Supervising counsellors and psychotherapists who work with trauma: a Delphi study

Abstract

In this study the Delphi technique was used to identify the main supervision issues that require attention and consideration when supervising counsellors and psychotherapists working with trauma. A panel of supervisors, who were additionally experienced in working with trauma in adulthood, completed a series of three questionnaires comprising two qualitative and one quantitative round. Themes and key concepts were identified from the data, and the respondents rated the importance of the themes using a visual analogue scale. This iterative process identified areas where there was consensus amongst the respondents and areas where contention was apparent. The results revealed significant issues pertinent to the supervision of trauma therapists, with a particularly strong emphasis around training, experience and organisational issues. Directions for further research emerging from the study are also discussed.

Barriers and facilitators to accessing effective clinical supervision and the implementation of a clinical supervision exchange model in the Australian alcohol and other drugs sector

“…This is consistent with previous research among a sample allied health professionals including psychologists and social workers, which suggested that clinical supervision was perceived to be more effective when a supervisor had expertise in the supervisee's field [40]. Evidence suggests this perception is shared by workers in other health-care professions such as midwifery, psychology, counselling and nursing [41][42][43][44]. As the AOD workforce comprises practitioners with a great diversity of professional backgrounds, the capacity to match supervisors and supervisees based on both AOD specialist knowledge and professional backgrounds could be challenging [45].…”

Counsellors' Phenomenological Experiences of Working with Children or Young People who have been Cyberbullied

“…It was clear that the counsellors had been impacted by this through their voice/tone when discussing this, which highlights a difficulty in transcribing and communicating this to the reader and suggests a possibility of a level of secondary trauma associated with their work (Baird and Kracen, 2006;Van De Kolk, 2015). This in turn is suggestive of confirmation of findings from elsewhere indicating a need for a suitable support and supervision (West, 2010). Counsellors were also affected in ways that highlighted their lack of knowledge about the online world, contrary to their indicated level of proficiency, again supporting the need for education in this area.…”

Towards an International Consensus on a Research Agenda for Social Work Supervision: Report on the First Survey of a Delphi Study

“…In her reflection on the Delphi research process West provides a useful discussion of the advantages and limitations (2010a). West (2010b) and Wathen et al (2012) have reported good results for establishing research priorities and similar studies have been summarised by Kezar and Maxey (2014), Keeney et al (2006) and Owen et al (2008). Powell (2003, p.376) reviewed the method and concluded: "Although the technique should be used with caution, it appears to be an established method of harnessing the opinions of an often diverse group of experts on practice-related problems".…”