Reprinted from Counselor Education and Supervision (original) (raw)

Counselor Supervision: A Comparison Across States and Jurisdictions

Journal of Counseling & Development, 2019

Counseling as a profession has grown since its early days, and with that growth has come changes in the requirements for postgraduate supervision. To that end, there have been limited research studies focused on the supervision requirements for postgraduate counselors (

Changes in supervision as counselors and therapists gain experience: A review

… : Research and Practice, 1994

Considerable research relevant to counselor and therapist development has been done since Worthington's (1987) review. Additional support has surfaced for Worthington's conclusions: There is support for general developmental models, perceptions of supervisors and supervisees are consistent with developmental theories, the behaviors of supervisors change as counselors gain experience, and the supervision relationship changes as counselors gain experience. Although the types of research used and the sophistication of data analysis have improved somewhat, too few studies directly address changes over time for trainees in supervision. Suggestions are given for future research in supervision to reflect the level of specificity necessary to investigate developmental models.

Changes in supervision as counselors and supervisors gain experience: A review

Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 1987

Evidence bearing on whether and how counselors and supervisors receive or give different types of supervision of psychotherapy as they each gain experience was investigated. Theories describing changes in supervision of counselors as they gain experience are reviewed. Most are similar to each other. They posit changes in the supervisee, with supervision environments being matched to the changing needs of the supervisee. There are three theories concerning how the supervisor changes as he or she gains experience. Findings from empirical studies are consistent with theories of counselor development but only weakly supportive of the theory that actual supervision environments are matched to supervisee needs. Findings from empirical research on changes in supervisors as they gain experience reveal few differences in supervisors at any level beyond the master's degree.

Types of Counseling Supervision: A Conceptual Framework

Academia Letters, 2022

Clinical supervision has a long history across the many fields of mental health practice to ensure the safe delivery of services to the public and to maintain professional competence (e.g., Barnett, 2007; McCarthy, Kulakowski, & Kenfield, 1994). In fact, Bernard and Luke (2015) analyzed the counseling literature over a span of ten years to investigate typical types and topics related to supervision. However, none of the identified topics addressed power differentials. Hebert and Patterson (2010) drew sharp distinctions on the types of supervision based on power differentials. For the purpose of this discussion, similar delineations will be made on the typical types of supervision that occurs in a counseling program: Imbalanced and balanced types of supervision. Imbalanced types of supervision are more common and they are usually defined by these power differentials between the student and the supervisor. Practicum and intern students frequently have more than one of these supervisors at the same time. These can include the site supervisor, the professional supervisor, the practicum/internship supervisor, and the university supervisor Balanced types of supervision, on the other hand, do not involve power differentials and include peer supervision and self-supervision. Peer supervision involves the seeking of advice from a person from a commensurate level of training. Self-supervision, the final type of balanced supervision defined here involves the self-guidance of the individual.

Developing the Four-Stage Supervision Model for Counselor Trainees

Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice

Counselors should have the counseling skills necessary for making adequate therapeutic progress through counseling sessions. Counselors start learning skills and knowledge for counseling in their undergraduate education. During this critical period, the time, form, and quality of the process of gaining core competencies in counseling differ depending on several factors. Supervised sessions might be regarded among these factors. Supervised sessions should be conducted using a comprehensive, objective-driven, and need based model in order for the sessions to be able to reach their goals. Due to the need for more effective supervised sessions, the current study aims to introduce the four-stage supervision model and report preliminary results related to the model' s effectiveness. This study consists of 17 counselor trainees studying counseling psychology and the guidance department at a public university during the 2012 fall semester. All participants were enrolled in the Counseling Psychology Practicum. The mixed method design was used in the study. A counselor competencies evaluation form, developed by the researchers, was used in the quantitative phase while semi-structured interview forms were used in the qualitative phase. Pretest and posttest scores of counselor trainees' counselor competencies were provided using the counselor competencies evaluation form. A supervisor and cosupervisor rated the frequency of mistakes that had been made by counselor trainees through counseling sessions to make a frequency chart. The mistakes (ineffectiveness of counseling skills and lack of the required counseling skills) refer to ineffective counseling skills counselor trainees used and counseling skills which they didn't use although they should have been. Wilcoxon signed-rank test and frequency were used in analyzing the quantitative data, and the descriptive method was used in analyzing the qualitative data. Research findings from the quantitative part of the study indicate that counselor trainees made 280 mistakes at 92.71% over the first five supervision sessions, while making 22 mistakes in the last five supervised sessions at 7.28%. These results show that the supervised session conducted based on the four-stage supervision model reduced the counselor trainees' mistakes by 85.43%. Moreover, the results indicate a statistically meaningful difference between counselor trainees' pretest and posttest scores for counselor competencies (z =-3.62; p < .05). According to research findings found in the qualitative part of the study, counselor trainees remarked that the supervised sessions were beneficial for improving their counselor competencies in eight important dimensions. In summary, the four-stage supervision model developed for counselor trainees can be a supervision model that helps counselor trainees enhance their counseling competences. However, the study' s findings should be interpreted in terms of its limitations.

Status of Clinical Supervision among School Counselors in Southeast Georgia

Georgia School Counselors Association Journal, 2011

Abstract: Previous studies have investigated the role of clinical supervision in school counseling practice. This research explored the status and meaning of clinical supervision to school counselors employed in two southeastern Georgia counties. Results indicate that participants value clinical supervision even though their employers did not necessarily support their efforts to access supervision.

The Examination of the Counseling Supervision Effect on Personal and Professional Development of First-Time Supervisees

International Journal of Psychology and Educational Studies, 2024

The study investigated how clinical supervision affects the personal and professional development of first-time supervisees. The explanatory sequential mixed methods research design was employed in the study. Quantitative data was collected using a single group pretest-posttest experimental design to evaluate the impact of supervision on the personal and professional development of counselors in training. Individual interviews were conducted with 51 volunteer participants who were counselors in training at a state university in western Türkiye. Paired-sample t-tests were used to analyze the quantitative data, while content analysis was employed for the qualitative data. The findings showed that supervision significantly enhanced the counselors in training's effective counselor characteristics and self-awareness management strategies. However, there were no significant differences in hindering self-awareness and professional disposition. The qualitative analysis revealed that counselors in training who participated in supervision gained a deeper understanding of counseling procedures and techniques, increased trust in the profession, and improved self-efficacy. Counselors in training also highlighted the positive impact of their supervisor and group supervision format on their development. The results of the study suggest the significance of supervision in counselor education. It is recommended that the variables included in the current research and the effect of supervision should be examined in more studies.

Computer-Based Counselor-in-Training Supervision: Ethical and Practical Implications for Counselor Educators and Supervisors

Counselor Education and Supervision, 2007

Computer-based clinical supervision of counselors-in-training is becoming more prevalent (M. Reisch & L. Jarman-Rohde, 2000); however, its use is still in its infancy, and ethical standards have not been established regarding its practice. There exists a dearth of literature focusing on the ethical practice and development of supervisees when using computer-based supervision. This article (a) explores ethical practice when using technology to facilitate counselor supervision, (b) reviews specific types of computer-based applications, (c) presents potential advantages and disadvantages of computer-based supervision, and (d) offers implications for counselor educators and supervisors. Clinical supervision is a crucial and necessary tool in the counseling profession. Bernard and Goodyear (2004) offered a definition of counselor supervision: Supervision is an intervention provided by a senior member of a profession to a junior member or members of that same profession. This relationship is: evaluative, extends over time and has the simultaneous purposes of enhancing the professional functioning of the more junior person(s), monitoring the quality of professional services offered to the clients that she, he or they see(s), and serving as a gatekeeper of those who are to enter a particular profession. (p. 8) Counselor supervision is the main vehicle through which counselorsin-training gain the practical skills and knowledge that will assist them in becoming ethical and effective helping professionals (Vespia, Heckman-Stone, & Delworth, 2002). As Dollarhide and Miller (2006) noted, counselor supervision is "the means by which skills are refined, theory and practice are integrated, and trainees explore their new professional identities in preparation for induction into their profession" (pp. 242-243). Many counseling professionals are involved in supervision, and it has been suggested that they devote much time and effort to this pursuit (Watkins, 1995).