Volume_5_Issue_3_Digest

1 TPC Digest Read full article and references: Jorgensen, M. F., & Duncan, K. (2015). A phenomenological investigation of master’s-level counselor research identity development stages. The Professional Counselor , 5 , 327– 340. doi : 10.15241/mfj.5.3.327 Previous researchers have found that participants benefit from integrating their professional identity with a research orientation. There are innate components to the counseling process that are similar to the research process, making the integration relatively simple. In 1985, Howard suggested that practitioners are often more aware of and concerned with the systematic ways of human behavior than researchers. When working with a client, counselors explore the problem, experiment with the problem by utilizing various interventions and test hypotheses by observing how interventions unfold with the client. Professional counselors are researchers, but do not necessarily conceptualize their professional identity in a way that acknowledges and fosters the researcher within. Recent ethical developments in the field of professional counseling suggest more urgency to understand the concept and development of research identity (RI). The 2014 American Counseling Association Code of Ethics has emphasized the importance of counselors utilizing research to best inform their practices. Specifically, counselors who use techniques, procedures and modalities that are not grounded in theory and lack an empirical or scientific foundation must define the techniques as unproven or developing, explain the potential risks and ethical considerations of using such techniques, and take steps to protect clients from possible harm. Ultimately, it is essential for professional counselors to evaluate the utility and scientific support for interventions and techniques, which may be more of a function of the research identity dimension. There has been much left to learn and understand about a research dimension of professional counselor identity. A few studies have examined research identity and have demonstrated that it may be a developmental process in which one comes to know oneself as a researcher in addition to one’s primary professional identity. In 2004, Reisetter et al. examined the research identity of counselor education doctoral students. Participants stated that exposure to qualitative methodology affirmed a sense of knowing and viewing self-as-researcher. Further, in 2015 Jorgensen and Duncan found that research identity is complex, is on a continuum, and is fostered by both internal (e.g., motivation, interest, research self-efficacy) and external variables (e.g., faculty, program elements, peers, supervisors). Based on their grounded theory, the authors offered a foundation for better understanding the concept of RI and suggested that future research explore the different levels of RI. The aim of this study was to further explore the phenomenon of research identity in master’s-level counseling students and master’s-level practicing counselors. A total of 12 participants were involved in individual interviews, while six participants were involved in a focus group interview. The data sources supported the emergence of three stages of research identity: stage one, stagnation; stage two, negotiation; and stage three, stabilization. The implications of this research relate to counselor education programs, counselor educators, and counselors-in-training and practicing counselors (both mental health and school). Maribeth F. Jorgensen, NCC, is an Assistant Professor at the University of South Dakota. Kelly Duncan, NCC, is an Associate Professor at the University of South Dakota. Correspondence may be addressed to Maribeth F. Jorgensen, 414 East Clark Street, Vermillion, SD 57069, Maribeth.Jorgensen@usd.edu.