The Pathologized Counselor: Effectively Integrating Vulnerability and Professional Identity

Abstract

PERSPECTIVES is a special feature included in this issue of Journal of Creativity in Mental Health that provides mental health professionals with an opportunity to discuss their positions on a variety of creativity related topics. In this article, Erin Kern, a doctoral candidate, shares her perspective on the importance of integrating counselor vulnerability and professional identity.

Counselors are often expected to represent the “normal” population, impervious to having their own mental health issues. However, many counselors are wounded healers, struggling to achieve integration of their own vulnerabilities with their professional identity. This article focuses on the importance of such integration to accomplish greater levels of authenticity in counseling, working, and supervisory relationships. The introduction of the superhero narrative facilitates the awareness that counselors can reframe instances of vulnerability as an opportunity for authenticity, bravery, and strength. The acknowledgment and ownership of vulnerability provides counselors with the potential to achieve deeper understanding and empathy for clients, thereby establishing a stronger therapeutic connection.

• professional identity
• vulnerability
• counselor mental health
• relational-cultural theory
• creativity in counseling

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Erin O. Kern

Erin O. Kern is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas.