The Development of Professional Identity and the Impact of Counselor Educators: Examining the Role of Observational Learning and Self-Efficacy

Counseling is a relatively new profession, with origins dating back to the turn of the 20th century. Given the youth of the profession and significant overlap in regard to roles compared to other helping professions, professional counseling is facing an identity crisis. Professional identity development spans the career of an individual and involves the integration of the personal and professional selves, in alignment with the mission, values, and philosophy set forth by the profession. The collective professional identity is strengthened by the individual member’s professional identity. Therefore, it is important to consider the means by which the profession can seek to strengthen the professional identity of its members. Counselor training programs and counselor educators play a significant role in the provision of experiences that promote the intrapersonal and interpersonal development of professional identity in students. Given the importance of the role of counselor educators, it is significant to examine the professional identities of educators. In a quantitative examination of 220 participants, the influence of perceptions of counselor educators’ professional identity on the development of counselor professional identity and self-efficacy related to professional identity behaviors is explored.