Training and Education in Professional Psychology
2014, Vol. 8, No. 4, 236 –240
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.
© 2014 American Psychological Association
1931-3918/14/$12.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tep0000075
Contracting for Group Supervision
Randyl D. Smith
Metropolitan State University of Denver
One important way to emphasize that group supervision—a common component of predoctoral intern-
ship and postdoctoral fellowship programs—is well planned and intentionally utilized is through the use
of contracts. Contracts have long been recognized as an important element of individual supervision, as
they can mitigate confusion, clarify purpose, delineate roles, and explicate the processes of supervisee
evaluation. For these same reasons and more, contracts in group supervision may be not only useful
structuring devices but also essential to the delivery of ethical and impactful group supervision. A sample
group supervision contract is provided.
Keywords: group supervision, supervision, contract
The use of contracts has long been recognized as an important—
even best-practice—approach to clinical supervision (e.g., Bernard
& Goodyear, 2014). For group supervision, however, contracts
have not been widely adopted, despite the many advantages they
offer to both the supervisor and the supervisees. As in individual
supervision, contracting in group supervision might even be con-
sidered an ethical essential, as contracts mitigate confusion, clarify
purpose, delineate roles, and explicate the process of supervisee
evaluation. This brief article follows up on recommendations by
Smith, Riva, and Erickson Cornish (2012) in developing a tem-
plate for a group supervision contract that can be used in predoc-
toral psychology internships and postdoctoral fellowship training
sites.
RANDYL D. SMITH received her MSW from the University of Pennsyl-
vania and her PhD in counseling psychology from the University of
Denver. She is currently an associate professor of psychology at Metro-
politan State University of Denver, and also maintains an independent
psychotherapy practice. Her areas of interest include professional ethics,
service learning, and human sexuality.
JENNIFER A. ERICKSON CORNISH received her MSW from the University
of Southern California and PhD in clinical psychology from the California
School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles. She is currently associate
professor and director of Clinical Training and Internship Consortium at
the University of Denver Graduate School of Professional Psychology. Her
research areas include supervision and training, ethics, and multicultural-
ism.
MARIA T. RIVA received her PhD in counseling psychology from the
University of Pittsburgh. She is department chair and professor of Coun-
seling Psychology at the Morgridge College of Education at the University
of Denver. She is past president of the American Psychological Association
Division 49: Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy and coeditor
(with Janice L. De Lucia-Waack and Cynthia R. Kalodner) of the Hand-
book of Group Counseling and Group Psychotherapy (2004, 2014). Her
research interests include group supervision, and group counseling leader-
ship and dynamics.
CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS ARTICLE should be addressed to
Randyl D. Smith, Psychology Department, Metropolitan State University
of Denver, PO Box 173362, Denver, CO 80217. E-mail: rsmit216@
msudenver.edu
236
Jennifer A. Erickson Cornish and Maria T. Riva
University of Denver
The last decade has seen significant innovation and attention
related to the competencies necessary to perform clinical supervi-
sion in psychology. Supervision has been considered a key func-
tion of psychologists for many years, but only recently has it
become one of the core competency areas used to evaluate students
and their training programs (Grus, 2013). In 2011, when the
American Psychological Association (APA; Hatcher et al., 2011)
revised the competencies and benchmarks used to assess psychol-
ogy trainees, supervision was presented as a distinct set of com-
petencies, comprised of essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes/
values that can be assessed in determining a trainee’s readiness for
independent practice. These benchmarks can be used by graduate
programs, predoctoral internships, and postdoctoral fellowships to
assess the efficacy of their training and education (APA, 2011).
Similarly, when the Health Service Psychology Education Collab-
orative (2013) developed competencies for health service provid-
ers (HSPs) in psychology, supervision was included as a compe-
tency, and it was noted that “as the health care system focuses on
practice at the highest level of training, HSPs are increasingly
called upon to supervise other professions in the delivery of
services, including nondoctoral behavioral health providers” (p.
425). Finally, the recently proposed Standards of Accreditation
(APA, 2014) for both doctoral programs and internships include
supervision as a “profession-wide competency” (for internships,
see p. 5; for doctoral programs, see pp. 7– 8). The upshot of the
recent changes is that, today, those involved in training and edu-
cation in psychology—from students to faculty to practicum, in-
ternship, and postdoctoral supervisors— have a much clearer un-
derstanding of the best practices for competent supervision.
Among those best practices emphasized in recent literature is
the supervisory contract. Certainly, the use of contracts in
supervision is not new. Throughout the 1990s, journal articles
raised awareness of the need for clear written agreements
between supervisors and supervisees, both to explicate roles
and responsibilities and to affirm learning goals and objectives
(e.g., Hewson, 1999; Osborn & Davis, 1996). Bernard and
Goodyear (1992) addressed the use of contracts in the first
edition of their classic text Fundamentals of Clinical Supervi-
sion, and have devoted increasingly more attention to con-
 CONTRACTING FOR GROUP SUPERVISION
tracts—and the empirical support for them—in each subsequent
edition (most recently, 2013).
Although not all supervisors use contracts, nearly all the liter-
ature on contracting supports their use, and it is not difficult to
understand why. Contracts serve a variety of functions, including
describing the context in which the supervision occurs; the pur-
pose, goals, and objectives of the supervision; the methods of
evaluation; the duties and responsibilities of supervisors and su-
pervisees; and additional considerations such as whether observa-
tion or video recording will occur. For group supervision, contracts
may serve an even broader function. Trainees assigned to group
supervision may have inaccurate assumptions about its purpose.
Specifically, they may believe that supervision is conducted in a
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.
group mode expressly for its efficiency, without understanding the
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.
many advantages that group supervision has, such as the power of
group dynamics and multiple perspectives to offer an enhanced
learning experience (Gillam, Hayes, & Paisley, 1997). Such in-
complete, and even false, notions about group supervision could be
mitigated through the use of a written contract that explains the
very purpose of the group format for supervision.
Although there is no actual consensus on the format and content
of group supervision, we support the definition articulated by
Bernard and Goodyear (2004) that states,
Group supervision is the regular meeting of a group of supervisees
with a designated supervisor or supervisors to monitor the quality of
their work and to further their understanding of themselves as clini-
cians, of the clients with whom they work, and of service delivery in
general. These supervisees are aided in achieving these goals by their
supervisor(s) and by their feedback from and interactions with each
other. (p. 235)
Group supervision can serve supervisees who are seeing indi-
vidual clients, supervisees who are leading groups, or supervisees
who are supervising others (i.e., group supervision of supervision).
In contrast to individual supervision, group supervision offers
both the benefits and the pitfalls of multiple trainees sharing their
various experiences and perspectives. The combined input of train-
ees has the potential to foster growth and awareness, and a well-
articulated contract can help to explain, at the outset of group
supervision, the value of self-disclosure for group cohesiveness,
modeling, and feedback. Supervisees can be encouraged to take
advantage of the group process to further their insight and their
professional development. On the other hand, supervisees need to
be aware that their disclosures may not necessarily be contained
within that supervision setting. Contracts can be used to elucidate
whether and how supervisees’ involvement and disclosures may be
used in their evaluations. In addition, because of the group struc-
ture, there is a greater likelihood that personal disclosures get
“leaked” beyond the confines of the supervision setting, and the
contract can address those risks. In other words, contracts can
serve to protect potentially vulnerable individuals: the students,
interns, or postdoctoral fellows whose performance is being eval-
uated and whose employment, present and future, may hinge on
the supervisory relationship and its outcome.
Of course, contracts also help to protect the group supervisees’
clients by articulating behavior related to confidentiality and skill
development that may directly facilitate better client care. How-
ever, it is important to remember that discussion of client problems
and processes, a typical component of any supervision experience,
237
may warrant more vigilant attention to confidentiality in group
supervision, in which the risks of jeopardizing client confidential-
ity are heightened. The client being presented by one supervisee
may be recognized by another supervisee, from either personal or
professional associations. Although it may be considered best
practice for a trainee to recuse herself from a discussion of a client
whom she knows in some other capacity (say, as a classmate or as
a coworker), that is not common practice in group supervision
(Smith et al., 2012). Perhaps if supervisees were advised, in an
up-front contract, about how to handle such situations, client
confidentiality would be better protected.
Finally, group supervision includes more roles and layers of
potential complication than individual supervision. Multiple rela-
tionships are likely, in that the group supervisor may also be the
individual supervisor of one or more of the group trainees, or that
there may be friendships or professional alliances among and
between the trainees. Multiple roles can also occur between a
group supervisor who is evaluating a case presentation on a par-
ticular client who is also being discussed in individual supervision
by a different supervisor. These two supervisors may provide
discrepant information as to how to proceed in the case, confusing
the supervisee. A well-written contract can serve to address how
complex roles may impact the learning and evaluation of the
trainees, and can elucidate how the various constituents (supervi-
sor, supervisee, clients) interface with one another.
Despite the many benefits they offer, contracts appear to be an
underused component of the group supervisory process. In re-
sponse to a recent survey regarding group supervision, the majority
of supervisors (54%) and interns (60%) reported that written
contracts, though overwhelmingly endorsed as ethical, were not
used in their supervision groups (Smith et al., 2012). Potential
barriers to more broad utilization of contracts in group supervision
include not just adherence to status quo, no-contract practices, but
the time and knowledge it takes to develop a contract. Accord-
ingly, the ready availability of a preexisting template for group
supervision may encourage wider adoption of contracting by group
supervisors.
Elements of a Group Supervision Contract
Although each supervision group will differ, several important
elements in writing a contract for supervisors and supervisees
are worth consideration. Many of these elements are similar to
those found in individual supervision contracts (e.g., Bernard &
Goodyear, 2014), yet others will be unique to the group format.
A proposed template for basic group supervision may be found
in the Appendix; it may be modified to fit various group
supervision scenarios.
Context of Supervision
Although the context of services for group supervision may be
similar to that found in individual supervision, it is still important
to outline when, where, and how group supervision will be con-
ducted, including the timeline for the group. Group supervision in
training sites often includes group supervisees at different levels of
training (practicum, internship, or postdoctoral fellowship), and
with varying expectations and experience (particularly if the group
members are from different academic programs). In the case of
 238 SMITH, ERICKSON CORNISH, AND RIVA
trainees purchasing supervision, the contract should include how
much group supervision will cost. As the proposed Standards of
Accreditation (APA, 2014) include the need for observations dur-
ing individual supervision, group supervision may also require
observation of clients in session with the supervisees, although the
proposed standards are silent on the observation requirements for
group supervision. In this case, the contract might outline how this
will occur (e.g., via a two-way mirror or DVD recordings of a
supervisee with their client/s) and how the members of the group
will be involved. If group members are expected to give case
presentations, an outline for this might be provided. Likewise, if
the group supervisor will be using a particular theory of supervi-
sion and/or group supervision, it could be useful to include that
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.
here as well.
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.
Purpose, Goals, and Objectives of Group Supervision
Although group supervision may share similar goals with indi-
vidual supervision (e.g., to monitor and ensure the welfare of
clients, to promote the development of supervisee competence, to
give organized and thorough case presentations), it differs in
several important ways, which can be articulated in the contract.
For instance, in group supervision, supervisees will be expected to
learn to both give feedback to and receive feedback from other
supervisees and also to interact effectively within a group of
colleagues. When variations of group supervision are conducted
(e.g., group supervision of supervision), additional training goals
may be present (such as teaching supervision competencies while
also monitoring client welfare).
Methods of Evaluation
In addition to evaluation methods that would be included in
a contract for individual supervision (e.g., where, when, and
how, including both formative and summative approaches),
within the context of group supervision, supervisees may be
asked to give feedback to each other, either formally or infor-
mally. It can be helpful to make explicit the expectation that
feedback is given in a mutually respectful manner. When group
supervisees come from more than one academic program, the
contract can be used to describe any different training goals or
timelines within the group context, as well as different agen-
cies, directors, or other administrators who may be involved in
the group supervisees’ training.
Disclosures made by supervisees may be relevant for evaluation
purposes, and thus may become part of oral or written updates
provided to academic program directors. Group supervisors need
to clarify when they may need to disclose information outside of
the group for evaluative purposes. Group members should be
asked not to share material from their fellow supervisees outside of
the group, but as with group therapy, there is no guarantee that
confidentiality will be upheld by other group members. Thus, a
statement related to self-disclosure and privacy issues in the group
might include that although supervisees are urged to keep conver-
sations private, the group supervisor cannot absolutely ensure that
supervisees will do so.
Duties and Responsibilities of the Group Supervisor
and Supervisees
The contract explains the duties and expectations of the super-
visor and of the supervisee, thereby increasing accountability and
minimizing misunderstandings. In this section, the supervisor will
generally agree to examine clinical information, review record-
ings, and/or participate in live observation, sign documentation as
needed, uphold the relevant ethics code (e.g., APA, 2010), main-
tain professional liability insurance, and perform all standard su-
pervision activities while demonstrating supervision competen-
cies. In group supervision, it will be also helpful to add
information on any dual or multiple relationships with supervisees
(e.g., providing individual supervision as well as group supervision
to the same trainee), and to discuss how potential problems can be
reduced or addressed. Because achieving the optimal level of
challenge and support in group situations is even more complex
than in individual supervision, it is important to include something
about providing a safe environment in which supervisees can
present difficult clinical situations and disagree without harm.
Group supervisees will also be required to agree to provide
clinical information, recordings, and documentation; uphold the
relevant ethics code; maintain professional liability insurance; and
perform all standard activities.
Additional Considerations
As in contracts for individual supervision, contracts for group
supervision may include information about attendance issues,
emergency provisions, and ways to resolve potential conflicts. It
may be helpful to include details about the group supervisor’s
credentials and scope of competence; when this includes expertise
in group supervision that should be described as well. Finally, a
supervision contract usually provides a statement whereby the
involved parties agree to the terms and sign the document. In group
supervision, individual contracts may vary slightly if supervisees
come from different programs with different expectations, experi-
ence, and timelines. A universal contract that all supervisees sign
may also be used. The purpose of a contract is to provide clear
communication and expectations between the group supervisor
and the group supervisee. If the contract is clear and reasonable,
the internship or postdoctoral fellowship should expect that all
supervisees would sign and honor the contract. It is possible that a
supervisee may have concerns about some specific item on the
contract, and this would be an excellent opportunity to have a
discussion about the specific concern. Whether individual con-
tracts or universal contracts are used, each supervisee should
receive a copy of the contract.
Recommendations
We recommend that all group supervisors use some type of
group supervision contract, modifying it when necessary (e.g., for
group supervision of supervision, or group supervision of group
therapy). It might be useful to include developmental consider-
ations (e.g., group supervision that involves predoctoral trainees
will be different than group supervision that involves postdoctoral
fellows). Because the literature is largely silent on the use of
contracts in group supervision, going forward, it will be important
 CONTRACTING FOR GROUP SUPERVISION 239

to research the existence of such contracts, the barriers to their
implementation, and the best practices for assuring their effective
use.
References
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American Psychological Association. (2011). Revised competency bench-
marks for professional psychology. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/
ed./graduate/competency.aspx
American Psychological Association. (2014). Proposed standards of ac-
creditation. Retrieved from http://apps.apa.org/accredcomment/default
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Grus, C. L. (2013). The supervision competency: Advancing
competency-based education and training in professional psychology.
The Counseling Psychologist, 41, 131–139. http://dx.doi.org/
10.1177/0011000012453946
Hatcher, R. L., Fouad, N. A., Grus, C. L., McCutcheon, S., Campbell, L.,
& Leahy, K. (2011). Revised competency benchmarks. Retrieved from
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psychology in health care services: A blueprint for education and train-
ing. American Psychologist, 68, 411– 426. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/
a0033265
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egies, methods and techniques (pp. 67–91). Washington, DC: Sage.
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Bernard, J. M., & Goodyear, R. K. (Eds.). (1992). Fundamentals of clinical

supervision. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Bernard, J. M., & Goodyear, R. K. (Eds.). (2004). Fundamentals of clinical
supervision (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.
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supervision (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Gillam, S. L., Hayes, R. L., & Paisley, P. O. (1997). Group work as a
method of supervision. In S. Gladding (Ed.), New developments in group
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a0030806

Appendix
Sample Group Supervision Contract

(Readers have blanket permission to use, modify, and revise this template for use in supervision and training, and it is not necessary
to cite the source. Reproduction for publication requires written permission of the authors.)

Context of Supervision
This is an agreement for group supervision between ____________________________ (name of supervisor) and
_________________________ (group supervisee) who is engaged in training at _________________ (training site). Group supervision
will occur every _____________ (day of the week) at _________ (time of day) for _____________ (length of time), from __________
to ___________ (month and year). Except when otherwise indicated, supervision will take place in ____________ (location). Supervisees
will be expected to share case presentations with the group at least ________ (number of times) per ____________ (time period).
Supervision meetings may include observation of supervisees via video recordings and/or a two-way mirror for purposes of evaluating
clinical effectiveness.
1. The purpose, goals, and objective of group supervision. Group supervision is different than individual supervision although it
may have some of the same goals.
• Monitor and ensure the welfare of the clients seen by supervisees.
• Promote the development of supervisees’ professional identity, knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, and overall competence.
• Enhance supervisees’ abilities both to give and to receive feedback.
• Present organized and thorough case information (e.g., case presentation).
• Provide a forum in which supervisees can learn to interact effectively within a group of colleagues.
2. Methods of evaluation. Group supervision serves both supportive and evaluative functions. Supervisees are encouraged to share
challenges, concerns, and feelings related to their professional responsibilities. However, it is important to remember that not all
disclosures will necessarily remain confidential; rather, supervisee disclosures may be considered by the supervisor to be relevant to
the overall evaluation of supervisee progress.

(Appendix continues)
 240 SMITH, ERICKSON CORNISH, AND RIVA

• The group supervisor will evaluate group supervisees using formal measures and informal feedback on at least a ___________
(monthly, quarterly, semester) basis. Written evaluations will be provided to each supervisee.
• The supervisees will give feedback to one another, both formally and informally, on at least a ___________ (monthly, quarterly,
semester) basis. ______________ (program director or other administrator) will be provided updates as to the evaluation of each
supervisee.
3. Duties and responsibilities of the supervisor. The group supervisor will strive to create an atmosphere of respect, professionalism,
and engaged learning.
• Work to provide a safe environment where discussions and differences of agreement can occur without harm.
• Clarify the purpose of group supervision and how this differs from individual supervision (e.g., focus, expectations, norms).
• In collaboration with the group, set clear norms for the group supervision sessions and the behavior of group supervisees.
• Describe, at the outset, the evaluation plan.
• Explain how group supervision sessions will be documented.
• Clarify the role of the group supervisor in relation to the supervisees’ individual supervisor(s).
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

• Avoid dual or multiple relationships with supervisees (such as friendships, business or financial relationships, social gatherings). No
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

sexual relationship will occur between the group supervisor and group supervisees. Favoritism will be avoided.
• If a dual relationship does occur (e.g., supervisor provides both individual and group supervision to supervisee/s), discuss how
potential problems can be reduced or addressed.
• Discuss the theory or theories used in group supervision.
• Examine and respond to clinical information presented in group supervision, including case presentations, video recordings, and/or
live observations.
• Sign supervisee documentation as needed.
• Address both confidentiality of client information and privacy/limits to privacy of supervisee disclosures.
• Refrain from discussing material about an absent group supervisee.
• Address and give procedures to help resolve any negative situations that may occur among group supervisees or between group
supervisee(s) and supervisor.
• Uphold the APA Code of Ethics.
• Maintain active license and professional liability insurance.
• Come to group supervision on time and let supervisees know in advance (if possible) of any changes to the schedule.
4. Duties and responsibilities of group supervisees. Group supervisees can benefit from the input, support, and shared experiences
of multiple peer-colleagues while learning how to provide effective feedback and guidance to others.
• Come prepared with clinical questions, case presentations, recordings, and/or documentation as indicated by the group supervisor.
• Provide respectful feedback to other group members.
• Refrain from discussing material about an absent group supervisee.
• Keep private conversations that occur in group supervision.
• Follow all ethical codes, legal requirements, and procedures/policies of the agency/program.
• Follow the group norms.
• Consider group supervision to be a learning experience and seek the benefits of learning from the supervisor and group supervisees.
• Come to group on time and let the group supervisor know when an absence is unavoidable.
I have read the above document, had an opportunity to discuss it, and agree to follow the provisions described.
Group Supervisor ___________________________________ Date _______________
Group Supervisee ___________________________________ Date _______________
Note. Adapted from “The Supervision Contract: Making It Perfectly Clear,” by C. J. Osborn and T. E. Davis, 1996, The Clinical
Supervisor, 14, pp. 121–134, and “Contracting for Supervision,” by E. Sutter, R. H. McPherson, and R. Geeseman, 2002, Professional
Psychology: Research and Practice, 33, pp. 495– 498.

Received March 24, 2014

Revision received September 2, 2014
Accepted September 8, 2014 䡲