Effective Supervision As Portrayed By Trainee Expectations and Preferences

Abstract

Effective counseling supervision features the establishment of clearly defined mutual expectations. T h e following article is a critical review of the literature on trainee expectations in supervision that divides the research into three areas: expectations about structure. expectations about communication, and expectations of the supervisory relationship. Iniplications for supervisors are discussed.The counseling supervisor's responsibility is literally to oversee. In practice, supervisors are usually charged with some combination of teaching, managing, and assuring quality of service. These functions can be performed in a wide variety of styles using alternate combinations of specific strategies. Whether the supervisor's manner is authoritarian, collegial, or laissez-faire, or whether a teacher-student, counselor-patient, or consultant-client relationship structure is employed, supervisory effectiveness is enhanced by the presence of mutual goals and expectations. Learning what trainees expect from supervision is among the first tasks a supervisor must face; in fact, the identification and discussion of expectations provides an initial focus for the supervisory relationship. As will be noted later, one of the distinguishing characteristics of effective supervision is that mutual expectations and progress toward specific objectives are regularly reviewed and revised as appropriate.The following review includes both data-based and conceptual articles, some of which address pre-training expectations and others report post-

Advertised Australian counselling psychologists: A descriptive survey of their practice details and self perceived competence in six counselling psychology practice areas

“…Psychologists reported providing supervision for less time, presumably after the psychologists themselves had gained experience. This is also a positive finding as counselling experience is an important, albeit not sufficient, basis for the provision of supervision (Clarkson & Gilbert, 1991;Dye & Borders, 1990;Farrell, 1996;Hillman, McPherson, Swank, & Watkins, 1998;Leddick & Dye, 1987;Schofield & Pelling, 2002;Stoltenberg, McNeill, & Delworth, 1998;Styczynski, 1980). Individual counselling with adult populations was the most popular counselling activity, followed by couple and family counselling.…”

The Relationship of Supervisory Experience, Counseling Experience, and Training in Supervision to Supervisory Identity Development

“…Experience as a supervisor has long been believed to have a positive influence on one's development as a supervisor (Stoltenberg and Delworth 1987;Leddick and Dye 1987). Indeed, a minimum of 100 h of supervisory experience is required to earn the Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) credential (Bernard 1998).…”

“…Many authors indicate that to be a competent supervisor one must also be an established and competent counselor (Leddick and Dye 1987). Styczynski (1980) reports that therapist skills are important as they can, firstly, be imparted to the trainee and, secondly, because many of the skills successful in therapeutic interventions are also relevant to the supervisory relationship to "optimize change and development of the student" (p. 31).…”

Correspondence between supervisors and trainees in their perception of supervision events

“…have been the focus of much supervision research (Allen, Szollos, & Williams, 1986;Carey, Williams, & Wells, 1988;Carifio & Hess, 1987;Leddick & Dye, 1987;Shanfield, Matthews, & Hetherly, 1993;Usher & Borders, 1993). The answers to such important questions still remain ambiguous, as summed up by Ellis and Ladany (1997) and Neufeldt, Beutler, and Banchero (1997).…”