Exploring Counselors’ Personal Guiding Theories: A Qualitative Study in Portraiture

A personal guiding theory of counseling is an important component of professional identity development for counselors. We utilized the qualitative methodology of portraiture to explore how professional counselors understand their own personal guiding theories of counseling. Three research portraits are shared that demonstrate how participants use the counseling relationship as the means to incorporate their personal guiding theories into their work with clients. Implications for counselors and counselor educators and future research are presented.