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Professional Identity Development: A Grounded Theory of Transformational Tasks of Counselors
Author(s) -
Moss Julie M.,
Gibson Donna M.,
Dollarhide Colette T.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of counseling and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.805
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1556-6676
pISSN - 0748-9633
DOI - 10.1002/j.1556-6676.2014.00124.x
Subject(s) - grounded theory , transformational leadership , identity (music) , psychology , qualitative research , social psychology , sociology , aesthetics , social science , philosophy
The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to investigate practicing counselors' professional identity development at nodal points during their career. Through the use of 6 focus groups of beginning, experienced, and expert counselors, 26 participants shared their experiences, and 6 themes emerged to form a theory of transformational tasks of professional identity development. Through these tasks, counselors encountered issues of idealism toward realism, burnout toward rejuvenation, and compartmentalization toward congruency.