A Qualitative Inquiry of Domestic Violence Counselors’ Clinical Supervision Experiences

Abstract

ABSTRACT The domestic violence counselor provides counseling services focused on safety, empowerment, psychoeducation, and support. When domestic violence counselors are trained as professional counselors or social workers, they integrate clinical counseling services into their work. Clinical supervision offers these counselors opportunities to meet requirements for state licensure. This article provides an overview of findings of a qualitative study which explored seven domestic violence counselors’ experiences of clinical supervision. Interpretive phenomenological analysis methodology was utilized. Findings reveal that participants had experiences of simultaneous individual and relational development during clinical supervision. In order to support the specific needs of domestic violence, counselor’s recommendations are made for the use of relational-cultural theory as a framework for clinical supervision.