Exploring Korean Counselors’ Meaning of Counseling Expertise: Focusing on Differences Between Intermediate and Advanced Counselors

ABSTRACT This study examined how Korean counselors conceptualize counseling expertise across developmental stages. Using text mining of 70 counselors’ written responses, analyses included word frequency, semantic network, and CONCOR clustering. Both groups shared a lexical foundation, with performance competence, continuous learning, and diverse experience emerging as core components. However, intermediate counselors used outcomes‐related terms more frequently, reflecting a task‐oriented framework tied to early‐career performance anxiety, whereas advanced practitioners exhibited a sophisticated structure characterized by a profound shift toward continuous self‐reflection and the critical evaluation of contextual factors. Furthermore, the study identified additional semantic structures of expertise that manifested within the legislative void of Korea, reflecting efforts to navigate professional differentiation amid systemic confusion. In conclusion, the results underscore the necessity of a legal licensing system and program accreditation system alongside contextually responsive counselor education and supervision.