Professional identity is a lengthy process that is initiated when the trainee first begins taking coursework in a school counselling program, and evolves throughout the individual's entire career path. Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development can be applied to the school counsellor's search for professional identity. Each of the eight developmental stages identified by Erikson has a crisis, or change in perspective, that must occur before the individual can progress successfully to the next stage. Similarly, school counsellor professional identity is achieved as the individual moves through a progression of similar stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]