Peer group supervision.

The Peer Consultation Group

“…1962). The discontent wilh traditional supervision gained a ready audience in the 1960s when a general social revolt against hierarchical relationships was occurring (Gelzel, Goldberg & Salmon, 1971;Hare & Frankena, 1972;Moore, 1970). Another impetus for the use of groups in social work supervision began in lhe mid 1970s with the growing popularity of family trealment, which has continued to h e present.…”

Family Therapy Training for Paraprofessionals in a Community Mental Health Center

“…An analysis of the situation reveals that there may have been an inherent contradiction in the trainers' having instructed paraprofessionals to set up peer supervision. Successful prior experiences in peer supervision reported elsewhere (23) seemed to involve an independent, almost underground, formation of a voluntary “cuddle” group to share cases. It could be that the imposition of peer supervision by the trainer was self‐defeating even though the group was left to organize its functioning autonomously, perhaps even without sufficient guidance or follow‐up.…”

“…Peer networks using cooperative problem-solving to capitalize on preexisting bonds between people have been shown through clinical application to enhance coping strengths (47). In a similar vein, it was hoped that, through supportive sharing with peers paraprofessionals could offer each other clinical help on cases, break down some of the isolation and frustration experienced in work with high-risk clients, and perhaps even cement staff cohesiveness and functioning (23).…”

“…In retrospect, the concepts of peer supervision appeared more attractive in the abstract than in their attempted concrete manifestation. Much resistance was encountered from paraprofessionals in the form of disinterest, lack of enthusiasm, poor and spotty attendance, outside conflicting pressures, and the stated unhelpfulness of sessions (23). Only in one of the three clinics was regular attendance maintained.…”

“…Paraprofessionals felt that important learning occurred through the supportive sharing of case experiences in the group context (28). Listening to each others' ideas enabled paraprofessionals to recognize and gain respect for the various skill levels and competencies that existed in themselves and peers (23, 27, 28). While paraprofessionals appeared to develop growing competence and self‐reliance through group supervision, they continued to rely on the professional trainers for validation and confirmation of their skills.…”