Purpose and Goals Counseling Supervision

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Ethical and Therapeutic Importance of Supervision

According to Schamess (2006) “Supervision increases supervisees’ understanding of unconscious meaning, promotes empathy, improves clinical skills, enhances ego functioning, and expands relational capacity. Changes of this magnitude suggest that the cognitive, affective, and relational processes involved in clinical learning are so closely intertwined that modifying any one of them significantly affects all of the others” (p.428). This is an imperative piece to the supervision part of becoming a new counselor. The supervisor and the supervisee will be able to gain insight into the needs of the supervisee and his or her clients. According to Schamess (2006) “Ekstein and Wallerstein (1958, p. 137) observed that supervisees frequently relate to patients in ways that do not address patients’ needs but instead, reflect the supervisee’s own ‘characteristic, automatic – and therefore at times inappropriate patterns of response’” (p. 429). It is crucial for the supervisee to remain objective and unbiased therefore allowing themselves the opportunity to give feedback that will benefit the client rather than being more reflective of their own beliefs.

Conclusion

It is crucial for therapists to get feedback from supervisors during their supervision sessions. While there are different types of supervision what works for one may not necessarily work for another, so it will be important for the supervisee to look for a supervisor that will benefit him or her the most. The supervisee will gain insight into their own therapy style and will be able to better assist their own clients after receiving feedback from their supervisor. According to Bubenzer, Cryder, and West, “One constructionist supervision method uses a reflecting team of peers. The process often begins with an interview in which one person questions a supervisee about a counseling-related case or dilemma while the team silently observes. Afterwards, team members share a variety of observations and thoughts they believe may help the supervisee in working with families” (1994). This can provide peer feedback that may differ from what a direct supervisor might say in a 1:1 supervision.

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