Since the inception of the counseling profession, scholars, practicing counselors, and counseling students often wrestle with the difficulties of creating a professional identity among the human service occupation. There is a direct conflict between the roles of a professional counselor as it overlaps with that of other clinicians and the apparent lack of research that directly defines and identifies the unique position of a counselor.
It is important both to the profession as a whole and to each individual counselor to discover and develop a sense of professional identity; the implications of which that will become beneficial clients as well (Hanna & Bemak, 1997). In defining a professional identity, it is imperative that counselors understand and further advance the knowledge of key philosophies that clearly characterize the counseling occupation including wellness, resilience, and prevention.
Resilience and prevention are two primary goals that professional counselors often wish to cultivate within their clients. Prevention is tantamount to healing and recovery and works with resilience in order to keep clients on an optimal path for a high quality of life; one that integrates a mind, body, and spiritual connection. Moreover, wellness focuses on one’s general well-being. Counselors advocate a holistic examination or self-awareness and self-actualization for their clients, lending itself to the improvement of both basic and complicated functioning.
It is theorized that wellness aids in providing foundational techniques for assessing clients, understanding their developmental counseling students often wrestle with the difficulties of creating a professional identity among the human service occupation. There is a direct conflict between the roles of a professional counselor as it overlaps with that of other clinicians and the apparent lack of research that directly defines and identifies the unique position of a counselor.
It is important both to the profession as a whole and to each individual counselor to discover and develop a sense of professional identity; the implications of which that will become beneficial clients as well (Hanna & Bemak, 1997). In defining a professional identity, it is imperative that counselors understand and further advance the knowledge of key philosophies that clearly characterize the counseling occupation including wellness, resilience, and prevention.
Resilience and prevention are two primary goals that professional counselors often wish to cultivate within their clients. Prevention is tantamount to healing and recovery and works with resilience in order to keep clients on an optimal path for a high quality of life; one that integrates a mind, body, and spiritual connection. Moreover, wellness focuses on one’s general well-being. Counselors advocate a holistic examination or self-awareness and self-actualization for their clients, lending itself to the improvement of both basic and complicated functioning.
It is theorized that wellness aids in providing foundational techniques for assessing clients, understanding their developmental strengths and weaknesses, and building quality treatments that reduce dysfunctional behaviors and increase personal growth (Myers & Sweeney, 2008). This idea of wellness has also been conceptualized in several models. These models demonstrate the interaction between wellness and healing, providing a context for the relationship between wellness principles and quality of life, health, and lifespan.
The Wheel of Wellness is one of these models, depicting spirituality at the center of the wheel and radiates out to “12 spokes in the life task of self-direction: sense of worth, sense of control, realistic beliefs, emotional awareness and coping, sense of humor, nutrition, exercise, self-care, stress management, gender identity, and cultural identity. These spokes help to regulate or direct the self as a person responds to the Adlerian life tasks of work and leisure, friendship, and love.”(Myers & Sweeney, 2008 p. 483).
These components are interactive, working together to create a representation of ‘life balance’. If one of the components is changed or altered in any meaningful way, the remaining components will also change. This model created a foundation for IS-WeI Wellness model, which offers a more narrow and improved understanding of the empirical correlations between each component and the way one informs upon and changes another (Meyers & Sweeney, 2008).
Articulating an identity for professional counselors begins with understanding of what makes a counselor effective and successful. If the profession is first defined by its key philosophies, one can then ask himself, how these philosophies inform on what makes an effective counselor. Foundationally, all counselors, independent of their specialization, should strive to be well rounded in a few, universal, areas.
In an article by Sue Wheeler, 2000, she states that the quality of a therapist can be determined by three factors: how their colleagues judge them, how their clients feel about them, and the success of their treatment outcomes. Wheeler (2000) also goes on to suggest that the most auspicious and respected counselors poses a genuine level of empathy and hold their clients and their client’s hardships with high regard. “These qualities are part of the therapist's persuasive power to influence the client to trust both the individual therapist and the therapeutic process.” (Wheeler, 2000 p. 68)
These results, acquired from a survey of counseling educators reflecting on both their most successful and most ineffective students implies that there should be equal focus on both knowledge base and personality traits when attempting to uncover a professional identity for the counseling field. While it is, perhaps, easier to ensure a counselor has the appropriate education there is still room for a greater understanding of the particular, rare qualities that delineate the profession.
Through professional development counselors can increase their effectiveness in personal and professional advancement, knowledge, and skills acquisition as it relates to a career. As a counselor, it is important to identify key areas where professional development can be accessed and then put into a tangible plan that is designed for continuous growth and progress. Some examples of these important areas would include knowledge of current treatment innovations and unique or important case studies of existing patients with uncommon conditions.
Any effective professional counselor will need to familiarize himself with standard, functional treatment plans as they relate to the disorders they regularly encounter in their patients. Still, it is tantamount that professionals continue their education about newer permutations and modifications that are constantly being discovered and tested. Many times, old ‘tried and true’ methods can become outdated or irrelevant. It is critical not to get trapped into a singular pattern of thinking when it comes to the care of a client.
Counselors should want to be informed about cutting edge research to keep their options diverse and meaningful. Related to the need for counselors to maintain a substantive knowledge base for current, industry related information, it is also essential for counselors to have an understanding of unique and precedent setting case studies. Psychology offers a dynamic and influential voice for the way in which our society determines acceptable behaviors. This influence is often the basis for lawmaking, marketing, behavior modification, and criminal proceedings.
A firm understanding of the nuances of important case studies contributes a vital frame of reference for counselors. Paying attention to these studies, especially ones that set precedent for future treatments, laws, or behavioral standards, can offer an esteemed perspective to the work of a counselor and enrich the way in which they analyze and consider patients. In order to foster the continued academic and professional development of effective counselors, there are various national organizations that have been designed to streamline helpful resources that would most benefit counselors and their varying, diverse roles.
The AAMFT; American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and the NAADAC; Association for Addiction Professionals are two examples of organizations that provide these types of initiatives to counselors. While there are several organizations that cater to other types of counselors in the field, these particular organizations offer a unique and specialized type of guidance with continuously changing research and updates in treatment trends for a growing population.
The AAMFT is a system that prioritizes a sense of community among professionals, designating the organization as one that provides a unified voice for all marriage and family therapists. Being a member of their organization allows these types of therapist access to further education opportunities, legal advice and advocacy, job searches/opportunities, and current publications of trends and developments in the field. One unique element provided by the AAMFT is their resources made available for trainees.
They offer a membership for students who are transitioning into associates and offer support for them as they further their admission into becoming a fully licensed clinicians. They also include free access to Family Therapy Magazine. This publication offers insight into varying topics; each issue usually deals with case studies, research, and innovations in treatments and therapies. The NAADAC is similar to the AAMFT in many ways. They too represent and advocate for a community of collected professionals who specialize in the treatment of various addictions.
They offer face-to-face development seminars, magazine articles that provide unique prospective on conditions and treatments, and even allow individuals to earn CE’s through online, independent study. Additionally, since the NAADAC is a national organization and they support the concept of a nationalized certification that allows for the standardizing of credentials for all addiction professionals. Through their institution, they offer three primary credential levels as well as specialization credentials in areas
like Nicotine Dependence, Adolescent Addiction, and Spiritual Caregiving. Each organization offers a continuum of evolving opportunities for counselors to seek regular professional development on a general and specialization specific level. In spite of national organizations that attempt to standardize credentials, each state has designated rules for licensing. In order to be a licensed Marriage and Family therapist in the state of California, residents must complete a list of education and clinical requirements.
The board requires all potential applicants to have either a M. S or Ph. D from an institution that matches the in-state education requirements for all accredited CA based programs; applicants whose programs have taken place out of state, should be aware that all necessary coursework should be integrated into the program, as no coursework can be taken after the degree is earned. for a community of collected professionals who specialize in the treatment of various addictions.
They offer face-to-face development seminars, magazine articles that provide unique prospective on conditions and treatments, and even allow individuals to earn CE’s through online, independent study. Additionally, since the NAADAC is a national organization and they support the concept of a nationalized certification that allows for the standardizing of credentials for all addiction professionals. Through their institution, they offer three primary credential levels as well as specialization credentials in areas like Nicotine Dependence, Adolescent Addiction, and Spiritual Caregiving.
Each organization offers a continuum of evolving opportunities for counselors to seek regular professional development on a general and specialization specific level. In spite of national organizations that attempt to standardize credentials, each state has designated rules for licensing. In order to be a licensed Marriage and Family therapist in the state of California, residents must complete a list of education and clinical requirements.
The board requires all potential applicants to have either a M. S or Ph. D from an institution that matches the in-state education requirements for all accredited CA based programs; applicants whose programs have taken place out of state, should be aware that all necessary coursework should be integrated into the program, as no coursework can be taken after the degree is earned. Beyond education, all applicants must complete 104 weeks of supervised clinical hours, approximating to 3,000 hours of supervised work experience.
