Reconstructing professional identity in cross-cultural clinical practice: a Dialogical Autoethnography of a Korean counselor in Japan

This study employs Dialogical Autoethnography (DAE) to examine the professional identity reconstruction of a Korean clinician practicing in Japan. Grounded in Intercultural Positive Autoethnography (IcPosAE), the study reframes experiences of cultural and linguistic dissonance not as deficits but as resources for professional growth. Reflexive thematic analysis of dialogical exchanges with Japanese clinicians identified three interrelated themes: (1) destabilization of interpersonal practice across linguistic and cultural boundaries, (2) reorientation of the professional self through dialogical inquiry, and (3) integration into practice and professional development. These processes are conceptualized through the "Anchor and Tuning" model, which describes professional growth as a dynamic balance between maintaining an authentic professional core and flexibly adapting to relational and institutional contexts. Rather than treating cross-cultural competence as a fixed skill, the findings highlight professional maturity as an ongoing, dialogical process grounded in cultural humility. This study offers a process-oriented understanding of how transnational mental health professionals navigate and develop within complex cultural environments.