Professional Dispositions Among Counselor Education Doctoral Students

The instructional standards of Counselor Education and Supervision programs expect doctoral students to display professional behavior as they fulfill their five main roles in the program: counseling, supervision, teaching, research, and advocacy (CACREP, 2016). A professional disposition is important because of the close working relationships that doctoral students engage in with peers, students, and faculty. These relationships directly impact learning experiences and development of professional identities for doctoral candidates. Existing studies explore professional dispositions predominantly among master-level counseling students (Guardia, 2020; Brown, 2013) and counselor educators (Brown-Rice & Furr, 2019), but only one study involves doctoral students (Brown-Rice &Furr, 2019). This study of doctoral students by Brown-Rice and Furr (2019) quantitatively identifies the causes of unprofessional dispositions, such as inability to regulate emotions, demonstration of inadequate clinical skills, and engagement in unethical behavior. While causes are important to identify, examining the actual experiences and processes involving professional dispositions is essential as it will offer the necessary guidance to faculties and doctoral students in managing unprofessional behaviors. This proposal involves a qualitative study using a grounded theory that explores the experiences of counselor educators who receive concerns about professional dispositions among doctoral students and the process of attending to these concerns. This study holds significance because doctoral programs must identify whether students present appropriate “fitness” for the profession, including self-awareness and emotional stability. It aims to establish clear regulations in addressing professional dispositions. This study expects to facilitate discussions on ethical considerations, including multiculturalism and social justice. Most importantly, this study will allow doctoral students to engage in self-reflection which will contribute to further growth and development on personal and professional levels. Lastly, the outcomes of this study will offer practical implications on responding to professional dispositions in counseling and related disciplines