Professional Identity

When we look at other professions like social workers, housing officers, the emergency services, the police and priests who utilise counselling skills we realise that some of the key concepts that are fundamental to the counselling profession are not their main priority. If such people were to introduce themselves as counsellors their clients may be under the impression that such things as confidentiality will be upheld. An example is the work of doctors, social workers, nurses and carers, in these types of professions advise is given to the client as to what to do and what not to do, medication is administered to the client whereas in the case of counselling especially with

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) define counselling, along with psychotherapy, as being “umbrella terms that cover a range of talking therapies” (BACP, 2012: 1). In addition, counselling is provided by practitioners who “work with people over a short or long term to help them bring about effective change or enhance their wellbeing” (BACP, 2012: 1). Those who practice counselling in a professional manner undergo intensive training and personal development, the latter of which has been “defined in terms of self-awareness and change” (Wheeler, 1996: 75). These changes, according to Johns, “influence the

How does one develop a professional identity? What characteristics are need to be considered to professional? The world is full of individual who aspire to reach a certain level of professional identity and counselors are no different. As a professional counselor, we are called to help clients to deal with various issues that include stress management, addictions, marital problems, substance abuse, suicidal ideation, self-esteem problems, etc. The insights and information that we provide to our clients during their sessions will have enabled them to make positive choices and bring about changes that are crucial in assisting them to realize their future goals. At the end of the counseling sessions, we anticipate that the client would have been helped to rectify or prevent conflicts. In an environment where an infinite number of problems are presented and solutions developed, counselors face countless ethical dilemmas. This paper briefly describes how I plan to create my professional identity as a professional counselor.

I understand counselling to be a helping practice that differs from other helping activities, such as teaching for example. Counselling requires professional training and is specifically contracted or explicitly agreed. It has a theoretical base and uses specific methods within an ethical framework. The relationship between the counsellor and the client is built upon mutual expectation and is central to the process of the client under-going significant change in their lives.

As the standards of the counseling profession are continuously being shaped, I desire to play a role in the educating

Title: Using examples relevant to your discipline, define professional identity as it relates to health and human service delivery and discuss how industry, professional and quality agencies guide the provision of the safe and effective patient or client care in your discipline.

Professional identity is the persona assumed by one who holds expertise or specialised knowledge (Dadich 2015). It can also be defined as morals, beliefs that an individual feel. Specific to nursing, professional identity is to provide quality care for patients and to ensure a safe environment for others. For the nursing profession, there are a set of guidelines, codes of conduct and codes of ethics nurses need to follow to ensure the best care is given and provided for others. There are three main agencies who nurses need to follow; these are the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) and The National Safety and Quality Health Standards (NSQHS).

This paper will provide the reader with a reflection of my professional identity. This will focus on the role of a professional counselor and the differences between a professional counselor and other related professionals. It will also integrate how religious and spiritual beliefs can impact professional counseling. It will summarize my beliefs and values and what I plan to do so that I will not impose my beliefs on clients. Also, I will reflect on what I have learned during this course and how it will impact my future as a counselor.

Professional presence is an analysis of our past, present and future. It is a construct of our knowledge, our influences, our self-awareness and practices. It comes down to how each of us understands what it means to be human and how to care for one another. This is always evolving based on new experiences and knowledge. Through looking over time at the view point of humans, to personality tests, to personal development and lastly looking at optimal healing environments this paper will construct my professional presence and look at ways to improve my ability to care for others.

My personality is defined as “Guardian” which fits my personality perfectly. Guardians are practical and down-to-earth, but they know how to have funs with their friends. They take their duties seriously, are hard workers and are dependable and trustworthy. They are most comfortable when life is structured (Keirsey, n.d.). I am a loyal friend who like to have fun, but follow the rules. My friends have said I am their “voice of reason”. I enjoy socializing with my close group of friends, but I am cautious when meeting new people. I enjoy watching sports, probably because there are defined sets of rule which allow for a fair turn for each team. I do not like when plans change suddenly. I am a planner and when things change I have to alter my plans.

On a bright and crisp morning of March 25, 2015, I interviewed Joni Roche and learned what a typical day was like for this Professional Counselor. Mrs. Roche has owned her own practice for nearly eighteen years and has truly loved every single part of it. Mrs. Roche has received a Master of the Arts degree and is a Licensed Profession Counselor and a Nationally Credited Counselor. During my interview with Mrs. Roche, I truly learned so many things from different counseling techniques, what it is like to have a private practice and the good and bad things counseling comes with that people do not necessarily speak about.

Dollarhide, C.T., Gibson, D.M., & Moss, J.M. (2010). Professional identity development: A grounded theory of transformational tasks of new counselors. Counselor Education & Supervision, 50.

I am currently in my final year studying a Bachelor of Business majoring in Management and Logistics. I completed my high school education at a well respected school in Brisbane and received good grades, however, I was unsure of what career path I wanted to follow. I was accepted into a Bachelor of Business but deferred University to work as a retail assistant and travel. I decided to change my course of action and applied for a position for a Bachelor of Nursing. I was accepted and completed 1.5 years of the degree. However, as we run a family business, a dealer of new and used commercial trucks and trailers, my father encouraged me to transfer back into a Bachelor of Business to further my education as a business graduate. Once I transferred into the Bachelor of Business program, I commenced work as a Store Person in one of our warehouses. As I furthered my education and sustained unrelated injuries, which prevented me from working in the position, I was transferred into the Parts department to work as a Parts Administration Assistant. I soon moved down the Gold Coast and transferred from Nathan campus to Gold Coast campus to continue my studies. I commenced a new position as Online Store Coordinator and Marketing Assistant at our Yatala branch.

Within this section, the responses from the four questionnaires returned will be shared and discussed. This is a small sample and all are based within one establishment so it is important to remember that the findings may only be applicable to this establishment and are not intended to be a generalisation or evidence about the development of professional identity in all schools.

The beginning section of the book describes the challenges counselors face in dealing with clients. (1). Moving from Two Areas of Competence to Three (2). Blurred Personal-Professional Distinctions (3).Expanded Definitions of Training (4). Confronting Dominant Views of Mental Health (5). Establishing a Scientific Base (6). Defining Relevant Ethical Standards (McMinn, 2011). After mapping out the challenges facing interdisciplinary integration, McMinn first divides his renowned book into eight rewarding chapters including summary and reflection following each of them. He also uses vignettes in order to ask his readers”What if this Happens” scenarios (McMinn, 2011)