ABSTRACT
This chapter offers Counselors in Training (CITs) an exploration into the reality of counselor dispositions including self-assessment, particularly of CIT insight and receptivity to teachability. It builds towards the presentation of the Universal Growth Model (UGM) to help counselors for their life-long growth and development. The chapter sets the stage for CIT to be ready for the UGM process by considering CITs desire for growth and change while implementing critical thinking. It examines the significant facets threaded within the CIT identity and CIT philosophy, including character and dispositional benchmarks for counselors. The chapter suggests that the Association of Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC) Competencies include elements of the counselor's understanding of the differentiation between religion and spirituality, while also having a foundational understanding of a variety of beliefs held by individuals, major world religions, agnosticism, and atheism. It discusses additional self-assessment tools towards helping CITs personal and professional self-exploration process.
