencing queerphobia; personal and professional identity and expression; and enhanced counseling abilities. The results illuminate both the forces operating against these school counselors and the unique strengths that they bring to the counseling profession.

Exploring the Phenomenon of Rural School Counselors’ Professional Identity Construction

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 2156759X2096518
Author(s):  
Tameka Oliphant Grimes
Keyword(s):  
Counselor Education ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
School Counselors ◽  
Identity Construction ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Personal Boundaries ◽  
Rural Context ◽  
The Impact

This phenomenological study explored the impact of the rural context on the experiences of rural school counselors related to their professional identity construction. The author interviewed six participants in their respective communities and identified three themes—(a) the tight-knit community, (b) permeable professional/personal boundaries, and (c) fewer resources—as characteristics of the rural context that influence school counselors’ professional identity construction. This article presents implications and provides recommendations for practicing school counselors and counselor education programs.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document