Counsellor education and accreditation in Australia: a national review

The professional identity of counseling is an issue that has long been discussed in the counseling literature (Auxier, Hughes, & Klein, 2003; Gale & Austin, 2003; Goodyear, 1984; Hanna & Bemak, 1997; Hill, 2004; Leinbaugh, Hazler, Bradley, & Hill, 2003; Ramsey, Cavallaro, Kiselica, & Zila, 2002; Swickert, 1997). Discussions have ranged from the developmental process of individual identity experienced by Master's level students (Auxier et.al., 2003) to challenges related to the development of professional counselors' collective identity (Gale & Austin, 2003). Singular aspects related to professional identity, such as scholarship have been explored (Ramsey, et al., 2002) as have specific qualitative characteristics related to counselor educators, such as wellness (Hill, 2004; Leinbaugh, Hazler, Bradley, and Hill, 2003). Specific sub-groups of the profession, such as the professional identity of doctoral graduates of counselor education programs in private practice (Swickert, 1997) and counseling psychologists (Mrdjenovich & Moore, 2004; Nastasi, 2002) have also been examined. Goodyear (1984) has emphasized an appreciation of the history of the counseling profession and the unique skills of the counselor as paramount. Likewise, Mrdjenovich & Moore (2004) have described a sense of connection to the values and emphases of the profession (i.e., historical factors influencing the profession) as critical to professional identity development in counseling. In addition to the scholarship dedicated to issues of professional identity in counseling, the topic has also been prominent at professional meetings and conferences, in newsletter articles (Counseling Today, 2007), and on listserves (CESNET-L, 2007), as well as through other informal communication means. Several recent activities have further illuminated the significance of professional identity in the field of counseling. The Council on Accreditation of and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) has promulgated specific standards related to professional identity to ensure that the development of professional identity is a key focus of counselor education (CACREP, 2009). The American Association's (ACA) Governing Council has also identified increasing public awareness of counseling and counselors as one of its top six priorities (Counseling Today, 2006). Finally, ACA's project 20/20: A Vision for the Future of Counseling (Counseling Today, 2007) has illustrated the continued commitment of the profession towards increased visibility. This project, led by a diverse group of leaders in the field, provides the blueprint for promoting the field of counseling and identifies the continued need for increased unification, and synergy within the counseling profession. Four of the seven major areas for which all efforts of the plan will be directed include: strengthening identity, creating licensure portability, expanding and promoting the research base of professional counseling, and improving public perception and recognition of counseling (Counseling Today, 2007). Each of these issues is viewed as essential to the counseling profession's continued success. Currently there are various efforts related to the development of establishing professional identity of counseling (Auxier, Hughes, & Klein, 2003; Gale & Austin, 2003; Goodyear, 1984; Hanna & Bemak, 1997; Hill, 2004; Leinbaugh, Hazler, Bradley, & Hill, 2003; Ramsey, Cavallaro, Kiselica, & Zila, 2002; Swickert, 1997). Despite the vast scholarship, specific accreditation standards (CACREP, 2009), and broad-based efforts by the American Association (2007) to promote increased visibility of the counseling profession as a significant force in mental health treatment, the literature overall lacks concrete steps to move from conceptualizing professional development to operationalizing professional identity in the everyday lives of counselors. …

There has been a call for studies investigating the assumption that professional and interprofessional identities evolve differently during educational programmes. The aim of this study was to investigate the level of professional and interprofessional identity across different years of health and social care students’ professional education. This cross-sectional study invited students across all study years from eleven health and social care higher education programmes at one university to complete a web-based questionnaire. Professional and interprofessional identity were assessed using the Macleod Clark Professional Identity Scale (MCPIS-9). Differences in identity scores between study years were examined using two-sample t-tests and multivariable regression models. In total, 864 students, approximately one-fifth of the study population, participated. Across all study years, mean (SD) scores were 4.15 (0.54) for professional identity and 4.17 (0.53) for interprofessional identity (scale range 1–5). Final-year students scored slightly higher than first-year students on professional identity (mean difference 0.18, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.30), with a smaller difference observed for interprofessional identity (0.10, 95% CI − 0.01 to 0.21). The difference between first- and final-year students was 0.08 points larger for professional than for interprofessional identity. When stratified by programme length, the mean difference in professional identity between the first and final study year was 0.17 (p = 0.034) in three-year bachelor programmes and 0.30 (p = 0.022) in six-year professional programmes. Corresponding differences for interprofessional identity were smaller: 0.08 (p = 0.386) for bachelor programmes and 0.24 (p = 0.049) for six-year programmes. Students in later study years exhibited slightly higher professional identity scores than earlier years, with smaller between-year differences for interprofessional identity. The very small between-year differences may reflect lack of measurement sensitivity in MCPIS-9, stability in identity levels, high professional identity during the first year of study, or cohort effects inherent to cross-sectional designs.

The professional identity of a counselor educator develops primarily during an individual's doctoral preparation program. This study employed consensual qualitative research methodology to examine the phenomenon of professional identity development in counselor education doctoral students (CEDS) in a cohort model. Cross-sectional focus groups were conducted with three cohorts of doctoral students in counselor education (N = 18) to identify the experiences that contributed to their professional identity development. The findings identified that (a) programmatic goals to develop professional identity align with the experiences most influential to CEDS, (b) experiential learning opportunities enhanced CEDS professional identity development, (c) the relationships with mentors and faculty contribute to their identity as a counselor educator, and (d) being perceived as a counselor educator by faculty is influential in professional identity development. Implications for counselor education and the counseling profession are discussed.Keywords: consensual qualitative research, counseling, counselor education and supervision, doctoral student development, professional identity developmentProfessional identity development is central to counseling professionals' ethical practice (Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 2010; Granello & Young, 2012). The process of professional identity development is defined as the successful integration of personal attributes and professional training in the context of a professional (Gibson, Dollarhide, & Moss, 2010, pp. 23-24). Counselor education doctoral students (CEDS) develop their identity as counselor educators primarily during their doctoral preparation program (Calley & Hawley, 2008; Carlson, Portman, & Bartlett, 2006; Zimpfer, Cox, West, Bubenzer, & Brooks, 1997). Specifically, intentional experiences designed by faculty and/or initiated by CEDS during then-doctoral preparation program promote their professional identity development as counselor educators, supporting an effective transition into academia (Carlson et al., 2006). Counselor education doctoral programs employ diverse pedagogical strategies to promote their students' identity development (e.g., Zimpfer et al., 1997). However, the impact that the experiences and strategies developed within programs has on students and their professional identity has not been examined in previous research. Therefore, an increased understanding of CEDS' professional identity development might offer insight into pedagogical experiences that enhance doctoral students' transition from counseling practitioners to faculty members in higher education (Calley & Hawley, 2008; Magnuson et al., 2003).Professional identity development within counselor education can be described as both an intrapersonal and interpersonal process (Gibson et al., 2010). The intrapersonal process is an internalization of knowledge shared by faculty members and supervisors (e.g., recognizing personal strengths; areas of growth in academic roles). The interpersonal process develops during immersion into the norms of the professional community (e.g., submitting manuscripts for publication, presenting papers at conferences, teaching courses). These two developmental processes co-occur while counselor education trainees are conceptualizing their specific roles and tasks within academia.Within counselor educators' professional identity development, three primary roles emerge: (a) teaching and supervision, (b) research and scholarship, and (c) service (Calley & Hawley, 2008). An exploration of the tasks and/or experiences that facilitate doctoral students' understanding of their future roles as counselor educators is needed (Calley & Hawley, 2008; Gibson et al, 2010). Carlson and colleagues (2006) developed a conceptual model of professional identity development in counselor education consisting of seven roles or tasks: (a) program expectations, (b) teaching and supervision, (c) research, (d) publications, (e) grants and funding, (f) service and conferences, (g) networking, and (h) professional development. …

Introduction. Professional identity being developed in the process of professional education and professional competency active development is the result of the conscious recognition of the self as having the identity with a chosen profession and professional community specific to it. Related to the professional environment adaptation and professional experience structuring as well as profession outlook prediction etc., it makes prospective specialists feel confident about their self-effectiveness in profession being aware of the competency indicators and measures. The importance of Maritime English communicative competency for future seafarers, officially recognized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as one of the major factors in safe navigation, makes their professional identity communicative component urgent, considering its transformative effect on their speech habits as is also communication culture. Purpose. To analyze the mutual relationship problem of future seafarers’ professional identity and their Maritime English communicative competency development. Methods. Reviewing scientific literature relevant to prospective seafarers’ professional identity, professional competency and Maritime English communicative competency development. Interconnection and interdependence determination between the specified processes. Results. The research findings on the problem of mutual relationship between the prospective seafarers’ professional identification and Maritime English communicative competency development are presented. Determinants of the specified processes peculiarities are investigated. The stages of the professional identity development associated with the educational process continuum in the maritime higher education institutions in general, and the English language teaching specifics in particular are analyzed. Individual deterministic statuses and levels of professional identity are examined, as well as the specific nature of their development in future seafarers’ Maritime English communicative competency. Evolutionary changes in professional identity development are characterized through the prism of its communicative component and considered as actions on professional communicative identification directly affecting the future specialists’ communicative competency. Professional communicative identity is defined as the result of the self-identification of one’s communication skills and habits, abilities and knowledge as well as experience of effective English-language professional communication in compliance with communication traditions and standards. Conclusion. The prospective seafarers’ Maritime English communicative competency development by reference to the peculiarities of their professional identification couple positively on the two factors of future specialists’ professional growth.

Vocational training at Colleges is grounded with the integration of the theory and practice. Training of students from the general practie nursing study programmes is directed not only by the documentation of the Ministry of Education and Science of the republic of Lithuania, but by the guidelines and directives of the European Union, where is indicated that practice should const not less than 50 percent of the general study length. Researchers, who study the processes of professional identity (self)development and the factors, which infleunce this development, accentuate the imortne of the integration between theory and practice and indicate that in theoretical and practical studies students develop their professional identity. Research subject is the professional identity levels among students from General practic study nursing programmes at Lithuanian Colleges. Aim is to highlight the relationship between the professional identity levels and their forming factors among students from general practice study programmes at Lithuanian Colleges. Research questins are the following:What are the factors, which form the (self)development of professional identity? In which levels of professional identity are students from general practice study programmes at Lithuanian Colleges. In research participated 246 students, who represent the second study year students from General practic study nursing programmes at Lithuanian Colleges. Sampling was purposeful. The research had been performed on March-April 2013, when thee students completed the part of the special study subjects, and had study practices in the first study year. Results highlighted that the bigest part of the sample are in strong position of the professional identity moratorium. The most important factors, which influence positively the development of the professional (self)identity, according to research participants, are the professional readiness of teachers in nursing, their relationships with patients and the health care personnel. The strength of the professional (self)identity of students is colsely related with the nursing experience of teachers, their cooperatoin with patients and health care personnel. doi:10.5200/sm-hs.2013.099

Cultural competence and commitment to social justice are foundational to counselors’ professional identity. There is significant attention in scholarly literature and ethical codes on what this means for the education, training, and practice. This has led counseling and counselor education programs to actively incorporate issues of cultural diversity and social justice into coursework and fieldwork requirements. Research trends indicate graduate students in counseling and counselor education benefit personally and professionally from the knowledge, skills, and awareness they develop in and outside of the classroom. Coursework on multiculturalism and social justice is a standard part of these programs, but knowledge on best practices for students’ personal and professional growth is still accumulating to reflect dynamic social and political changes within the United States and abroad. This manuscript describes a required counseling course for mental health counseling students implemented in the spring of 2020. This course integrated topics related to cultural diversity and social justice and introduced conceptual frameworks for counseling and advocacy. The description of this course includes sample readings, in-class activities, and graded assignments that fulfill the learning objectives. Comparisons to research trends and existing recommendations are made, and future directions for course design are highlighted.

This manuscript reports qualitative case study research with 10 school-counselors-in-training (SCITs). Using a single-case approach, researchers explored SCITs’ professional identity development through the implementation of an andragogical intervention using two simulated counseling encounters as part of a school counseling course. The results of this study produced an understanding of 10 SCITs’ evolving professional identity, counseling skills, and actions. Implications for school counselor training, counselor educators’ andragogy, research, and future simulations are discussed.

This pilot study examined social justice identity development for first- and second-year clinical and school counseling master’s students enrolled in a one-semester multicultural and social justice counseling (MCSJC) course. Counselor educators can incorporate social justice pedagogy in their courses to better equip counselors-in-training with the knowledge and skills necessary to act (Odegard & Vereen, 2010), which can foster the development of their social justice identities (Miller et al., 2009). Students enrolled in the MCSJC course reported their social justice identity at the beginning and end of the semester to determine identity development over time. In addition, pedagogical strategies were evaluated for their impact on identity development. Significant increases in social justice identity domains were found, with group differences based on year and track in the program. This study identified pedagogical strategies, such as cultural immersion activities, small group discussion, and guest speakers, that fostered students’ social justice identity development. What is the public significance of this article? This study suggests that social justice identity can be developed during a semester long, masters-level multicultural and social justice counseling course. Counselor educators can consider effective and intentional ways to incorporate various pedagogical strategies in their curriculum to foster the growth of students’ social justice efficacy and engagement, and the present study offers empirically-based evidence of such effective pedagogy.

The International Collaboration and Exchange Program (ICEP) and other similar exchange programs can play a crucial role in preparing future health profession students to become global healthcare leaders through virtual exchanges and in-person academic immersion travels (AIT). Recognizing the need to enhance interpersonal skills, the traditional classroom style of teaching may require reassessment. Our study aims to explore ICEP's impact on participants, specifically their professional identity (PI) levels, to shed light on the effects of virtual and hybrid exchange programs. Health profession students from 20 universities across four continents (n = 302) who participated in the ICEP program in 2022-2023 responded to an online, validated Professional Self Identity Questionnaire (PSIQ) both at the program's initiation and upon its conclusion to assess their self-perceived levels of PI. Statistical analysis was performed using RStudio Version 2023.3.0.386 (2023). Analyzing the group of students before (PI = 3.63 (1.52)) and after (PI = 3.97 (1.48)) completing two semesters of virtual exchanges within ICEP revealed that students exhibited higher senses of PI upon the program's completion (p < 0.001). Additionally, the group of students that participated in the 1-week AIT (PI = 4.19 (1.57)) was also found to have a heightened sense of PI compared to students who did not (PI = 3.88 (1.43)) (p < 0.05). Through the exchanges facilitated by ICEP, students had the opportunity to reinforce their sense of PI. Such exchange programs warrant further exploration for their potential to innovatively integrate professional skills development into health profession education-a valuable aspect in shaping a well-rounded provider.

BackgroundWith the rapid development of the nursing industry, the stability and professional competence of nursing personnel have become increasingly important. Professional identity, as a key factor influencing the development of nursing personnel, is crucial to the construction and development of the nursing workforce. Especially during the clinical internship phase, nursing interns face many sources of uncertainty, which may negatively affect their professional identity. However, some interns are able to maintain a high level of professional identity in uncertain environments, which may be closely related to their career resilience. This study aims to explore the mediating role of career resilience between intolerance of uncertainty and nursing interns’ professional identity, providing theoretical support and intervention strategies for enhancing interns’ professional identity.MethodsA convenience sampling method was used to select 298 nursing students who had completed 8 months of internship at a tertiary hospital in Zhengzhou from February to April 2025 as the study subjects. A general demographic questionnaire, the short version of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-12), the Career Resilience Scale (CRS), and the Nursing Student Professional Identity Questionnaire (PIQN) were used for the survey. Descriptive statistics of all variables were conducted using SPSS 27.0 software to understand the basic characteristics of the sample. Pearson correlation analysis was used to test the correlations between intolerance of uncertainty (IU), career resilience (CRS), and professional identity (PIQN). The Process macro model 4 (developed by Hayes) was used for mediation effect analysis to test the mediating role of career resilience (CRS) between intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and professional identity (PIQN).ResultsThe total score for intolerance of uncertainty in nursing interns was (38.57 ± 7.20), for career resilience (19.98 ± 2.71), and for professional identity (61.04 ± 9.30). Intolerance of uncertainty was negatively correlated with professional identity(r = −0.26, p < 0.001) and with career resilience (r = −0.31, p < 0.001), while career resilience was positively correlated with professional identity (r = 0.48, p < 0.001). Mediation analysis revealed that career resilience partially mediated the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and professional identity [indirect effect = −0.17, 95% CI (−0.26, −0.10)], accounting for 52.64% of the total effect.ConclusionIntolerance of uncertainty directly negatively affects nursing interns’ professional identity, while career resilience plays a partial mediating role in buffering the negative impact of intolerance of uncertainty on professional identity. This suggests that nursing educators should specifically help nursing interns actively cope with uncertain situations and strengthen the development of career resilience, thereby enhancing their professional identity.

Latent profiles of nursing students’ professional identity and their relationship with stress and coping styles during clinical practicum

This article focuses on the analysis of the display, negotiation, and construction of competence and (professional) identity in a relatively young field of personal and professional development: coaching. Based on a corpus of German and English coaching sessions, the related study utilizes a multidisciplinary approach, combining ethnomethodology, conversation analysis, membership categorization analysis, and discursive psychology. In the analysis of a first business coaching encounter between professional and client presented in this article, competence can be seen as part of the coach’s professional identity, as it is co-constructed on a moment-to-moment basis by both coach and client in and via their talk-in-interaction. While the membership categories of “coach” and “client” set the framework for the analysis, a more detailed description of the specific interactional activities of the two interactants is needed in order to get a grasp of the notions of competence and professional identity. For this analytical purpose, an extension of Zimmerman’s model of identity is suggested on the level of situated identities.

We investigate how established professionals manage their identities in the face of identity threats from a contested shift in the professional logic that characterizes their field. To do so, we draw on interviews with 113 physicians from five European transition countries who faced pressure for change in their professional identities due to a shift in the logic of healthcare from a logic of “narrow specialism” in primary care that characterized the Soviet health system to a new logic of “generalism” that characterizes primary care in the West. We found three important forms of professional identity threats experienced by physicians during this period – professional values conflict, status loss, and social identity conflict. In addition, we identified three forms of identity work – authenticating, reframing, and cultural repositioning – that the professionals who successfully transitioned to the new identity performed in order to reconstruct their professional identities so that they were aligned with the new logic. Based on these findings, we present a model of how established professionals change their professional identities as a result of a contested shift in the professional logic of their field and discuss the underlying mechanisms through which this occurs.

Objetivo. Comparar los niveles de identidad profesional en estudiantes chilenos de pedagogía tradicionales y no tradicionales, considerando el tipo de persona formadora de docentes, la progresión académica y la capacidad predictiva de estas variables sobre la identidad profesional. Método. Se utilizó un diseño transversal con un muestreo no aleatorio de 702 estudiantes chilenos de pedagogía. Se midió la identidad profesional docente y la identificación con la persona formadora de docentes. Además, se registró el nivel cursado del estudiantado. Resultados. Con base en las pruebas no paramétricas, se encontraron, entre los estudiantes tradicionales y no tradicionales, diferencias en los niveles de identidad profesional, en la identificación con la persona formadora de docentes y en el modelo predictivo de la identidad profesional. En la discusión se analizan estos resultados a la luz de la literatura.

Introduction: Professionalism in nursing practice ensures safety and quality patient care. A high level of professionalism is essential for developing professional identity. The purpose of this study was to find out the nurses’ professionalism and professional identity. Method: A cross sectional analytical study was conducted in September 2021 among nurses of Patan Hospital. Data were collected using Snizek-Revised Professionalism Inventory and Adam’s Professional Identity Scale via online Google form and printed forms. Spearman’s rho test was used to analyze the correlation between professionalism and professional identity. The associations of professionalism and professional identity with personal characteristics of nurses were measured by Pearson’s Chi-square test. Result: A total of 386 nurses participated in the study. Of the participants, only 181(46.95%) had a membership in any nursing professional organization. A high level of professionalism was perceived by 205(53.1%) with the highest mean score (16.9±3.20) for sense of calling to nursing profession and the lowest mean score (15.94±3.31) for using professional organization as a major referent. Most nurses 211(54%) perceived a high level of professional identity. A positive significant correlation was found between professionalism and professional identity (p&lt;0.01). Age (p=0.02) and nursing title (p=0.03) had a significant association with professional identity. Conclusion: More than half participants had a high level of professionalism and professional identity. There was a positive significant correlation between professionalism and professional identity. No significant association between personal factors and professionalism; however, age and nursing job title were significantly associated with professional identity.