Purpose and Goals of Counseling Supervision

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There are many benefits to supervision for the supervisee. According to the ACA Code of Ethics (2014), supervisors document and provide supervisees with ongoing feedback regarding their performance and schedule periodic formal evaluative sessions throughout the supervisory relationship. For example, if a supervisor sees the supervisee struggle with a client on a particular issue during a session, the supervisor can make suggestions. This information and collaboration is invaluable for professional growth and development. It ensures that counselors will gain insight from feedback and can use this information to grow and learn to become better practitioners. The ACA Code of Ethics (2014) further provides that through both initial and ongoing evaluation, supervisors will be aware of supervisee limitations that might impede performance. This provides the opportunity for supervisors to help secure remedial assistance when it is needed. If the supervisee continued to struggle in a particular area, then the supervisor might help engage in some further training, such as a training conference, educational course, etch. This provides a growth opportunity for the supervisee that would not be had without a supervisor.

There are different models and styles for supervision within the field of counseling. All adhere to the idea of supervision of the AMFT, that it was a process that trained, evaluated and provided oversight in a systemic way to a counselor to attain skills as he/she prepares to enter the profession (AMFT, 2014). Though this process might be under different models on an individual or group level, it is important that there is a relationship that helps the counselor to learn and grow as they develop skills.

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References

ACA Code of Ethics 2014. http://www.counseling.org/Resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf. Retrieved on November 24, 2015

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. (2014). Approved Supervision Designation: Standards Handbook. (n.p.), Retrieved November 25, 2015 from Http://dx5br1z4f6n0k.cloudfront.net/imis15/Documents/AS-Handbook.pdf

Aponte, H.J., Powell, F. D., Brooks, S., Watson, M. F., Litzke, C., Lawless, J., & Johnson, E. (2009). Training the Person of the Therapist in an Academic Setting. Journal Of Marital & Family Therapy, 35(4), 381-394. doi:10.1111/j.1752-0606.2009.00123.x

Bernard, J. M., & Goodyear, R. K. (2009). Fundamentals of clinical supervision (4th ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Milne, D., & Oliver, V. (2000). Flexible formats of clinical supervision. Description, evaluation and implementation. Journal of Mental Health, 9(3), 291-304. Doi: 10.1080/09638230050073455