“We Are in the Room to Serve Our Clients”

Abstract

This study uses computer-mediated discourse analysis to investigate use of the first-person plural pronoun “we” in e-mail supervision of 23 graduate-level counselors-in-training who are completing internships. Extending prior research on pronouns and relationship and identity construction, expert–novice discourse, professional identity socialization, and cybersupervision, our analysis highlights two prominent uses of “we” that differ by professional role: Interns primarily use exclusive we to refer to themselves and others (exclusive of e-mail supervisors) as they depict themselves interacting with others at their internship sites; supervisors overwhelmingly use professional we, meaning “you (the intern) and I, as part of the counseling profession” and thereby “invite” interns into the professional community of practice. These different uses reflect, reinforce, and bridge the gap in knowledge, experience, and professional identity between interns and supervisors. Findings contribute to understanding how professional identities and relationships are linguistically cultivated online. They also have potential practice implications for supervisors.

A discourse analysis of cultural humility within counseling dyads

“…Similarly, our findings illustrating person‐referencing practices through individual and collective pronoun use are consistent with earlier scholarship demonstrating how pronouns create relational alignment toward another person (Gordon & Luke, 2016; Luke & Gordon, 2011; Schiffrin, 1996). In this study, CITs used collective pronouns of “we” and “our” to create what Goffman (1981) identified as relational footings on which the counselor and client dyad engaged in complex discussions of how social location, positionality, and the cultural context as part of and contributed to counseling.…”

“…The use of the discursive technique of reinforcement to advance the multiplicity of cultural perspectives and understandings in session is consistent with Gordon and Luke (2016), who identified the use of reinforcement of supervisory content and process. As such, CITs reinforcement may signify more than their investment in attending to culture and understanding multiple perspectives in their work with their individual client, but also underscoring to the client the possibility and importance of non‐dichotomous thinking more broadly.…”

“…Prior research in counselor training has defined repetition as the duplication of specific words, phrases, sentence structure, or even concepts and demonstrated how this can serve to create mutual interpersonal involvement and authentic affiliation. Scholars have also described how the use of collective pronouns such as we , us , and our is associated with supervisory working alliance and shared professional identity, whereas individual pronouns such as I as part of self‐disclosure are linked to transparency and authenticity (Gordon & Luke, 2015, 2016; Luke & Gordon, 2011, 2012). In Exemplar 4 (Table 2), the client (C2) was an African American college student who wanted to explore her values during the counseling session.…”

“…The current study draws on previous research that discursively analyzed the dynamic exchanges in counselor training (Gaete & Strong, 2017; Gordon & Luke, 2015, 2016; Luke & Gordon, 2011, 2012) as well as research that has utilized interactional sociolinguistic discourse analysis (Gumperz, 1982; Tannen, 2007) to examine “how linguistic forms accomplish social functions as well as how social functions are accomplished through linguistic form” (Gordan & Luke, 2016, p. 119). To address the gaps previously discussed, the current study aims to identify the discursive techniques and strategies associated with the enactment of CH within counseling sessions.…”

A Call for Radical Reflexivity in Counseling Qualitative Research

“…One way this strategy may be exemplified includes the researcher examining the multiplicity of roles and engaging radical reflexivity to explore the complexities that can result within the research process. For example, counseling and counselor education researchers often study experiences within counseling, teaching, and supervision (Gordon & Luke, 2016;Kiweewa et al, 2018;Luke & Goodrich, 2017), and in doing so, can encounter role conflicts. As part of such an investigation , I (the second author) was the instructor of record within a course wherein course-related data were being collected.…”