The Role of Supervision

The Role of Supervision

Clinical supervision for mental health professionals started out much like “apprenticeships” in other fields. That is, a student/apprentice with minimal skill/knowledge would learn the work by observing, assisting, and receiving feedback from an accomplished member of the same field. It was believed that because the “master” was quite good at the work, he or she would be equally good at teaching/supervising. In fact, this is not the case. Today, we realize that, though clinical supervision and counseling have much in common (e.g., the ability to engage in an interpersonal relationship), the two tasks also utilize separate and distinct skills. This means that a “master” clinician may not be always be a “master” supervisor without the addition of training and competency in supervisory knowledge and skills. Furthermore, the concept of “master-apprentice” supervision evokes a hierarchy of power that favors the master as the “authority,” a dynamic that is not supported in today's literature on supervision. It is also documented that clinical knowledge and skills are not as easily transferrable as the master-apprentice model implies (Falender & Shafranske, 2008).

Observing experienced clinicians at work is without question a useful training tool, but is not sufficient to help students develop the skills necessary to become skilled clinicians themselves. Development is facilitated when the supervisee engages in reflection on the counseling work and relationship, as well as the supervision itself. Thus, clinical supervision is now recognized as a complex exchange between supervisor and supervisee, with supervisory models/theories developed to provide a frame for it. In an effort to give the reader a foundation for understanding different supervision models, this article highlights information gathered from a variety of authors on the topic of supervision. It does not represent all models of supervision, nor does it provide a comprehensive description of each supervisory model presented. Rather, the following presents salient defining characteristics of selected models. For further learning, readings from the reference section at the end of this paper may be helpful.

Psychotherapy-Based Supervision Models

As explained above, clinical supervision started as the practice of observing, assisting, and receiving feedback. In this way, supervision follows the framework and techniques of the specific psychotherapy theory/model being practiced by the supervisor and supervisee. As the need for specific supervisory interventions became evident, supervisory models developed within each of these psychotherapy theories/models to address this need. Psychotherapy-based models of supervision often feel like a natural extension ...