Professional Identity and Technology

Three Topics of Equal Relevance in Mental Health Counselor Development

In the article Professional Identity Development: A Grounded Theory of Transformational Tasks of New Counselors (2010), authors Gibson, Dollarhide & Moss designed a study purporting to produce a theory of professional development. The researchers identified the process of professional counseling formation as culminating in the “successful integration of personal attributes and professional training in the context of a professional community” (pg. 23). They perceive this process to be transformational and, by their estimation, rests on three pillars:
- Embodying of the definition of Counseling
- Professional Growth
- Transformation to Systemic Identity

With respect to the first pillar, the American Counseling Association, in its Code of Ethics, defines counseling in terms of what counselors do. “Counselors encourage client growth and development in ways that foster the interest and welfare of clients, and promote formation of healthy relationships”. This statement exemplifies the essence of the first pillar. The second pillar, professional growth, promotes the focus initiated by the first, and the third pillar, transformation to systemic identity, sustains it. There is, however, a fourth pillar unmentioned in this study, and that is the pillar of ethical standards itself, which serves to oversee right relations between professionals and those they serve. These prompt and direct those guiding principles, and also shape and inform developmental progression.

With regard to the affect technology has on professional identity development in the realm of ethical practices, the proper application of ethical standards in areas such as confidentiality, privacy, informed consent, and dual relationships, present ethical challenges to counselors at each stage of development. Since it is common practice in many agencies to transmit, store and relay information over a variety of electronic means such as fax, email, voice mail, to name a few, counselors in training, beginning at internship, have access to protected information. Despite its convenience, proper use of information must be exercised if one is to maintain adherence to laws and statutes governing its transmission, no matter what mode is used.

Counselors in training who work in the mental health field (or in my case, in Geriatric Care Management) must be trained in proprietary use and practice of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy laws. If standards are to achieve their highest purpose, that being to form effective practitioners in the crucible of the ‘transformation to systemic identity’, then they must practice what is preached, and that message must generate from the heart of the formational process.

Personally, this article provokes several questions such as: Do I possess the attributes required to establish a suitable identity as a professional? How will I successfully cultivate and integrate the knowledge, skills and values that form the core essence of the profession? Will I be prepared, when the time comes, to connect theory with practice? Will the professional community confirm me as a legitimate member of its society? And, with that accomplished, will I manage to dodge potential litigious actions that, almost inevitably, will be leveled against me at some point during the course of my career? Thankfully, with insurance coverage as a safety net, the fear of losing the house, the car and the shirt are slightly detained!

On a brighter note, however, one presumes (hopes?) that the resiliencies of the profession far outweigh the risks. In our technology driven culture, we have access to a wealth of web based instructional content for continuing education and on-going formation. We use webinars, power point presentations, skype, and email, telephone, etc., to transmit learning information. Why would such use of resources not be considered worthy of use as part of a skill set when working with individual consumers of mental health services? Psycho-education, one-on-one counseling, instant messaging, video conferencing, are valid modes of service provision that have become legitimized by vanguard associations that have sprung up consequently to develop and provide policies to guide modal specific service delivery practices. (A number of such organizations are listed in the article Applying Technology to Online Counseling: Suggestions for the Beginning E-Therapist, Elleven & Allen).

The three topics, counselor formation, ethics, and the use of technology in the training and practice of counseling, are related and intertwined. If one of the major tasks of the mental health counselor is to “encourage client growth and development in ways that foster the interest and welfare of clients”, then it behooves the practitioner to adopt skills shared by the general populace in order to keep pace, and ultimately optimize choices for therapeutic service delivery (Guanipa, Nolte & Lizarraga, 2002). But perhaps more importantly, it challenges them to complete their service delivery in an ethically sound manner, that best ensures the confidentiality and security of protected health information when it is transferred, received, handled, or shared.

American Counseling Association. (2005). ACA Code of Ethics. Retrieved March 5, 2013 from http://www.counseling.org/Resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

Elleven, Russell K. & Allen, Jeff. Applying technology to online counseling: Suggestions for the beginning e-therapist. Journal of Instructional Psychology, Vol. 31, No. 3.

Gibson, Donna., Dollarhide, Collette T. & Moss, Julie T. (2010) Professional identity development: A grounded theory of transformational tasks of new counselors. Counselor Education & Supervision Volume 50

Guanipa, C , Nolte, L. M,, & Lizarraga, J, (2002), Using the Internet to help diverse population: A bilingual website. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 19, 13-23.