Patterns of professional identity in school counselors: A latent profile analysis

Abstract

Understanding school counselors’ professional identity development is important to promote positive work-related outcomes and provide appropriate support for more quality school counseling services. The purpose of this study was to examine the patterns of professional identity in school counselors. As a result of latent profile analysis using a sample of school counselors (N = 343), we found five types of professional identity, including (1) Well-Developed (n = 99; 28.9%), (2) High Competence (n = 53; 15.5%), (3) Moderate (n = 156; 45.5%), (4) Professionally Disconnected (n = 18; 5.2%), and (5) Vulnerable (n = 17; 5.0%). Based on the profiles, we identified significant differences in their work-related attitudes and experiences (i.e., burnout, stress, job satisfaction, and years of school counseling experience), but there were no significant differences in demographics except for the American School Counselor Association membership. Implications and recommendations for counseling professionals are suggested.