School Counselor Education and Professional Identity Formation: A Content Analysis of Graduate School Counseling Programs in the United States

Abstract

School Counselors continue to grapple with questions surrounding their professional identity as ongoing debate persists over whether they should be viewed primarily as counselors, educators, or a balanced combination of both. This identity formation process often begins in graduate school as students explore different programs, complete coursework, engage in practicum and internship experiences, and interact with faculty and peers. While previous research has identified variation across school counseling programs (Pérusse et al., 2001; Pérusse et al., 2015), few studies have examined how these differences might influence the development of school counseling students’ professional identities. Using content analysis, this study examined the structure and characteristics of 212 school counseling graduate programs in the United States. The results reveal ongoing inconsistencies among programs and provide valuable insight into the continued identity confusion within the profession, differences that may shape how students understand and define their roles within their educational environments.