Six
PREPARING FOR SUPERVISION
Before beginning to supervise, there are a number of issues to address and a number of questions that need to be answered in order to increase effectiveness as a supervisor: goals and objectives, plans and structure, methods and techniques, evaluation procedures, monitoring concerns, and administrative tasks and paperwork. Supervisors also need to consider the needs of their setting, their discipline, their model of supervision, and their personal style in setting goals and planning for supervision.
Rapid Reference 6.1 lists a series of questions that all supervisors should be able to answer before beginning to supervise. The answers to these questions will serve as the building blocks for the ethical practice of supervision, reduce stress, and assist in the creation of a successful supervision experience for everyone involved. Many difficulties that supervisors face could be avoided by taking time to better prepare.
CAUTION
Don’t just jump in and start reviewing cases with supervisees. Take time to set the stage for supervision.
CAUTION
Make goals something to strive for, not just a to-do list. Don’t set goals in stone. Stay flexible. Revisit supervision goals on a regular basis throughout the supervision experience (Roman, 2000).
SETTING GOALS FOR SUPERVISION
The first building block of a successful supervision experience is the task of identifying the goals for supervision. Supervision goals serve as signposts along the road to ethical best practice and facilitate the supervision process. Both supervisors and supervisees need to know where they are going in order to plan how to get there.
Taking time to set goals increases the opportunity for success and helps with motivation. Setting goals and making a plan for supervision also minimize the potential for misunderstanding and conflict in supervision (Cobia & Boes, 2000). The clearer the goals are, the easier it is for supervisees to understand what is required and to be successful (Lehrman-Waterman & Ladany, 2001). Goals also serve as the means to structure feedback and evaluation and measure progress (Hensley, Smith, & Thompson, 2003).
Rapid Reference 6.1
Important Questions for Supervisors to Ask before Beginning to Supervise
1. “What is my main goal for supervision? What do I hope my supervisees get out of supervision with me?”
• “What do I expect?”
• “What do they expect from me?”
2. “What do I think a competent professional in my field needs to know and be able to demonstrate?”
• “Do my supervisees agree? What would they put on the list?”
3. “Do my supervisees have different levels of training, education, and experience or come from different disciplines?”
• “If so, how will this impact my goals, plans, and objectives for supervision?”
4. “How can I best use my supervision time?”
• “What are the resources accessible to me and to my supervisee for training?”
• “What are my clinical supervisory responsibilities?”
• “What are my supervisees’ responsibilities?”
5. “Where should I focus my time and energy?”
• “Are there critical areas that need close supervision and monitoring?”
• “Are there requirements that need to be met?”
• “Do some of my supervisees need more supervision and support than others?”
• “Are there parts of training that could be standardized? Put on CDs?”
• “Could others be brought in to help with teaching and training? Monitoring?”
6. “Do I have the skills and training to be a competent supervisor?”
• “In what areas do I need more training as a supervisor?”
• “What could I do to increase my knowledge and skill as a supervisor?”
Naturally, supervisees should be included in the goal-setting process to the fullest extent possible. The more supervisees are involved in setting goals and making decisions about what will happen in supervision, the more likely they are to care about the goals and be motivated to achieve them. It is hard to encourage people to work on goals they don’t value.
Rapid Reference 6.2
Sample Goal Setting Questions that Supervisors Could Ask Supervisees in Order to Increase Participation in Supervision
• “What would you like to get out of supervision with me?”
• “Are there areas of practice or topics about which you would like to learn more or improve your skill in?”
• “Do you have thoughts about what your clients’ needs are and how supervision might help you meet those needs?”
• “What would need to happen in supervision to make it worth the time?”
• “What is one thing you would most like to take away from this experience?”
• “What are some ideas you have from your other supervision experiences that might help improve supervision with me?”
• “How can I be of most help to you as you work with your clients?”
If both supervisors and supervisees understand the importance of goal setting, it will become a cooperative task. Rapid Reference 6.2 gives a series of goal-setting questions that will increase involvement on the part of supervisees in setting the goals for supervision.
In order to begin the process of goal setting, supervisors need to think about the purpose and context for supervision. For example, the goals for clinical supervision with paraprofessionals or those who work in a case management format would be different than for counselors and psychotherapists. Another element to consider would be any guidelines or requirements for completion of supervision such as would be found with graduate school internships or postdegree licensure or certification.
DON’T FORGET
When experiencing problems with a supervisee, such as not coming to supervision, not participating in it, or not following through on suggestions, one solution is to back up to goals for supervision and the supervisee’s needs. Explore what would have to happen in supervision to get them excited to participate or make it more meaningful for them.
The next consideration in designing goals would be the supervisee’s level of competency and developmental level. The supervisee’s background and experience as well as educational level should influence the goals for supervision. Therefore, before beginning to supervise, time should be spent collecting this information. (See the section in Chapter 7 on orientation for more material on this topic.)
Along with a consideration of the supervisee’s level of development and competence, it is also important for supervisors to address the same questions to themselves. A supervisor’s background and experience with clients as well as his or her experience as a supervisor would be very important to planning and the goal-setting process. It would be difficult to develop a supervisee’s competence in areas in which the supervisor is lacking. Another important issue for supervisors to address at this point would be their preferred style and how flexible and open they are to a collaborative supervision process.
Entwined within all these considerations are the ethical, legal, and regulatory codes for the profession. The context for supervision and the supervisor’s and supervisee’s responsibilities in regard to client care should be of great concern when setting goals and making plans. Another key matter would be how to address multicultural differences and dual relationships in supervision.
CHOOSING TOPICS FOR SUPERVISION
As supervisors envision their goals for supervision, it naturally draws attention to the teaching aspect of the role. The large majority of activity in supervision is spent on helping supervisees develop or improve skills and expertise in a variety of content areas necessary to ethical practice with clients. These content areas or topics for supervision may vary within each discipline and setting and on the supervisee’s level of training and education. Sometimes supervisors are given lists through their organization or by graduate schools or licensing boards. However, many times supervisors are left on their own to decide what to do in supervision.
A number of authors have suggested important content areas to include in any supervision plan (Bernard & Goodyear, 2004; Borders & Brown, 2005; Campbell, 2000; Powell, 1993; Shechtman & Wirzberger, 1999; Stinchfield, 2004; Stoltenberg et al., 1998; Storm et al., 2001). Suggested topics include developing self-awareness, mastering intervention techniques, becoming skilled in the use of assessment and diagnostic methods, developing the ability to work with cultural differences, learning proper written documentation, developing a theoretical basis for practice, knowing one’s limitations and being willing to seek consultation, setting appropriate boundaries, and practicing ethically. Other suggestions include development of a professional demeanor, the ability to use referrals and resources of the community, and knowledge of and effective use of systems. As can be seen, the list of potential topics for supervision can be sizable. It also should be obvious that many topic areas are quite broad and subject to varying opinions about what they would include.
DONT FORGET
Regardless of context, each supervisor still needs to ask this key question: “What does a competent [and ethical] professional in my field need to know and be able to demonstrate?” (Magnuson & Wilcoxon, 1998).
Once goals and content areas have been identified, each needs to be put into behavioral descriptive terms to the fullest extent possible. Supervisors cannot assist a supervisee’s growth and development in a particular area (nor evaluate success) if they cannot describe what it is they expect and want from that supervisee. To make supervision goals as understandable and objective as possible, they also should be written down so everyone is clear on them. This need not be complicated or fancy; a simple list will do. However, it will be better if more time and effort is spent fleshing out these goals and using goal sheets as active vehicles to plan supervision and as the basis for evaluation. In our ethical best-practice model, goal setting is a critical component as it is always connected to supervision plans and activities and to evaluation.
For example, one area of particular importance to most clinical supervisors is good boundary setting on the part of supervisees with their clients. Descriptions of good boundary setting may vary depending on one’s field and context. Therefore, to assure understanding, each supervisor would need to give their supervisees a detailed description of what good boundary setting looks like to him or her and include plenty of examples so everyone understands the concept of good boundary setting. These examples and descriptions would then form the basis for evaluation of a supervisee’s competence in this area. Naturally, asking supervisees their definition of good boundary setting would be part of this discussion.
DON’T FORGET
Make goals specific and achievable.To avoid conflict and misunderstandings, include specific descriptors of successful accomplishment of each goal. Consider individual differences when designing a supervision plan. Include supervisees’ thoughts and desires. Make a time line or tentative schedule for accomplishing goals.
It logically follows that after a discussion of the importance of boundary setting in ethical practice, considerable attention should be paid to this topic as supervision progresses. A number of methods and techniques could be selected to assure supervisees acquire full competence in this area. For example, thought-provoking questions could be asked during case consultation to focus supervisees’ attention on boundary setting as a concern with a particular client. Inclusion of case vignettes or case scenarios that involve boundary setting problems, a demonstration on how to respond to a difficult boundary setting situation coupled with a role-play, or live observation and taping would also facilitate learning in this key area.
PLANNING FOR SUPERVISION
After supervisors and supervisees identify the essential content areas that make up the goals for supervision, the next step is to decide how to structure the supervision process to accomplish these stated goals. A number of authors have suggested that supervisors break down each content area into components and, like teachers, place them in an organized supervision curriculum. One good idea is to divide all the content areas of supervision into three components: knowledge and theory, practice and skill, and personal self-awareness (Gould & Bradley, 2001; NBCC, 1999). In theory, each content area of supervision, such as ethical practice, boundary setting, multicultural competence, diagnosis, assessment, treatment planning, crisis intervention, and documentation, may be seen to have three parts: a body of literature that underpins each of these content areas; skills for application of this knowledge with clients; and personal attitudes, beliefs, and values that promote or block effectiveness in each area. For example, to address multicultural competency, supervisees can read books and articles on this topic, learn strategies to respond to multicultural differences with clients, and reflect on their attitudes and beliefs about multicultural differences. An example of the application of the three content areas in supervision—knowledge, practice, and personal—is provided in Rapid Reference 6.3. Rapid Reference 5.12 also employed the same three content areas to show how to combine methods and techniques to develop competence in crisis situations.
Supervisors may want to emphasize one of the three components more strongly at different points over the course of the supervisory relationship. With beginners, the focus might be on information and theory, whereas with more advanced supervisees, the focus would be on intervention strategies and personal self-awareness. Certainly when problems develop, deficits could be present in all three areas, not just one, so it might be more fruitful for supervisors to take a holistic viewpoint than to attempt to categorize deficits as belonging to just one particular area, such as knowledge or skill.
The first component, knowledge and theory, refers to theoretical and conceptual knowledge of theory and research that underpins the discipline. The knowledge component includes evaluation of the supervisee’s knowledge of theory, ethics, law, intervention strategies, multicultural issues, and agency policies. Reading and attending lectures, seminars, and continuing education (CEU) courses are common strategies. The supervisor may want to give short didactic presentations, use handouts, or assign reading to impart information. In addition, the supervisor should encourage supervisees to become involved in professional organizations; attend local, state, and national conferences; and engage in other activities that promote growth and foster a sense of professional identity. Regardless of the method, supervisors should encourage supervisees to continue learning throughout their career.
Rapid Reference 6.3
Application of Three Component Model Boundary Setting with Clients
The second component, practice and skill, examines the supervisee’s skills and abilities to apply knowledge to client care in an ethical manner. Supervisors can use a variety of techniques and methods, such as live observation, taping, cotherapy, staffings, and training workshops, to contribute to developing the practice component. See Chapter 5 for information on methods and techniques.
CAUTION
Ethical counselors and therapists must continually update their knowledge base.
DON’T FORGET
Supervisors model enthusiasm for learning and personal growth. Pay attention to how you demonstrate this with your supervisees.
The final component, personal self-awareness, refers to the importance of supervisees’ personal characteristics on their work with clients and the supervisory relationship. Personal functioning is a critical part of clinical supervision. The personal component includes background, values, beliefs, biases, thoughts, and feelings. Although critical to ethical judgement and decision making, the importance of this component in a supervision plan will vary depending on the role and function of the supervisee. For example, it might be much less important to stress personal self-awareness with paraprofessionals who are involved in education-focused work than for those involved in counseling or psychotherapy.
Although it would be unethical for supervisors not to explore the role of personal self-awareness in client care, particularly when attitudes and behaviors could be harmful to clients, the possibility for a dual relationship also exists wherein the supervisor acts as the supervisee’s therapist. Developing personal self-awareness in clinical supervision while avoiding ethical pitfalls is tricky. However, with some thoughtful discussion and preplanning with supervisees, even this obstacle can be overcome. For example, good boundary setting is a skill, but it also involves the supervisee’s personal beliefs, values, past experiences, worries, and concerns, which make it easy or difficult to achieve. Understanding this fact and discussing typical concerns beginners might have when they start to work with clients would be an excellent addition to any training plan. Further discussion about working with personal self-awareness can be found in Chapter 7.
Another way to approach supervision is to take a systems perspective. Haber (1996) used the metaphor of a house to illustrate the systems relationship between components. Each floor of the house represents some aspect of the supervisory relationship, such as personal self-development, organizational context, and culture and ethics, and all are interdependent in the supervision “house.” Supervisees may have deficits in all floors or just in one, and these deficits may interact with each other. Therefore, taking a systems viewpoint and looking at the whole house, not just individual floors, is encouraged when setting goals for supervision.
IDM is another possibility to consider when planning for supervision (Stoltenberg et al., 1998). In the first stage, supervisees depend on supervisors for what to do. In the second stage, the focus is more on clients and trying out new things. Supervisees will go up and down at this point in their dependence on supervisors. At the third stage of development, the focus in supervision is on developing self-awareness and competency along with the ability to use theory with clients. The model shows the interaction of the needs of the supervisee, the environment, and supervision and suggests activities for supervisors at various stages of supervision. It is a particularly helpful model for supervisors working in academic settings.
In summary, supervisors need to remember their role as teacher and trainer. Creating a learning curriculum by dividing the content into three components will assist in organizing supervision and encourage supervisors as well as supervisees to take a personal and professional growth perspective on supervision. It also encourages supervisors to provide a variety of learning opportunities for supervisees that goes far beyond traditional case consultation. This is important not only to improve the skill development and learning by supervisees but also to provide supervisors with a means to respond to multicultural differences. The three components can be integrated into a developmental perspective and used to guide planning, the use of methods and techniques, and evaluation. All in all, adopting a more structured approach to supervision increases interest and improves the value of the experience.
The steps involved in preparing for supervision are summarized in Rapid Reference 6.4.
Rapid Reference 6.4
Ten Steps for Goal Setting and Planning
1. Establish goals. Decide what competencies to focus on in supervision.
2. Include your supervisee in selecting goals and in planning.
3. Customize your plan. Consider the developmental level of the supervisee, their needs and desires, as well as the needs of the system and population served.
4. Write out goals.
5. Make goals as specific, clear, objective, realistic, and obtainable as possible.
6. Create a hierarchy of objectives. Recognize that some goals and competencies need to be addressed first while others can be addressed later in time.
7. Divide goals into competency areas:
• Knowledge and theory
• Practice and skill
• Personal self-awareness
8. Select methods and techniques to best accomplish goals. Expand repertory.
9. Tie goals to evaluation. Come up with one or two indicators of successful completion in each goal area.
10. Revisit and review goals periodically. Update and make changes as necessary.
Putting It Into Practice
Case Example
After three years working at an agency, Eileen has just been promoted to supervisor of her unit. Eileen loved her own past experiences in supervision and felt that talking openly about client problems with her supervisors greatly improved her confidence and competence. Because clinical supervision was required of all the staff on the unit regardless of experience or license and everyone has been there for a number of years, Eileen didn’t anticipate any problems. She naturally assumed everyone was as enthusiastic as she. However, when she met with John, a former colleague who had been with the organization for 15 years, to begin review of his cases, he stated emphatically that everything was fine and he had no problems to discuss.When Eileen attempted to get John to talk more about his client cases, he got angry and said he didn’t need supervision and that he knows what he is doing.
Teaching Point: Eileen made the mistake of not taking time at the beginning of supervision to prepare the ground for the supervisory relationship. She did not recognize John’s needs or his thoughts and feelings about supervision. She made the assumption that he had her same viewpoint, and, hence, things would flow smoothly. She did not at the beginning discuss with John his goals for supervision or how supervision time could be best structured to meet both their needs.
DOCUMENTING SUPERVISION
Administrative tasks, such as documenting supervision, are an essential part of any ethical practice model. However, it is often a problem for busy and overburdened supervisors to find the time to do an adequate job of documenting supervisory practices. Even so, it is absolutely necessary that some attention be given to this important area. Giving thought to exactly what type of records should be kept and how to do so in an efficient manner encourages a higher level of involvement by supervisors in supervision as well as offering assistance to them in managing stress. Maintaining some documentation of supervision is also emphasized as a key factor in malpractice prevention as it is through the paper trail that supervisors can demonstrate their work with supervisees.
DON’T FORGET
• Documentation promotes ethical practice as well as prevent malpractice success.
• Documentation should be part of ethical practice as it supports increased planning and participation in supervision.
• Documentation of supervision also serves as a cornerstone of any malpractice prevention plan.
• Create a paper trail to boost credibility and demonstrate involvement in supervision.
• Treat all supervision information with the utmost confidentiality.
This section provides suggestions about what type of documentation and information might be needed, but each supervisor must customize this to fit his or her particular situation. For example, documentation forms and key information might be different for a graduate intern than for a paraprofessional. There also may be federal or state laws and regulations as well as organizational or professional standards for this important area. Rapid Reference 6.5 provides a generic list of suggested materials that may be sought and kept for supervision.
Rapid Reference 6.5
Suggested Materials for a Supervision File
• Plans and objectives
• Evaluation summary
• Dates for evaluation
• Methods
• Procedures
• Evaluation forms
• Supervision log
• Supervision journal (optional)
• Supervision informed consent agreement
• Supervision contract
• Copy of ethical codes, licensure, or graduate program requirements if pertinent
• Copy of the supervisor’s resume
• Supervisee’s job description
• Copy of supervisee’s malpractice insurance (if required)
• Supervisee’s vita and background experience
• Sample of supervisee’s record keeping or progress notes
• Feedback from clients about the supervisee
Other Material to Have on Hand
• Client release forms for taping
• Structured forms for training purposes
• Articles, reading lists, and web sites pertinent to supervision goals
• Summary of supervisor’s background, training, and experience as a clinical supervisor to give to supervisees
• Copies of ethical codes and standards for supervisors apropos to the supervisors and supervisees licensure and professional discipline
Organizing the Supervision File
There are numerous ideas on how to organize paperwork for supervision. One of the easiest suggestions is to put together a supervision file that will contain all forms, handouts, and other supervision information, and then create a folder for each supervisee that will hold specific material pertinent to that individual. This file could be created on a computer or the old-fashioned way, on paper. At a minimum, the following items should be included in each supervisee’s file: goals and objectives for supervision, a written summary of evaluation procedures along with any copies of evaluation forms, a supervision log, and a copy of the informed consent or contract for supervision.
CAUTION
Because of the threat of vicarious liability, described in Chapter 2, it is recommended that in situations with graduate or postdegree interns where supervisees are providing counseling or psychotherapy services, both supervisor and supervisee carry personal malpractice insurance over and above any insurance provided by their institution. Be sure to check if the malpractice policy covers clinical supervision as some do not. A separate rider is often required.
Goals and Objectives for Supervision
A short written summary or outline of the goals, tasks, and objectives for supervision should be included in each supervisee’s file. Information and suggestions on how to set goals and objectives and make plans for supervision can be found at the beginning of this chapter.
Evaluation Summary
Each supervisee’s file should also include a written description of the evaluation process, including an explanation of evaluation procedures, timing, methods, techniques, examples of paper and pencil instruments, as well as a list of people involved in the evaluation process. More material on evaluation follows in the next section of this chapter.
Supervision Log
Maintaining a log of supervision is absolutely necessary in the ethical practice model for supervision as well as any malpractice plan. The recommended minimum is to keep track of supervision dates, time, length of supervision session, and modality (individual, group, tape, live observation, case consultation) for each supervisee. This running record of supervision would then create a picture of the supervisor’s and supervisee’s participation in supervision. Frequently, in large organizations, agencies, and hospitals, clinical supervisors do not keep such a log. Rather, they keep track of supervision activity, recommendations, and follow up directly on client files or charts, which is acceptable. However, should problems occur that require legal action, the log provides an easier means to support the supervisor’s competency, level of involvement, and attempts to monitor the supervisee’s activities with clients.
Additionally, there may be a need for an expanded supervision log form that contains information about what cases and topics were discussed in supervision and also serves as a reminder to supervisors to follow up with certain clients. This type of documentation is especially important when working with interns or prelicensed supervisees who are seeing clients for psychotherapy or in situations where tracking of supervisees and monitoring is difficult.
The supervision log can also serve another important purpose: Because no one can remember everything, a supervision log documents the supervisor’s thought processes about supervisees and serves as a foundation for the supervisor’s opinions and judgment about a supervisee’s actions (Gottlieb, 2004). From an ethical perspective, keeping such a log is an ally. When done correctly, this should serve as the foundation for corrective feedback as well as to make a note of supervisees’ achievement and success. Moreover, if difficulties with supervisees require more serious action, having a detailed description covering how often, how much, and when these problems with a supervisee occurred, along with a description of the supervisor’s attempts to rectify the situation, becomes essential. Accordingly, it is considered good practice for supervisors to write down their observations about supervisees over the course of the supervisory relationship to illustrate the reasons for their actions. Just use caution to be sure these observations cover the supervisee’s behaviors, especially making note of how often they occur, and not the supervisor’s subjective interpretations of such behaviors.
DON’T FORGET
Keep records to help you do a better job as a clinical supervisor, not to meet some legal requirement. Remember, legal standards do not ask supervisors to be perfect or clairvoyant or even to be able to prevent all mistakes, just that they made their best attempts to handle situations ethically and used some thought (Gottlieb, 2004).
CAUTION
When tracking the supervisory process in the supervision log, leave out emotions and stick to behavioral descriptors and quantifiers such as how often, when, how much, and where. Leave the following out of the supervision file:
• Subjective opinions about a supervisee’s lifestyle or personality traits
• Subjective analysis of a supervisee’s state of mental health
• Topics outside the provenance of supervision, such as ongoing conflicts with other mental health professionals
Whatever the choice, be sure to document succinctly and accurately, in legible handwriting or typing, and avoid abbreviations or codes that cannot be deciphered at some later date. Even though supervision notes and the supervision log are not considered part of the medical record, it is still best to follow similar guidelines as to content and the protection of privacy of information. A number of suggested formats are available for the supervision log. See Rapid References 6.6 and 6.7 for examples.
Rapid Reference 6.6
Material to Include in a Basic Supervision Activity Log
• Date, time, length of session (including canceled or missed sessions)
• Modality: individual, group, video, live, and so on
Example:
Rapid Reference 6.7
Additions for an Expanded Supervision Activity Log
• Cases reviewed (use case numbers or client names)
• Treatment plans, problems, recommendations, and follow-up
• Tracking of dangerous and difficult clients (use asterisk or colored magic marker)
• Significant communications about clients: e-mail, phone, letters
• Specific troubles or successes experienced with supervisees: Observations, recommendations (use behavioral descriptors)
Example:
Informed Consent and Contracts for Supervision
In order to practice ethically, supervisees, just as clients, need to be informed of the purpose, methods, and expectations for supervision before the supervision process begins. The use of an informed consent agreement and a supervision contract can smooth the way and reduce the risk of conflicts (Cobia & Boes, 2000; Remley & Herlihy, 2005; Sutter, McPherson, & Geeseman, 2002). The main purpose of an informed consent agreement and contract in supervision is to orient supervisees to supervision, create a shared understanding about the ethical standards of practice for supervision, and explain the tasks and requirements of supervision. Informed consent agreements and contracts can also help to maintain boundaries, prevent exploitation, and promote a sense of openness and safety in the relationship. In organizational settings where considerable confusion might occur between clinical and administrative supervision or when working with paraprofessionals or others not covered by professional ethic standards for practice, adding a written supervision informed consent agreement that explains the purpose and parameters for clinical supervision would be very useful.
The informed consent agreement and supervision contract may be separate documents or a combination of the two, depending on the supervisory situation. Each has a different aim and purpose. The informed consent agreement in supervision is based on ethical codes and guidelines for the various mental health disciplines, whereas contracts express the implied legal aspects of the supervisory relationship. When proffered at the beginning of supervision, it gives supervisees an opportunity to ask any questions they may have regarding supervision and create a shared understanding about what the ethical standards are for supervision. Both the informed consent form and supervision contract might be used to open discussion with potential or new supervisees as to the nature of the supervisory relationship. They can be used to explore best fit and orient supervisees to supervision.
DON’T FORGET
The informed consent agreement in supervision plays a key part in ethical practice. It is a dynamic instrument that informs and shapes the supervisory relationship, not another piece of paper to fill out and put in a file drawer. As issues arise throughout supervision, revisit the informed consent agreement and utilize it as a means to improve and update the supervisory relationship.
As such, these documents, especially the informed consent, should be works in progress and not presented as already set in stone. Instead, the informed consent agreement may be revisited over the course of supervision and help create a dialogue between supervisors and supervisees concerning ethical issues and concerns. Supervisors need to encourage an open discussion about the contents of each document and be open to the possibility of changes in each one.
Informed Consent Agreement for Supervision
The content and structure of an informed consent agreement may vary across disciplines and circumstances. However, incorporating some of the following information is suggested. First, supervisors should want to include a short paragraph or two about their background, training, credentials, approach to supervision, and model of practice. Next, in order to ensure a common understanding about the supervisory process, include a statement about the ethical guidelines for supervision along with a description of the structure, goals, tasks, responsibilities, and evaluation procedures. Issues such as dual relationships, multicultural differences, and means available to resolve disagreements could also be covered. Finally, a summary statement of agreement to follow ethical guidelines and standards for practice should be signed and dated by both supervisor and supervisee. A suggested list of content areas to cover in an informed consent agreement for supervision can be found in Rapid Reference 6.8. A sample copy of an informed consent form for postdegree supervision appears in Rapid Reference 6.9.
Rapid Reference 6.8
Content of the Supervision Informed Consent Agreement
Professional disclosure: Include a description of your background, licensure, areas of professional competency, supervision training, and experience.
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