The Emergence Model: An Alternative Pedagogy for Facilitating Self-Reflection and Theoretical Fit in Counseling Students

The author presents a critical review of counselor education literature that has focused on student acquisition of theoretical orientations in order to identify the potential of these practices to facilitate critical self-reflection and theoretical fit among students. Two reflective, awareness-based pedagogical models—radical constructivism (E. von Glasersfeld, 1984) and transformative learning (J. Mezirow, 1997)—are also examined. The author concludes by briefly outlining an alternative pedagogical framework called the “Emergence Model,” which may enhance the ability of counselor educators to facilitate self-reflection and theoretical fit among counseling students.