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Mental Health Counselors’ Perceptions Of Professional Identity As Correctional Counselors In An Integrated Behavioral Health Care Setting, Jeanel L. Franklin

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the professional identity of clinical mental health counselors employed as correctional counselors in an integrated behavioral health (IBH) setting. Previous research has documented the attitudes, perceptions, and experiences of mental health counselors working in IBH as well as their experiences engaging in interprofessional collaboration. However, researchers have yet to explore how clinical mental health counselors in correctional settings perceive their professional identity and what aspects of their professional roles impact their identity development. This study utilized an interpretive phenomenological approach (IPA) to describe, understand, and interpret the meaning of four correctional counselors’ perceptions of their professional identities …