Beratung: Reflexivität als Profession

The German Counseling Association (“Deutsche Gesellschaft für Beratung – DGfB”), which is the governing body of all German organizations involved with psychological counseling (currently about 30), is dedicated to overcoming existing deficits in this profession. It is based on a vision of the role of counseling in society, in particular practical counseling, which bridges the gap between the most important ongoing scientific discourses (the theories of Ernst Cassirer, Pierre Bourdieu, Albert Bandura, Kenneth Gergen, Ulrich Beck and others) and concrete proposals for fusing professional counseling with its scientific background. This volume serves to establish a conceptual framework for the scientific reflection of the actors involved in the field of counseling. This in turn should allow the intensive exchange of insights emerging from the various methods while at the same time maintaining their cultural diversity. It paves the way for increased reflection on the scientific principles of counseling to enter the professional activities.Because counseling deals in nearly all areas of human experience and behavior, these concepts inevitably extend beyond the scope of the profession and can provide impetus for developments throughout the humanities.