Eric W. Owens , PhD, LPC, NCC, ACS
Cheryl W. Neale-McFall, PhD, NCC
NARACES Conference, 2014; Providence, RI





What does having professional identity as a
counselor mean to you?
How did you develop your professional
identity as a counselor?
Why is identity development important?
Where are the inherent challenges in this
process?
As counselor educators, how do we assist
students in developing their professional
identities?

“Identity Crisis”
 Variations in training and educational programs
 Lack of consistency in credentialing and wide
ranges of specializations
 Lack of consistency and cooperation among
professional organizations that represent
professional counselors
(Gale & Austin, 2003)

CACREP’s establishment of standards for the
preparation of professional counselors:
 Focus on teaching and assessment of student
learning
 Eight core areas for establishing and continual
development of professional counselor identity
 Current debate over CACREP’s role and authority
(CACREP, 2009)

What is Professional Identity?
 Parallel between development of competency in multicultural counseling
and professional identity development
 Developing triad of competencies: values, abilities, and knowledge

Three Domains of Professional Identity
 Knowledge
 Skills
 Attitude

How do you reach these domains with your
students?
(Alves & Gazzola, 2001)

Ronnestadt & Skovolt’s (2003) six-phase model and 14
central themes in the development of the counseling
identity.
 Attention to how the counselor understands and makes
meaning of the professional world

Loganbill’s (1982) eight-issue, three-stage, sequential model
of clinical supervision, which promotes identity
development.
 “…core concepts in the developmental theory apply to the
counselor/therapist.”
 Human growth development applied to development of a
professional counselor

Developmental and Constructivism Factors
 “all human beings are active creators of experience, not passive receptors
of an objective reality. To know is to construct, not to find” (McAullife &
Eriksen, 1999, p.268).

Role of Counselor Educator
 Counselors will develop identity if challenged and supported – what does
this look like?

Four Dimensions of the CPSS Model




Social Context
Life Phase
Developmental Stage
Style
(McAullife & Eriksen, 1999)



CACREP has addressed the knowledge and skill domains
through national standards. What about the attitudinal
domain?
How can counselor educators help trainees develop the
attitudes related to counselor identity?
Three methods with specific attention to issues related to
trainees’ social context, life phase, developmental phase,
and personality.
 Mentoring Relationships
 Reflexive Pedagogy
 Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Opportunity to closely learn the students’ social context, life
phase, developmental stage, and personality style (CPSS
fundamental aspects).
 Did you have a mentor as a graduate student? If so, how did
this relationship help develop your professional identity?
 Mentoring vs. Advising

 Fellow traveler vs. all-knowing expert

Benefits of the mentoring relationship between a graduate
student and faculty member
 Student success, professional competence, identity development, and
socio-emotional support


Formal vs. Informal methods
Are you a mentor to your students?



Meaning making, developing beliefs
Increased self-awareness
Support and challenge from faculty





Discussion boards
Collaborative learning
Reflective journaling
Role-plays
How do you promote reflexive thinking in
your classrooms and with your students?
(Sinacore et al., 1999)

Six Core Concepts







Acceptance
Cognitive defusion
Being present
Self as context
Defining valued directions
Committed action
Trainee explores his/her own values and beliefs, which
increases psychological flexibility.
 Overall goal of finding meaning in life

Do you use ACT in classroom exercises?
(Bowden & Bowden, 2012)



Do you believe we have an “identity crisis” as
professional counselors?
How will you address the three learning
domains (knowledge, skills, and attitudes)
with your students?
Do you believe exploring the CPSS Model
through mentoring relationships, reflexive
pedagogy, and ACT is realistic for counselor
educators? Which do you feel you are most
likely to use with your trainees?

Eric Owens
 610.436.2559 x2554
 eowens@wcupa.edu

Cheryl Neale-McFall
 610.436.2559 x2551
 cneale@wcupa.edu
Owens, E.W. & Neale-McFall, C.W. (2014) Counselor identity development:
Toward a model for the formation of professional identity, Journal of
Counselor Leadership and Advocacy, 1:1, 16-27, DOI:
10.1080/2326716X.2014.886975
Alves, S., & Gazzola, N. (2011). Professional identity: A qualitative inquiry of experienced counsellors. Canadian Journal of
Counselling and Psychotherapy, 45, Retrieved from http://www.cjcrcc.ucalgary.ca/cjc/index.php/rcc/article/view/977
Bowden, T. & Bowden, S. (2012). Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): An overview for practitioners. Australian Journal of
Guidance and Counseling, 22 (2), 279-285.
Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (2009). 2009 Standards. Alexandria, VA: Author.
Gale, A. U., & Austin, B. D. (2003). Professionalism's challenges to professional counselors' collective identity. Journal of
Counseling and Development, 81, 3–10. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6678.2003.tb00219.x
Loganbill, C., Hardy, E., & Delworth, U. (1982). Supervision: A conceptual model. The Counseling Psychologist, 10, 3-42. doi:
10.1177/0011000082101002
McAuliffe, G. J., & Eriksen, K. P. (1999). Toward a constructivist and developmental identity for the counseling profession: The
Context-Phase-Stage-Style Model. Journal of Counseling and Development, 77, 267–280. doi: 10.1002/j.15566676.1999.tb02450.x
Ronnestad, M. H., & Skovholt, T. M. (2003). The journey of the counselor and therapist: Research findings and perspectives on
professional development. Journal of Career Development, 30, 5-44.
Sinacore, A., Blaisure, K., Justin, M., Healy, P., Brawer, S. (1999). Promoting reflexivity in the classroom. Teaching of Psychology,
26, 267-270.