Competency‐based Models of Supervision: Principles and Applications,Promises and Challenges

Major changes initiated by the Psychology Board of Australia (the Board) and by professional bodies both nationally and internationally have placed professional supervision in the spotlight for the practising psychologist and supervisor. Further, within the context of a growing impetus towards competency‐based pedagogies for professional training across disciplines, a recent Board document has indicated that supervisor training must adhere to a competency‐based model within a best‐practice supervision framework (Psychology Board of Australia). For the practising psychologist, the recent recommendation closely follows other initiatives including the introduction of mandatory peer consultation and supervisor accreditation. The current article seeks to clarify for the Australian psychologist the characteristics of competency‐based supervision models for training and supervision, and to unpack the many implications for professional practice. The article outlines the features that distinguish competency models from other supervision models, explains the rationale for and the merits that competency‐driven pedagogies promise, and discusses the challenges these changes will bring to supervision theory and practice.     

Facilitating supervisees’ developing competence through supervisory conversation

Research on assessing supervisees’ professional development (PD) has been primarily focused on formal end-point, summative evaluations. Little attention has been given to the role that routine supervisory conversations play in formative PD evaluations. This study takes a situated/dialogical approach to explore how PD evaluations are locally proposed, recognized, transacted, and conversationally accomplished in the conversations of actual supervision practice. Informed by ethnomethodology, we discursively analyzed episodes of supervisory sessions selected by supervisory dyads, which they regarded as significant to the supervisee’s PD. We describe and exemplify five conversational Practices by which supervisory dyads brought about shared evaluations vis-à-vis the supervisee’s PD, through supervisory conversations.     

“It Would Be a Shame to Lose Them”: A Critical Historical,Scoping, and Expert Review on the Use of Projective Assessments in Occupational Therapy,Part II

Projective assessments have a long history in occupational therapy, yet their relevance may be questioned. Part I of this article provided a critical history of their development and a scoping review of the evidence. This second article outlines an interview-based qualitative study of the clinical and academic perspectives of nine experts. Through this comprehensive two-part article, conceptual and methodological issues are articulated in order to suggest educational and clinical guidelines, and future research avenues. The place of projective assessments in occupational therapy is demonstrated as a salient specialty area of practice in the current evolving landscape of mental health.     

Roth and Pilling's competence framework for clinical supervision: How generalisable is it?

Background: Roth and Pilling's (2009) competence framework for the supervision of psychological therapies was commissioned as a training resource for the UK Government's ‘Improving Access to Psychological Therapies’ (IAPT) programme. Aims: This paper considers the extent to which it reflects current supervisory practice in the UK. Method: Supervisors' opinions of the non‐modality‐specific competences were surveyed using an online survey form and two emailed survey forms. Findings: Regardless of their professional background, participants felt able to identify with the majority of competences surveyed; however, a minority elicited disagreement. Here, findings suggest that those who drew on cognitive and/or behavioural theory, and were members of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) might be more confident in their ownership than others. However, small sample sizes in the email surveys prevent firm conclusions from being drawn. Conclusions: Regardless of the theoretical approach they subscribe to, supervisors should find the framework helpful as a guide to best practice.     

When educational supervision meets clinical supervision: what can we learn from the discrepancies?

The authors question the taken-for-granted notion of supervision. Their concerns arose out of an attempt to introduce 'clinical' supervision into academia as a way of addressing an increasing number of the ethical issues which confront lecturers. They recognise that knowledge can impact adversely on students and that lecturers at times find themselves compromised. They settled on supervision as an organisational space in the domain of power in which to address the distress they observed. However, through their different experiences of supervision, they soon found themselves talking past each other. When clinical supervision meets educational supervision, several anomalies are brought to the fore. The authors draw on Foucault's notion of discourse, and of knowledge as power, in order to foreground these and conclude by cautioning against an uncritical acceptance of supervision as an ethical practice. They believe there is a benefit in bringing together the two discourses of clinical and educational supervision for further discussion.     

A Survey of Clinical Supervision in Genetic Counseling

Three hundred and thirty-five full members of the National Society of Genetic Counselors completed a survey concerning the nature of clinical supervision for genetic counseling students. Slightly over half (54.3%, n = 182) had provided clinical supervision within the past 5 years. Of those who supervised, 66.7% had 5 years or less supervision experience, and 55% had supervised 10 or fewer students. The majority became supervisors because they enjoy teaching and contributing to the profession. Common reasons for not supervising include no local graduate program, and had never been asked to supervise. Live supervision is the most prevalent student evaluation method: every supervisor reported providing one-on-one oral feedback, and 47.3% indicated that they always provide feedback immediately following a counseling session. The most frequent challenges involve students who lack technical knowledge and who fail to incorporate feedback. Training, policy, and research implications are discussed.     

A Qualitative Investigation of Student and Supervisor Perceptions of Live Supervision in Genetic Counseling

Live supervision of genetic counseling students is critical for ensuring quality client care and student clinical skill development. However, no research has investigated students' and supervisors' experience of this primary supervision method. In this study, separate focus groups of students and supervisors discussed their perceptions of the nature and impact of live supervision. A modified Consensual Qualitative Research method (Hill et al. (1997) Couns Psychol 25:517–572) was used to analyze the data. Results suggest that live supervision is an essential and effective method that promotes student skill development and professional development for both students and supervisors. There is a lack of formal training regarding supervision; most learning is trial and error. Students worry about being evaluated, and supervisors wonder if they are providing supervision effectively. Both samples emphasized that client care should not be compromised. Participant recommendations for improving live supervision are described, and suggestions are made for future research.     

Training Community-Based Clinicians in Transgender Care

SUMMARY

Community-based care of transgender individuals can help promote access for individuals whose needs are not well met by a centralized, institution-based system. As there is wide variability in transgender expertise and familiarity among community-based practitioners, practice guidelines and clinical training are needed to promote consistency and quality of care. This article suggests frameworks for training clinicians working in the community setting. Suggested core competencies are followed by an outline for basic, intermediate, and advanced levels of clinical training, and a discussion of education priorities.     

高校心理咨询师的专业能力及专业发展

本研究旨在了解高校心理咨询师的专业能力及专业发展。选取24名来自北京8所高校从事心理咨询的专职或兼职心理咨询师进行4个焦点小组访谈。研究发现,高校心理咨询接触到的主要问题是心理障碍,多数心理咨询师胜任工作的专业能力不足,专业训练和实践均有欠缺,专业发展的需求强烈。健全高校临床与咨询心理学学历教育,推行心理咨询师资格认证和审核制度以及完善继续教育机制是促进高校心理咨询师专业能力及专业发展的重要途径。     

Principles versus procedures in making health care coverage decisions: addressing inevitable conflicts

It has been suggested that focusing on procedures when setting priorities for health care avoids the conflicts that arise when attempting to agree on principles. A prominent example of this approach is “accountability for reasonableness.” We will argue that the same problem arises with procedural accounts; reasonable people will disagree about central elements in the process. We consider the procedural condition of appeal process and three examples of conflicts over coverage decisions: a patients’ rights law in Norway, health technologies coverage recommendations in the UK, and care withheld by HMOs in the US. In each case a process is at the center of controversy, illustrating the difficulties in establishing procedures that are widely accepted as legitimate. Further work must be done in developing procedural frameworks. The opinions expressed are the authors’ own. They do not reflect any position or policy of the National Institutes of Health, US Public Health Service, or Department of Health and Human Services. This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH Clinical Center.     

Clinical supervisor training in Australia: A review of current problems and possible solutions

Clinical supervision cuts to the heart of professional psychology training. It is the most expensive single investment of staff time in the training of the psychology practitioner, and it appears to be the single most important contributor to training effectiveness, repaying that investment. Now there are changes afoot internationally which may change its pivotal role. For example, the Psychology Board of Australia has recently proposed that supervisors undergo approved supervisor training; in the USA, a competence‐based emphasis is gaining ground; while in the UK, supervisors within the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies initiative are receiving unprecedented training and support. It is therefore timely to clarify the need for such training and to consider promising options for its effective delivery. Following a summary of the changes within Australia, we next address these emergent problems and promising solutions by examining the available scientific evidence and by considering professional consensus statements.     

Outcomes of training in supervision: Randomised controlled trial

There is little controlled research on the impact of supervisor training on supervision. The current study examined the effects of supervision training in a sample of 46 supervisor–supervisee pairs of mental health practitioners. It compared Immediate 2‐day workshop training of the pair, a wait‐list control in which workshop training was delayed 3 months, and a condition in which supervisors were trained 3 months before their partners (Split). Benefits of Immediate training were restricted to supervisors reporting fully specified agreements, and to reduction of some perceived problems. Self‐efficacy in providing effective supervision fell in the Split condition, relative to the other conditions. Across conditions in general there was a fall from baseline to post‐test assessment in the proportion of sessions where recommended supervision strategies were used, perhaps partly because the controlled trial extended across the summer vacation period. Results are consistent with other observations of the limited impact of workshop training on practice.