The purpose of this study was to explore the process of school counselors' professional
identity formation and the major factors operating in this process. Semi-structured individual
interviews were conducted with 14 school counselors, who had a minimum of five years of
counseling experience in school and also have an advanced-level certification in counseling.
The data were analyzed using the Strauss and Corbin(1998) approach to grounded theory.
The process of open coding extracted a total of 102 concepts, 35 subcategories, and 17
categories. The core phenomenon experienced by participants was 'questioning one's
existence as school counselor'. The process analysis that links the categories with the flow of
time revealed the detailed process of the participants' professional identity formation
comprising the five stages, including 'enthusiasm and ignorance', 'confusion and conflict',
'doubts and concerns', 'struggles in practice', and 'forming an individual identity'. Through
the selective coding process, the core category, which was labeled as 'becoming a
professional school counselor by cultivating expertise and overcoming various difficulties in
the working environment', was identified. The findings of this study provide insight into
how school counselors' professional identity formation would be facilitated and thus will
serve as a basis for developing a professional competency enhancement program for
pre-service and in-service school counselors.