The Journey of a Gatekeeper: Shaping Professional Counseling

The journey has been shaped by an interwoven series of experiences that have cultivated the understanding of the role of the professional counselor, educator, and supervisor. While many professions may fall under the broad umbrella of “helping professionals,” none, in my view, carry the informed gracefulness found in the art and science of professional counseling. Albeit, perhaps I am biased, as biased as any person “in love.”

Over the years, I have come to understand that the professional art of counseling is a journey of personal transformation, as much for the counselor as it is for the individual being served. This metamorphosis is especially profound when one is graced with a rich tapestry of experiences, both proactively learned and reactively woven into the cultivation of a nuanced “know-how” in theory and practice.

Humbly, I acknowledge that my path has been illuminated by my shortcomings. Through these challenges, I have learned to appreciate the intrinsic value of certain guiding principles. I have come to understand and embrace the necessity of a well-thought-out, planned, and integrated course of action—one that is multi-systemic, meta-aware, and multi-dimensional, all within the ever-evolving and ever-emerging multicultural encounter of position and intersectionalities within a sphere of quantum realities.

(c)2024 John Piedrahita