In pursuit of a Filipino counselor development model: A life-span approach

• Main Authors: Mateo, Nino Jose, Reyes, Jose Alberto S.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2015
• Subjects: Counselors > Philippines; Counselors—Supervision of > Philippines; Counselors > Education (Continuing education) > Philippines; Career development > Philippines; Counseling Psychology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/3069
• Institution: De La Salle University

The majority of existing studies on counselor development have concentrated on Western cultural contexts, and there is a marked scarcity of research on counselor development in non-Western settings like the Philippines. The current study investigates the stages and themes of professional development of Filipino counselors. Twenty-nine practicing counselors, whose ages ranged from 24 to 64 and who had from less than 1 year up to 40 years of experience, were requested to undertake individual interviews and focus group discussions. Using a grounded-theory approach, a four-stage model was derived that involved the following stages: exploration, equipping, comfortable practice, and renewal. Each stage is differentiated in terms of a) central task, b) definition of the stage, c) factors that influence development, d) level of self-confidence, e) manner of relating to clients, and f) counseling approach. Themes were also extracted from the narratives of the participants, which revolve around personal and professional integration, autonomy, and source of development and fulfillment. The implications of the results for theory and practice are discussed. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.