Clinical supervision for leaders is sometimes called administrative clinical supervision. This is managerial clinical supervision with a focus on problems related to leadership and organization of work, particularly human relations issues. Administrative clinical supervision makes use of experiential learning focused on oneself and one's work (Sirola-Karvinen and Hyrkas, 2008).
Administrative clinical supervision means clinical supervision for leaders that address leadership issues in order to achieve set goals. Supervision promotes cohesion within the organization and is directed at change. Administrative clinical supervision is the examination of leadership in which leaders have the chance to reflect upon the quality of their decisions and share their feelings. In terms of action, administrative clinical supervision involves process-like support and mentoring, which boost the leader's confidence in coping with leadership duties and changes associated with it. Administrative clinical supervision addresses issues such as the development of the leaders work, the leaders ability to express feelings constructively, give and receive feedback, and create a work atmosphere that encourages expression of opinions and feelings (Sirola-Karvinen and Hyrkas, 2008).
It has just been recently that within the field of counseling and psychotherapy, clinical supervision has become accepted as its own specialty. It is no longer viewed as merely an expansion of the therapeutic process. Some licensing boards like those in Alabama and Louisiana have begun requiring clinicians to receive specialized training in clinical supervision before they can become supervisors. Even with extensive training and the best possible conditions, supervision is a challenging and sometimes daunting undertaking. One way to lessen the impact of the varying quality of supervision is through education of the supervisee (Pearson, 2004).
Formal supervision is essentially a mandated requirement since supervised counseling experience is required in order to obtain a degree and license. Many practicum students often find themselves asking to what degree they consider supervision to be an opportunity for learning, an inconvenience, a restriction, or an imposition. Reflecting on a number of attributes that supervisors expect from and find desirable in supervisees can facilitate this assessment of students' willingness to participate in and receive supervision (Pearson, 2004).
Although beginning students often have the misconception that supervisors just tell counselors what to do, supervisors are expected to function in a variety of roles depending on the needs of the supervisee. The roles that they often have to perform include teacher, counselor, and consultant. When taking on the role of teacher, the supervisor acts as the expert who provides answers and teaches the student in such areas as learning techniques, applying interventions, and conceptualizing. From the role of counselor, the supervisor facilitates the self-growth and explores the personal reactions of the trainee. The main focus of supervision interventions needs to be limited in order to help the function more effectively. In the consultant role, the supervisor provides options and alternatives rather than answers, and the interaction is friendlier. Instead of instructing and directing the student, the supervisor collaborates with the trainee in such areas as case conceptualization and treatment planning (Pearson, 2004).
Supervisor qualities of availability and approachability are critical components of effective supervision because the more comfortable students feel about approaching supervisors for help, the more likely they are to seek this help and get their needs met. Supervisors often have responsibilities like monitoring a student's work with clients, providing regular feedback to the student, offering suggestions for improvement, and limiting the relationship to supervision. Further expectations of effective supervisors include offering suggestions for dealing with specific therapeutic situations, providing practical support through modeling and coaching, giving emotional support through reassurance and encouragement, delivering feedback in a constructive way, and being proficient as a therapist (Pearson, 2004).
A sensible application of supervision theories can offer supervisors a useful guide for incorporating their own theoretical approaches and clinical knowledge into the supervision process. There are three levels of counselor development. Each of these levels finds counselor's exhibiting varying degrees of motivation, autonomy, and awareness. Knowing the developmental level of the counselor helps supervisors make decisions about the optimal supervision environment across several factors: (a) the balance of supportive vs. challenging interventions needed; (b) the degree of structure provided; (c) the amount of teaching, skill development, and direct suggestions needed; and (d) the degree to which counselors' personal reactions are explored (Pearson, 2001).
Figuring out the counselor's developmental level is the first step in choosing supervision strategies and shapes the foundation from which the other steps follow. While counseling experience is certainly a critical factor,...
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Maurice Williams is the former director of Treatment Foster Care. He points out “hundreds of problems that need to be solved” each and every day (“Structural Framework: Authority and Supervision,” 2013, p. 1). However, Maurice indicates that his very first concern when he shows up for work is whether there were any disruptions overnight that need to be dealt with immediately. In other words, a director of human services needs
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Clinical Supervision and its Strengths and Weaknesses Annie Pettifer and colleague Lynn Clouder explain in the peer-reviewed journal Learning in Health and Social Care that clinical supervision is commonly used in professional contexts as a way to "guide reflection with the purpose of advancing practice" (Pettifer, 2008, 169). Clinical supervision "…enables critical practice and development of personal knowledge, professional expertise and competence" (Pettifer, 169). Pettifer mentions that there is no hard and
In clinical situations, for example, problem-solving techniques are often required to ensure best practice. According to Lyth, some authors argue that a balance between roles should be maintained in order to optimize both clinical practice and theoretical knowledge. Generally, it appears to be agreed among theorists that the focus of clinical supervision should be professional development and self-actualization. In addition, an inter-disciplinary approach to supervisory practice will also provide a
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