1 PREFACE

We are glad to be able to contribute to this special issue of this journal. Our article is not a research report in the immediate sense. Our intention is to provide an overview of the structure of Counsellor education in Germany and to present our perspectives on the further development of the profession. We have, therefore, primarily restricted ourselves to German-language sources to be able to illustrate the situation in Germany from both a theoretical perspective and a practical perspective.

In doing so, we would like to promote a discussion on an international and transnational level. We believe that an internationally shared understanding of the profession can provide good impulses for research, theory and practice. Our hope is that this article will contribute to a vibrant discourse on our field.

The training of Counsellors in Germany has always been part of the private, continuing professional educational sector. However, in recent years, Counselling can be observed as an independent academic programme that increasingly finds its way into the university context.

We want to raise the assumption that the profession of Counselling is likely to follow a similar path to that of Psychotherapy. For a long time, Psychotherapy was also 'taught' in the continuing professional educational sector but has now become an independent academic programme for the first time. Some arguments obviously favour the 'academisation' of Psychotherapy and Counselling, but we can also identify arguments favouring the continuing professional educational sector. These considerations might focus on a more distinguished, scientifically backed academic profile of the Counselling profession on the one hand and a low-threshold access for a more diverse field of practitioners on the other hand. We will elaborate further on the practical and theoretical implications of our findings in Chapter 5.

In this article, we would like to discuss what we believe is the 'core idea' of professionalisation in Counselling, both at universities and at private institutes, at first, deriving from theory. Based on this, we will give some impressions of the implementation of our ideas in the context of both academic teaching and non-university education.

Furthermore, we will examine the structure of Counsellors' education in Germany from a historical and forward-looking perspective. We extend this discussion with the first insights gained from our 'World Mapping Project' in which we look at the organisation and structure of Counsellors' education worldwide. Based on these findings, we want to draw both practical and theoretical implications and develop perspectives for the future Counselling profession.

In conclusion, we want to merge our lines of argument and show how the development and examination of a (narrative) professional identity can provide a basis for future results in Counsellors' education, both nationally and internationally.

2 NARRATIVE PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY: THE 'CORE' OF COUNSELLORS' EDUCATION

Before we discuss the structure and observable transformation processes of Counsellors' education in Germany, we would like to outline why we understand Counsellors' professionalisation process as a narrative identity project (Baum & Rohr, 2019). Since we are trained in systemic Counselling ourselves, and the systemic approach is undoubtedly the most prominent approach to Counselling in Germany, we have primarily consulted literature from the systemic field. However, we believe it is legitimate not to refer to systemic Counselling specifically but to focus on Counselling in general.

To examine our theoretical hypotheses, we are currently conducting a research project with the working title ‘Narratives of systemic professionalisation’. In a qualitative interview design, professional systemic Counsellors are asked about their self-narratives and their professional narrative identity. Evaluation of the interviews will use Grounded Theory to develop the first theoretical conclusions for a narrative professional identity model in Counselling.

Successful professional identity emerges where theory, practice and biography can be placed in a context of meaning. (Harmsen, 2014, p. 15.)

Questioning 'professionalism' or 'professionalisation' in Counselling lacks clarification, despite numerous attempts. At this point, it seems crucial to distinguish some terms from one another. Völter sees 'profession' as a unique form of occupation. At the same time, 'professionalisation' is understood to mean, on the one hand, a 'profession-specific process of socialisation' and, on the other hand, a 'process of establishing professions still requiring examination in terms of process and power theory'. We will present some insights into the theoretical perspectives on ‘collective’ processes, but our main focus will be on the more individual, person-specific aspects of professionalisation. 'Professionalism' expresses a 'scenic-situational action under complex and paradoxical demands for action, the quality of which must be examined' (Völter, 2018, p. 474).

At this point, one may, of course, rightly remark that such a conceptual 'closure process' must be in vain anyway from a constructivist perspective.

Nevertheless, researchers, counsellors and professional associations continue to fill the terms mentioned above with content. It seems obvious that every textbook, every quality framework, every concept of professional development and every training programme 'secretly' express their understanding of what professionalism means in the field of Counselling—and they have to do so to be able to 'act' in a factually justified way.

Focusing on the idea of professionalisation being (at least partially) a ‘profession-specific process of socialisation’, we will further discuss why we see professionalisation as a specific individual's life work becoming capable and significant. We want to pay special attention to this project's narrative element and suggest that the process of professionalisation should appear as a 'web of stories'. We use the term ‘professionalisation’ instead of ‘professionalism’ to emphasise the processual character of this project. To this end, we will introduce the concept of professional narrative identity in a theoretically guided way.

2.1 Collective and individual aspects of the professionalisation process

Concerning the field of systemic Counselling, Höcker et al. (2017, p. 279) raise the question of whether professionalisation discourses could result from a lack of professional identity arising from ‘a desire for self-assurance or a call for legitimising points of reference for those active in the field of counselling'.

If initially the debate on professionalisation is understood as a collective identity-constituting process, then the above assumptions seem plausible. Professional Counselling, in both Germany and internationally, is increasingly finding its way into countless domains of action—from educational institutions to family and academic Counselling centres and many more: the range of Counselling environments is enormous, but these ongoing expansions are rarely empirically measured. A framework of 'self-assurance' can help structure complex and potentially paradoxical discourses, refine positions and make profession-related interests visible.

If one follows our impression that this debate on professionalisation is in fact taking place, it might be worth noting Germany's social work domain, as one structurally similar argument empirically 'backed' and intensively conducted in the recent past. In this discussion of professional identity, we will encounter it in more detail in the following (see Harmsen, 2014, for an example). Nittel & Seltrecht (2008, p. 129f.) trace the history of (sociological) research into the profession from a 'clearly defined' starting point: initially, the term professionalisation described exclusively collective phenomena.

Over time, modern research tacitly expanded by Stichweh, Oevermann and Schütze included an additional component: the individual process of a subject allowing Counsellors to become an expert in a specific field.

Concerning collective and individual professionalisation, the path of development consists, on the one hand, of the constitution of an occupation-specific qualification structure. Höcker et al. (2017, p. 279) also identify such 'processes of selection' in the field of Counselling 'via standardisation, formalisation and normalisation of certain quality standards and training models'. On the other hand, it is a matter of 'activating biographical resources or basic dispositions at the individual level, which helps create an inner commitment and biographical identification with the respective occupational idea' (Nittel & Seltrecht, 2008, p. 141).

Identifying an explicit string of discourse in Germany that focuses equally on collective and individual processes of professionalisation is not yet possible. Nittel & Seltrecht (2008, p. 141) state: 'Thus the differentiation of a professional identity is not to be artificially created or influenced from outside but is strictly bound to the autonomy of the subject and the autonomous decisions of the professional novice'.

In summary, we can understand professionalisation in at least two ways: On the one hand, as a process of 'establishing professions' and, on the other hand, as a profession-specific, particular method of 'in-socialization' (Völter, 2018, p. 474): focusing on these individual processes of ‘in-socialization’, we would like to leave the above-mentioned 'commitment' or the 'biographical identification with the respective professional idea' as a decisive point here but extend the unique content of this process further by including the component of knowledge.

Levold and Wirsching (2017, p. 11) state: 'A characteristic feature of the scientific foundation of the systemic approach, however, is that knowledge is not understood as a uniform, consistent canon of theoretical and practical concepts but as a social and communicative practice that constantly questions itself […]'. Neuweg argues with Dreyfus and Dreyfus about a personal knowledge base, in characterising the path from novice to expert, that is, ultimately, the path of personal professionalisation, as follows: 'Experts do not only have difficulties articulating their knowledge because their intellectual processes are largely unconscious. Expert knowledge is organised differently than an explicit knowledge of rules, and most probably cannot be formalised at all' (Neuweg, 2004, p. 297). Within our present argument, we will further emphasise that the path from novice to expert is definitely more than just the accumulation of some kind of theoretical knowledge. Levold and Wirsching (2017, p. 19) state: 'Professional action is not an application of scientific knowledge to practice'.

Dreyfus and Dreyfus assume that, within the framework of their five-stage model from novice to expert, tasks, situations and other modalities of the decision-making process are perceived qualitatively differently at each stage. They observe that the expert in particular no longer follows static 'rules' but recognises thousands of individual cases. 'If no extraordinary difficulties arise, experts neither solve problems nor make decisions; they simply do what usually works' (Dreyfus & Dreyfus, 1986, p. 55). The more experienced the expert becomes, the more he or she lives in the moment with a 'sensitive thumb on the pulse of current events (ibid., p. 221). Or, as Yalom (2015, p. 69) states: 'By now I trust my intuition so much that I am probably no longer suitable for teaching newcomers'.

At this point, a 'transfer' to the field of Counselling seems valid to us: when expertise takes place in a 'non-compliance with rules’, in an intuitive modus operandi related to the present, fundamental 'concepts' of Counselling practice come to mind. Barthelmess (2016, p. 24) also addresses the question of the knowledge of the Counsellor and summarises: 'In this respect, the [aspired, author's note] lack of knowledge is not about less, but about more knowledge: the knowledge that includes the relativisation of knowledge itself'.

We want to postulate that Barthelmess and Dreyfus/Dreyfus might well agree on this. Barthelmess states that the expert status is characterised by making very differentiated observations in the specific field—'As experienced consultants, we perceive our clients in a much more differentiated way than a non-professional' (ibid., p. 69)—Dreyfus' and Dreyfus' 'thumb on the pulse of current events' resonates to us. Here, in addition to many years of practical experience, it is undoubtedly also essential to have recourse to extensive theoretical resources that were 'acquired' during the qualification and advanced training process, but, how and why a counsellor describes, explains and also evaluates her or his professional actions, that is how she or he ultimately constructs meaning and significance as a counsellor (cf. ibid., p. 78ff.), in the sense that 'implicit knowledge' cannot be formalised.

However, in reply to Neuweg, Kaiser (2006) makes a suggestion that could provide a way out of this apparent deadlock:

'At least a part of the implicit knowledge is made up of memories of specific, experienced situations. When a person confronts a new situation, this knowledge becomes effective when the new situation reminds them of previous situations. […] In the new situation, the person acts in analogy to experienced, remembered situations' (Kaiser, 2006, p. 2).

He argues that the appropriate format for presenting this 'situational knowledge' is through stories and narratives. The assumption is that experts can rely on an extensive repertoire of 'suitable' stories. These stories qualitatively differ from mere 'cases' and are to be thought—and told—in their entirety, connected with emotions, memories and impressions (Kaiser, 2006, p. 4f). Neuweg (2004, p. 313) agrees with him when he states: 'A […] model would be to let the expert comprehensively and narratively tell critical situations along with the context in which they occurred and with his subjective evaluations and the measures taken'. In summary, we have found that there is some sort of ‘accumulated’ knowledge to consider when distinguishing novices from experts but that this knowledge is more than just the confident handling of theories or models. We will elaborate on this in the following chapters.

2.2 Professional identity as a 'web of stories'

At this point, we would like to go a step further and detach the function of narratives from a somewhat isolated retelling of 'critical situations'. We think of the repertoire of available (and not yet available) stories as a never-ending process in which individual events are retrospectively condensed into narrative lines. According to a central concept from the field of narrative therapy (White & Epston, 2007), these narrative lines serve us as orientation and self-assurance, forming and conditioning the way we construct meaning and significance. In this respect, a brief excursion into identity research: Neumann (2005) notes that—although according to Bruner (1987) the concept of identity could be regarded as 'inflationary concept no. 1'—the relevant disciplines could generally agree to understand (individual) identity as a continuous, in fact, 'unfinishable' construction process, which furthermore is mainly related to the factors of remembrance and memory formation. Regarding, among other things, the history of European philosophy, she notes 'that the active actualisation and acquisition of one's past forms the starting point for individual identity constructions, for specific interpretations of reality as well as for current motivations for action' (Neumann, 2005, p. 20). More freely spoken by Sartre (1989): 'The meaning of the past results from the construction of the future in the present'.

Returning to the field of Counselling, Levold emphasises that, in addition to sufficient knowledge of theoretical concepts and models, field-specific contextual knowledge and knowledge about the processes in and around Counselling and therapy settings, personal expertise in the form of self-reflective skills are also relevant. He defines this as knowledge 'about one's own motivation for therapeutic work, patterns of reaction to different communicative offers, clarity about one's position, the ability to set boundaries and say no, etc.' (Levold & Wirsching, 2017, p., 20). He states that the knowledge gained by examining one's personality and that process of self-reflection is a central aspect of professional Counselling practice (ibid., p. 516).

From biographical research, it is held that biographical conditions and patterns, which. among other things, led to a choice of occupation, can also influence professional actions in the future. Simultaneously, professional practice experiences also have a meaningful influence on biographical narratives (Völter, 2018, p. 476). Continuing with Völter: 'Through biographical contextualisation of professional actions, in the long run, distance to unconsciously occurring patterns of action and therefore more professionalism can be achieved' (ibid., p. 479). We want to claim that our line of argumentation supports this assertion. Ultimately, in this sense, it now seems appropriate to use the concept of 'narrative identity’ in the context of a debate on professionalisation. Neumann (2005) states:

’It is true that individual identity is not completely absorbed in narratives of the self because there are other central forms of identity construction and presentation. […]. However the diachronic dimension of identity is largely based on the telling of self-stories. Only this linguistic practice makes it possible to deal with temporal difference and thus biographical continuity. Identity work, so the basic assumption of narratively informed identity theories, is therefore always also narrative work’ (Neumann, 2005, 36f.).

In our line of reasoning, we would like to expand the concept of narrative identity a bit further and use the term 'narrative professional identity’, which we think includes significant aspects that are relevant for the process of professionalisation.

Professional identity, negotiated, for example, in social work, aims to develop a biographically based identification and reflexive examination of the occupational field, summarised by Levold and Wirsching (2017, p. 19ff. & p. 516) as 'personal knowledge'. The development of a professional identity is thought of here as a 'picture of oneself as a person acting professionally' and how one's professional actions are always motivated by an individual process.

As stated above, this kind of identity work is 'always also narrative work' (Neumann, 2005, p. 36f.). According to Dreyfus and Dreyfus, it is precisely 'expert knowledge’ which distinguishes the expert from the novice. This kind of knowledge is implicit but not formalised but can be recapitulated comprehensively through stories. These stories are qualitatively different from mere reports but are constantly enriched with subjective meaning and embedded in a larger (professional) biographical context.

Finally—and here we agree with Denborough, a well-known representative of narrative therapy: 'Who you are and how you act is shaped by the stories you tell about yourself' (Denborough, 2017, p. 18).

2.3 Narrative professional identity in counsellor education

This article's authors are active in both academic Counsellor education and the continuing professional education (CPE) sector in systemic Counselling. We want to present examples of how we depict, discuss and collectively reflect professional narrative identity in our academic seminars and in CPE seminars. We always connect and reflect the professionalisation process with biographical references. We are by no means interested in simply presenting theoretical content or introducing and practising methods and interventions. We believe that a 'real' learning process in terms of the subject of study can take place specifically when Counselling practice and core attitudes are placed in a context with one's biography and experience. If one's learning biography is critically and reflexively aware, and if one's biography, background in specific (Counselling) situations and professional self-image are taken into account, students will be able to develop their own professional identity.

TABLE 1. summarises and compares the structure and formal aspects of tertiary and continuing professional education (CPE) in Counselling Tertiary education Continuing professional education (CPE) Format Study programme Vocational further education Access requirements Higher education entrance qualification Completed university degree Or: Vocational experience Or: No specific access requirement in some cases Duration 3 years (BA), 2 years (MA) Varies; approx. 2–3 years according to the definition of reputable umbrella organisations Framework Higher education legislation, academic accreditation Understanding of Counselling and further education of individual associations and umbrella organisations And/or: Understanding of Counselling and further education of the respective institution Acquired qualification BA or MA Certification by umbrella organisations Certification by the further education institution Timing Commonly after graduating from school Commonly after graduating from university or after (longer) vocational practice

We motivate students and participants to constantly talk about this in both minor and more extensive (peer) groups (see Deutsch & Rohr, 2021). In our opinion, this plurality of perspectives is extremely valuable both for individual professionalisation processes and for group dynamics.

In the context of academic education, we provide courses such as the so-called 'Focus Module Counselling' where students of Educational Science and Early Childhood Education can gain in-depth insights into the field of Counselling for two semesters. In the final theses, we try to depict the reflection of professional identity narratively. Instead of a 'conventional', mostly theoretical term paper, we ask students to reflect on and write about different aspects of their professionalisation process. This refers first to their learning biography (e.g. development processes and milestones) and their Counselling personality, professional role and context of their actions, and their personally identified, newly acquired competencies.

Through this personal reflection, we have the impression that it is possible to 'acquire' something qualitatively different from specialist knowledge or 'confident' handling of other methods and interventions. Instead, we believe that this is precisely the way to transform a 'static' and formal understanding of professional roles into a uniquely individual one that includes one's personality and identity—understood as an integrated competence.

Now that we have outlined the fundamental views we hold as teachers in Counselling, we would like to take a closer look at the field itself. We will first examine the history and structure of Counsellor education in Germany, then contextualise it in an international comparison and develop some practical and theoretical conclusions.

3 COUNSELLOR EDUCATION IN GERMANY—OVERVIEW AND ONGOING TRANSITIONS

Training and further education in Counselling in Germany are still traditionally located in the non-university, non-governmental education sector. For example, in the field of systemic Counselling, Levold and Wirsching (2017, p. 519) note that 'the development and professionalisation of continuing education in systemic therapy and counselling has largely taken place outside of university contexts [...]'. There is no universally correct or governmentally recognised definition associated with the title 'Counsellor' in Germany. There are numerous associations, institutions and groups, each representing and teaching its understanding and concept of Counselling, associated, to a varying extent, with certain 'schools'.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Beratung (DGfB; transl. German Association for Counselling) is an umbrella organisation that bundles together many professional associations. It defines its understanding of Counselling and guidelines for training and further education, to which numerous sub-associations and institutions have committed (DGfB, 2003).

Education in Counselling has always been and still is provided mainly by private, non-university continuing education institutes. These often feel connected to different 'schools' or theories (e.g. the systemic approach). The respective professional associations certify relevant further education programmes with a title of their own, providing they meet corresponding requirements. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Systemische Beratung, Therapie und Familientherapie (DGSF; transl. German Society for Systemic Therapy, Counselling and Family Therapy), for example, by meeting the criteria set by the DGfB, awards the title 'Systemic Counsellor (DGSF)'.

The DGfB, as an umbrella organisation with over 30,000 members, provides a catalogue of criteria for further education in the field of Counselling. It determines, among other things, the admission requirements (completed, applicable university degree or several years of relevant professional experience), how long a programme should last (multi-year and part-time) and what the contents should be (DGfB, 2010). The DGSF, the most prominent member association, has over 8,000 registered members and serves as an example here, mainly following the DGSF model in its certification guidelines and only setting individual content priorities (DGSF, 2016).

In recent years, however, it has been observed that Counselling as a qualification is increasingly finding its way into academic contexts. Counselling as teaching content has long been an integral part of humanities and social science programmes. For some time now, however, the first master's degree programmes have been introduced that focus explicitly on the field of Counselling. The Vereinigung von Hochschullehrerinnen und Hochschullehrern zur Förderung von Beratung/Counselling in Forschung und Lehre (VHBC; transl. Association of university teachers for the promotion of counselling in research and teaching) had already identified 23 study programmes that are centrally dedicated to the field of Counselling in November 2018 (VHBC, 2018, p. 1ff.). According to our research, this number had risen to over 30 study programmes throughout Germany by September 2020. This shifts Counselling from the continuing professional education sector increasingly into academic contexts. As of now, the majority of Counsellors still train in the continuing professional field. Table 1 summarises and compares the structure and formal aspects of tertiary and continuing professional education (CPE) in Counselling.

However, a close look at the study programmes currently on offer also reveals that a certain 'fuzziness' remains in the field of non-university education. What exactly Counselling is or which 'schools', areas of action, forms of intervention, etc., seems unclear: Counselling, together with supervision, therapy, coaching or mediation, form some courses of study. On the other hand, other studies' methods view Counselling as a clearly defined field of action in its own right and limit themselves accordingly. Some study courses feel connected to systemic concepts, and others refer to humanistic models or a more 'holistic' approach.

4 INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON

In cooperation with the International Association for Counselling (IAC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), we are currently researching a 'World Mapping Project' enabling international comparisons of the situation and framework of education and training in Counselling (Rohr, 2021).

Although the survey and research process is not yet completed, preliminary results paint a somewhat different picture from that of Germany. In other (European) countries, it is rare to find formalised, universally recognised understandings of the Counselling profession. In a few countries, the consultant's professional activity is a more or less 'closed' construct, clearly distinguished from other (psychosocial) professions.

In many cases, terms such as psychosocial Counselling and Psychotherapy are used almost synonymously. Accordingly, a degree in Psychology is often the required qualification to work as a consultant. We have yet only been able to identify courses of study that specifically qualify an individual for a Counselling role in a few countries—for example, at the University of Malta. Instead, if they go beyond a mere Psychology degree, Counsellor training and education often take place in the continuing professional education sector.

We want to emphasise again that the World Mapping Project is currently still at a relatively early stage, and we are not yet able to present the final results. However, initial, observable trends show that a similarly vague image of the Counselling profession and the related qualification programmes is found in many, but not all, other countries.

It might be an interesting question to investigate whether processes of 'academisation' of the Counselling discipline can be observed in other countries and what specific consequences have already occurred in the past.

5 IMPLICATIONS FOR THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COUNSELLING AND COUNSELLOR EDUCATION

It would certainly be wrong to assume that the above-mentioned 'shift' towards Counsellor university education would inevitably initiate a fundamental paradigm shift. Nevertheless, there is a need to re-examine certain concepts and aspects of professionalism and professionalisation in Counselling. This results in numerous practical as well as theoretical implications, which we will discuss. We have the impression that these implications are by no means limited to Germany, but also affect the international discourse.

5.1 Practical implications

Initially, how 'accessible' training in Counselling can be if the trend towards academisation continues comes to mind. It is, of course, correct that the post-academic further training available at private institutes also usually requires a university degree for a recognised certification. However, according to numerous associations' training guidelines, this is by no means the only access route. Several years of practical professional experience can also be an adequate qualification.

The specific timing of training or further education also comes into focus here. While non-university further education in the CPE sector by definition occurs after a completed university degree or relevant vocational training, university studies—and especially, of course, a bachelor's degree—quite often begin directly after graduating from school. Suppose one compares the composition of humanities study programmes with different education groups in the field of Counselling. In that case, it becomes clear that other education groups often address a much broader age group.

We would also like to discuss the formal design and thematic focus of academic curricula and further education curricula. Concerning the systemic field, Levold and Wirsching (2017, p. 520) summarise: 'While university curricula place greater emphasis on teaching theoretical knowledge and require and evaluate corresponding credits from students, further part-time education at systemic institutes is more strongly oriented to the participants' practical needs'.

From a formal point of view, university curricula, not least since the 'Bologna reforms', have to meet considerably more comprehensive and precise requirements than those of continuing education concepts in the continuing professional education sector. As before, advantages and disadvantages can be discussed here. Of course, 'rigid' curricula that are as precise as possible suggest greater comparability and transparency of the acquired qualification levels. On the other hand, the German Association for Counselling (DGfB) also provides further education guidelines for the CPE sector, although these appear far less restrictive. Concepts developed individually by such institutes of further education possibly leave, in the light of the certification guidelines, 'room for creativity and diversity in the design of [systemic] further education' (Levold & Wirsching, 2017, p. 512f.).

5.2 Theoretical implications

In addition to the discussed practical consequences, we also see theoretical aspects that are likely to attract increasing attention now and in the future.

Notably, since the Bologna reforms in higher education, the accreditation of study programmes in Counselling has been accompanied by an even greater formalisation of what Counselling should and can be as a profession, on the one hand, and by an even sharper distinction of the associated competencies on the other hand. Given the almost inflationary use of the concept of competence in the context of university curricula, Busse (2019, p. 2) speaks of a 'modern fetish'. For him, 'accreditation processes are less discursive spaces of reflection than arenas of mutual assumption, control and power' (ibid.).

The search for competencies or fields of competence in Counselling cannot be limited to the academic area. In the continuing professional education sector, too, this debate on competence has been passionately conducted for years and even decades. On behalf of the German Association for Counselling (DGfB), which is the German national association in the EAC, we are going to develop a 'German Qualification Framework for Counselling'. The DQR (Deutscher Qualifikationsrahmen; transl. German Qualification Framework) is based on a structurally similar framework on a European level (European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning; EQF). The framework is a tool to identify, measure and compare eight different levels of qualification in a specific field of action ranging from Level 1 (vocational training preparation) to Level 8 (academic degree such as PhD). This project has been funded for two years.

As we have already discussed, there is no generally accepted understanding, neither in Germany nor internationally, about what constitutes Counselling as a profession. The development of a competence grid of Counselling professionalism is a quite promising approach. This is not limited to Germany's situation but offers the chance to come closer to a common understanding of the profession on a European and international level. This vision could allow different levels of professionalism/qualification to be distinguished and discussed in the future.

We recognise, of course, that such an undertaking implies many major challenges. How do we want to jointly develop a vision of a profession that in some countries does not require an explicit qualification at all, is 'learned' in short weekend seminars in other countries and is only achieved after hundreds of hours of supervised practical training in other countries? How do we ensure that individual (Western) countries, influential umbrella organisations or associations do not take the lead and explain to the rest of the world what counselling is and how it can be 'learned'?

6 CONCLUSION

Our goal was to present our understanding of the 'core' of Counselling competence and discuss it in light of national and international discourses. We are not seeking to explain what Counselling is as a profession. We instead believe that the development and examination of one's own (narrative) professional identity is a kind of 'basic competence' that adapts to various contexts. From our perspective, it 'works' in both short and long training programmes. It also works in 'school-specific' contexts, for example systemic or humanistic training courses in more holistically oriented contexts.

From our perspective, it is not required to make either/or decisions when discussing whether Counselling should be taught at universities or in the continuing professional education (CPE) system. Indeed, one can credit the universities for broader access to research and possibly a greater strength in teaching theory. Similarly, experience and practical relevance (e.g. vocational orientation and self-awareness) are strengths of private institutes in the continuing professional education sector. In Psychotherapy, there already exist initial collaborations between these different stakeholders and institutions. If productive cooperation succeeds, ‘[...] the combination of practical competence of the institutes with the research capacities of the university could contribute to a better integration of theory, research and practice’ (Levold & Wirsching, 2017, p. 520).

Processes of change in Germany and internationally have repeatedly brought interest in competence descriptions to the centre of attention. Our strong conviction is that in addition to a necessary theoretical study of the field of Counselling and a distinct methodological competence, the personal, individual 'share' should be part of these competence descriptions. We regard the thoughtful, ongoing examination of one's own professional identity and experience as a fundamentally important competence.

Constant communication on a national and international level about what is meant by professional Counselling is required. As we have shown, this is a complex, almost paradoxical project that will probably continue to develop. Nevertheless, we make a clear commitment to expanding the international exchange about the profession, competencies, didactics and future perspectives. We believe that there are many arguments in favour of approaching common standards on a global level.

7 OUTLOOK

Soon, we hope to gain more insights on many levels. The 'World Mapping Project' will provide an overview of Counsellor education worldwide and hopefully help encourage further discussion (Rohr, 2021).

Our research project 'Narratives of systemic professionalisation' will help us understand how active professionals think about their field of action and what they see as relevant qualifications and skills. This will allow us to initiate an even more robust ‘bottom-up’ process in which an understanding of professionalism in Counselling is no longer developed from theory and 'imposed' on the practitioners, but instead is significantly shaped by them.

We will apply for an ‘ERASMUS+’ project with the University of Malta and two Italian Counselling Associations to benefit from internationalisation. We will undertake a comparative study about good practices, processes and competencies in Counselling applied to different systems and social intervention settings in other countries.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Open access funding was enabled and organized by ProjektDEAL.