ARE COUNSELLORS’ MULTIPLE PROFESSIONAL IDENTITIES PROBLEMATIZED? A DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

Abstract

The counselling and psychotherapy profession is currently undergoing significant regulatory development in Canada. Some scholars suggested the diverse nature of counselling may have posed challenges for defining the profession’s identity. I used Discourse Analysis to answer the research question of whether counsellors’ multiple identities are problematized, and if so, how? I interviewed three therapists who have a professional identity in addition to their counsellor identity. Their additional identities were clinical psychologist, registered nurse, and registered social worker. I also analyzed professional codes of ethics and job postings. The level of tension participants experienced within their identities varied. The problematization of their professional identities appeared to relate to tensions within professional discourses that arose in some participants’ contexts and not others. Several discourses were identified and will be discussed. Limitations of the research and implications for counsellors with multiple identities, counselling regulatory bodies, administrators, and future research are discussed.