Professional Identity Paper

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Introduction “Nugent and Jones (2009) defined professional identity as how training and personal characteristics are applied in the professional setting. It was theorized that there was a need for development of a strong professional identity among counselor trainees, because professional identity confusion resulted in several negative consequences when these counselors entered the community workforce (Pistole & Roberts, 2002)”. Counselors play an important role in today’s society. Counseling has evolved through the years into the specialized workforce it is today. A History of Counseling and its Evolution Counseling began as a simple form of treatment for emotional problems. It was practiced in the form of advice and information in the …show more content…

Those characteristics include, a desire to help others, attention to detail, and emotional and mental strengths. A desire to help others is one of the most important characteristics. If a person does not have the desire or want to help others, they would not succeed in this field. Additionally, if the desire to help others is not present, not only with the counselor suffer, but so would the people seeking and needing assistance. It is imperative to possess this quality so that the people in need receive the quality care that they need and deserve. If the counselor does not have this characteristic, then they will be lacking in all other areas. Since counselors and all mental health professionals interact will all types of people, it is necessary that he or she be alert and pay close attention to detail that the client may not divulge. For example, it is hard for an abused child or an abused woman to share all of the details about their abuser. In many cases it is because of fear. Whatever the case may be, it is important that all counselors pay close attention to detail in any situation. It is also very important for the counselors to take care of themselves. Dedicated counselors can get so involved in their work that they can become burnt out. If the mental health professional becomes worn out, it could affect the way in which they interact …show more content…

The diversity among clients and the counselor is an issue that has recently come to the forefront. The counselor must be very cautious and sensitive to the cultural values of their clients, gender and gender preference, age, language preference, ethnicity, and spirituality and religious beliefs. Another issue addressed by the American Psychological Association is the new spectrum of patients. This includes migratory workers, international workers, immigrants, temporary immigrants, undocumented immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and international students. These clients present various issues to their counselors regarding culture shock, acculturation, assimilation, uprooting, language barriers, economic, housing, and medical problems. Many counselors that these clients can afford to enlist for help are not well cultured in addressing their cultural issues. Cultural competency is another large scale

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