Purpose and Goals of Supervision for Counselors
Purpose and Goals of Supervision for Counselors
Brad Thayer
COUN5004 – Survey of Research in Human Development for Professional Counselors
07/26/2015
Dr. Barbara Cooper Purpose and Goals of Clinical Supervision for Counselors
Supervision can be a very foreign process to a mental health counselor when first starting their professional journey. In other professions supervision can mean addressing performance, administrative compliance and personnel concerns. In the field of mental health counseling the purpose of supervision is therapeutic and multifaceted. In order to explain the complexity of supervision for a mental health counselor it must be broken down into key areas. The first is the very definition of supervision. Next is to explore what supervision looks like. By exploring two models of supervision one can gain better understanding of the expectations of both the supervisor and supervisee. After gaining a clearer understanding of the process of supervision one can then examine the benefits of supervision. The benefits of supervisor from the perspective of the counselor can help with the understanding of why supervision is common practice. Supervision is vital to the development and growth of a counselor to the point that it has significant ethical and therapeutic implications to the counseling profession. One that is new to or has not experienced supervision in the counseling field can benefit from understanding the rational for supervision and the purpose and goals it serves.
Definition of Counseling Supervision
Supervision in the counseling field is common practice for a valid reason. Bernard & Goodyear explain that supervision is, “An intervention provided by a more senior member of a profession to a more junior member or members of that same profession. This relationship is evaluative, extends over time, and has the simultaneous purposes of enhancing the professional functioning of the more junior person(s) monitoring the quality
Brad Thayer
COUN5004 – Survey of Research in Human Development for Professional Counselors
07/26/2015
Dr. Barbara Cooper Purpose and Goals of Clinical Supervision for Counselors
Supervision can be a very foreign process to a mental health counselor when first starting their professional journey. In other professions supervision can mean addressing performance, administrative compliance and personnel concerns. In the field of mental health counseling the purpose of supervision is therapeutic and multifaceted. In order to explain the complexity of supervision for a mental health counselor it must be broken down into key areas. The first is the very definition of supervision. Next is to explore what supervision looks like. By exploring two models of supervision one can gain better understanding of the expectations of both the supervisor and supervisee. After gaining a clearer understanding of the process of supervision one can then examine the benefits of supervision. The benefits of supervisor from the perspective of the counselor can help with the understanding of why supervision is common practice. Supervision is vital to the development and growth of a counselor to the point that it has significant ethical and therapeutic implications to the counseling profession. One that is new to or has not experienced supervision in the counseling field can benefit from understanding the rational for supervision and the purpose and goals it serves.
Definition of Counseling Supervision
Supervision in the counseling field is common practice for a valid reason. Bernard & Goodyear explain that supervision is, “An intervention provided by a more senior member of a profession to a more junior member or members of that same profession. This relationship is evaluative, extends over time, and has the simultaneous purposes of enhancing the professional functioning of the more junior person(s) monitoring the quality
References: American Counseling Association (2014). ACA Code of Ethics. Alexandria, VA: Author. Bernard, J.M Loganbill, C., Hardy, E., & Delworth, U. (1982). Supervision: A conceptual model. Counseling Psychologist, 10, 3-42. Milne, D., & Oliver, V. (2000). Flexible formats of clinical supervision: Description, evaluation, and implementation. Journal of Mental Health,9(3), 291-304. Prosek, E. A., Holm, J. M., & Daly, C. M. (2013). Benefits of required counseling for counseling students Ward, C. C., & House, R. M. (1998). Counseling supervision: A reflective model. Counselor Education and Supervision, 38(1), 23 Watkins, C.E. Jr., (1997). Handbook of Psychotherapy Supervision. New York, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.