Professional identity is the result of a developmental process that helps individuals understand their profession in conjunction with their own self-concept, allowing them to articulate their role, their philosophy and their approach. to others inside and outside of their chosen ones. As counselors engage in this process of individually unique growth, it is hoped that the counseling profession as a whole will grow stronger as its practitioners and educators achieve a strong sense of purpose and a synergistic collective identity, one which is still developing within the profession. The term collective identity refers to the sharing of goals, resources and aspirations for the profession. For individuals to build a personal relationship with their chosen profession, it is important to establish a clear foundation. To build this foundation, one must construct a professional philosophy that clarifies and distinguishes one's profession from other similar vocations; in this case, other areas of mental health. In the counseling field, this foundation is believed to be created by establishing clear professional expectations through licensure, streamlined educational programs, professional organizations, and ethical standards that are grounded in a underlying professional philosophy. This article will review current literature and research on professional identity in the field of counseling. This review will then be presented in relation to the external assessment of success in counseling and counselor education and how this assessment is influenced and understood internally through gender role beliefs and associated societal expectations. When a counselor enters the profession, there is an intersection am...... middle of paper ...... very much for me too, even as a teacher, so I consider either to exercise this role outside of the school setting, or in a specialized school setting such as my previous placement. With the frustrations you note in teaching in your particular system, it may benefit you to consider private/alternate education placements specifically for special needs...until we have a change in administration that made many changes to The worse the way our school was run, the more I loved teaching at my previous school because it was designed in a way that allowed for greater independence and student achievement , which can be difficult to achieve in the traditional school model. I don't know if it's possible for you in your situation to look for a different type of school, but if so, you may find that another philosophy or approach suits you better as a as a specialized educator..