II. Personal & Social Identity
Let’s talk about identity—the pieces of ourselves that tell us who we are and what we like and the pieces of ourselves that others use to decide who they think we are and what we are actually like.
Develop Your Professional Identity
- How to Develop Your Professional Identity as a CounselorTherefore, answering “who am I as a counselor” may seem like a daunting question and one that a lot of professionals often find themselves having to answer. Seeking the answer is not as difficult as you may think, but it requires a lot of self-reflection and a good understanding of the expectations and responsibilities the job requires.
- Defining Counseling Professional Identity from a Gendered Perspective: Role Conflict and DevelopmentProfessional identity is the result of a developmental process that facilitates individuals to reach an understanding of their profession in conjunction with their own self-concept, enabling them to articulate their role, philosophy, and approach to others within and outside of their chosen field (Brott & Myers, 1999; Smith & Robinson, 1995).
II.A. Social Construction of Difference
- The Social Construction of DifferenceThis is the hierarchical value which is assigned to perceived differences between one socially constructed idea and another. Class, race, and other hierarchies based on social identity are social constructions of difference. Social identities can help us understand the social construction of difference. In the process of forming our own social identities, we connect most easily to people who share the same group membership(s) that we do.
The above Social Identity Wheel includes some common categories for social characteristics in the middle oval. When it comes to social identity each of us gets to determine our own. That means we determine which of our social characteristics, roles, and group memberships are most important to our own identities. - Contemporary Families: An Equity Lens
II.B. Identity Development Theories
II.C. Personal Inventory of Identities
Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies
Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies:
Practical Applications in Counseling
The Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCC), which revises the Multicultural Counseling Competencies (MCC) developed by Sue, Arredondo, and McDavis (1992) offers counselors a framework to implement multicultural and social justice competencies into counseling theories, practices, and research. (PDF)