To Join or Not to Join: School Counselors as a Case Study in Professional Membership

School counselors were surveyed regarding their choice to join or not join their professional organization. Members and nonmembers differed on the following: whether participants' graduate program emphasized professional membership, membership status of colleagues, the belief that professional organizations advance the field, and the belief that being a professional means joining professional associations. A model is proposed that includes major themes in the decision‐making process identified in the qualitative comment data. Implications for professional counseling organizations are discussed.