Philosophy of Supervision
Module 4: Philosophy of Supervision
Stephanie D. Gill, MSCE
Argosy University
My philosophy of supervision is somewhat eclectic, but overall client centered. The supervisor must have some flexibility because all supervisees are different. People learn differently, come from different backgrounds and have different personality traits. All of this must be taken into consideration and adjustments must be made in supervision.
Client centered supervision holds to the same philosophy as client centered therapy. Carl Rogers, the founder of client centered therapy, believed that the same basic principles were effective and necessary in supervision. (Bernard, J. M., & Goodyear, R. K., 2009) The principles of unconditional positive regard, active listening and empathy are essential in building rapport quickly with clients. This is also essential in building trust with the supervisee. This trust helps the supervisee to be less resistant and more motivated to achieve goals in supervision. This approach makes important use of modeling behaviors in therapy and also in supervision. The supervisor must be able to model the same motivation and techniques that they to see in the supervisee. It is non-directive and less confrontational approach to supervision. However, that does not mean that there are no homework assignments or work to be done. It focuses on human nature and relationships. In an article by Strand, V. C., & Badger, L., there is a comparison between a more administrative approach to supervision that has typically been practiced in child welfare agencies and a client centered approach to supervision. The supervisors were trained to be more client-centered and acted as mentors and coaches. The results of this change in approach were significant. The focus was the relationship between the supervisors and supervisees (Strand, V. C., & Badger, L., 2007).
This approach is ideal for me in supervision, as well as counseling, for several reasons. The
Stephanie D. Gill, MSCE
Argosy University
My philosophy of supervision is somewhat eclectic, but overall client centered. The supervisor must have some flexibility because all supervisees are different. People learn differently, come from different backgrounds and have different personality traits. All of this must be taken into consideration and adjustments must be made in supervision.
Client centered supervision holds to the same philosophy as client centered therapy. Carl Rogers, the founder of client centered therapy, believed that the same basic principles were effective and necessary in supervision. (Bernard, J. M., & Goodyear, R. K., 2009) The principles of unconditional positive regard, active listening and empathy are essential in building rapport quickly with clients. This is also essential in building trust with the supervisee. This trust helps the supervisee to be less resistant and more motivated to achieve goals in supervision. This approach makes important use of modeling behaviors in therapy and also in supervision. The supervisor must be able to model the same motivation and techniques that they to see in the supervisee. It is non-directive and less confrontational approach to supervision. However, that does not mean that there are no homework assignments or work to be done. It focuses on human nature and relationships. In an article by Strand, V. C., & Badger, L., there is a comparison between a more administrative approach to supervision that has typically been practiced in child welfare agencies and a client centered approach to supervision. The supervisors were trained to be more client-centered and acted as mentors and coaches. The results of this change in approach were significant. The focus was the relationship between the supervisors and supervisees (Strand, V. C., & Badger, L., 2007).
This approach is ideal for me in supervision, as well as counseling, for several reasons. The
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