TOPIC 7

Issues in Supervision
and Consultation
 INTRODUCTION
• Being a competent professional demands continuing
education and willingness to obtain periodic
supervision when faced with ethical or clinical
dilemmas
• As future practitioners, you can never know all that you
might like to know, nor you can attain all the skills
required to effectively intervene with all client
populations or all types of problems.
• This is where the processes of supervision and
consultation come into play, and why supervision
remains a lifelong process for you throughout your
career
 Supervision
• A process that involves a supervisor overseeing the
professional work of a trainee with four major goals:

1. to promote supervisee growth and development

2. to protect the welfare of the client
3. to monitor supervisee performance and to serve as a
gatekeeper for the profession
4. to empower the supervisee to self-supervise and carry out
these goals as an independent professional
Informed Consent in Supervision
• The standard of practice is to incorporate clear informed
consent material for supervisees, both orally and in writing.

• It is beneficial to discuss the rights of supervisees from the

beginning of the supervisory relationship.

• When supervisees learn what they can expect in all aspects

of their supervision and what they need to do to achieve
success, supervisees are empowered to express expectations,
make decisions, and become active participants in the
supervisory process.
 The Supervision Contract
• The following topics should be included in a supervision
contract:
– Supervisor’s background
– Methods to be used in supervision
– Responsibilities and requirements of supervisors
– Supervisee’s responsibilities
– Policies pertaining to confidentiality and privacy
 The Supervision Contract
– Documentation of supervision
– Risks and benefits
– Evaluation of job performance
– Complaint procedures and due process
– Professional development goals

– Duration and termination of the supervision contract

 Rights of Supervisees
• Supervisory sessions free from distractions
• To be fully informed of supervisor’s approach
• Confidentiality with regard to supervisee’s disclosure
• Confidentiality with regard to clients except as mandated by
law
• Continual access to records maintained during supervision
• To provide feedback to supervisors concerning supervision
experience
• To seek consultation from other professionals as necessary
 The Supervisor’s Roles and
Responsibilities
• Supervisors must be competent both in the practice of
supervision and in the area of counseling being supervised.

• Supervisors should provide supervision only after obtaining

the needed education and training to ensure competence in this
role, and only if they can devote the required time to provide
adequate oversight.

• Supervisors are ultimately responsible, both ethically and

legally, for the actions of their trainees.
 The Supervisor’s Roles and
Responsibilities
• Supervisors have responsibilities to supervisees’ current clients
and to their future clients as well.

• Supervisors must have a clearly developed framework for

supervision and a rationale for the methods they employ.

• The quality of the supervisory relationship is just as important

as the methods a supervisor chooses.

• A good portion of the supervisory sessions should focus on the

personal stress experienced by the supervisee during client–
counselor interactions.
 Methods of Supervision
• Self-report is one of the most widely used supervisory
methods, yet it may be the least useful. This procedure is
limited by the supervisee’s conceptual and observational
ability.

• Process notes build on the self-report by adding a written

record explaining the content of the session and the
interactional processes.

• Audio recording is a widely used procedure that yields direct

and useful information about the supervisee.
 Methods of Supervision

• Video recording allows for an assessment of the subtleties of

the interaction between the supervisee and the client.

• Live supervision, which is conducted by the supervisor during

the supervisee’s session with a client, provides the most
accurate information about the therapy session.
 Competence of Supervisors
• Currently, most psychology and counselor education programs
offer a course in supervision at the doctoral level, but training
for supervisors at the master’s level is lacking.

• The counselor licensure laws in a number of states now

stipulate that licensed professional counselors who practice
supervision are required to have relevant training experiences
and course work in supervision.

• Good supervisors demonstrate the four A’s: They tend to be

available, accessible, affable, and able.
 Legal Aspects of Supervision
• 1. Informed consent
• 2. Confidentiality and its limits
• 3. Liability
– direct liability: can be incurred when the actions of
supervisors are the cause for harm.

– vicarious liability: pertains to the responsibilities

supervisors have to oversee the actions of their supervisees.
 Risk Management Practices
for Supervisors
• Don’t supervise beyond your competence.
• Evaluate and monitor supervisees’ competence.
• Be available for supervision consistently.
• Formulate a sound supervision contract.
• Maintain written policies.
• Document all supervisory activities.
• Consult with appropriate professionals.
 Risk Management Practices
for Supervisors
• Maintain a working knowledge of ethics codes, legal statutes,
and licensing regulations.
• Use multiple methods of supervision.
• Have a feedback and evaluation plan.
• Verify that your professional liability insurance covers you for
supervision (USA).
• Evaluate and screen all clients under your supervisee’s care.
• Establish a policy for ensuring confidentiality.
• Incorporate informed consent in practice.
 Multicultural Issues in Supervision
• Supervisors need to ensure that all assessments, diagnostic
formulations, counseling interventions, and the supervisory
process itself are sensitive to the range of diversity that
supervisees may encounter.

• Dimensions of a good multicultural model:

– pluralistic philosophy
– cultural knowledge
– consciousness raising
– experiential training
– contact with racial and ethnic minorities
– practicum or internship with culturally diverse populations
 Multiple Roles and Relationships
in the Supervisory Process

• Sexual intimacies during training:

– core issue is difference in power and status

• Providing counseling for trainees:

– dual relationship standard of ethical conduct should
be used
 Ethical and Professional Issues
in Consultation
• Ethical standards for consultants
• Value issues in consulting
• Competence in consultation
• Consultant training
• Relationship issues in consulting
• Rights of consultees
• Issues involving consulting groups
• Issues in crisis and disaster consultation