Clarifying the Stages of Group Supervision through Action Research

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify the stages of group supervision carried out in the field of clinical supervision. We used the action research design in the study. Accordingly, we followed a cycle of defining the focus area, collecting data, analyzing and interpreting the data, and developing an action plan. The participants consisted of four graduate supervisees studying in a state university's Counseling and Guidance Program in Turkey. We obtained the data from observations, interviews, validation committee meetings reports, and the researcher's and participants' journals. The study results revealed that the 14-session group supervision, in which the Discrimination Model was followed in the Participative Group Supervision format, consisted of four stages: beginning, transition, working, and termination. The results revealed that there were dynamics based on the problem of belonging to and trusting in the group, incompetence, uncertainty, and anxiety in the first stage, which was the beginning stage. The study showed that the second stage of the group supervision process was the transition stage and that the group dynamics that defined this stage were the dynamics based on dissatisfaction, conflict, grouping, competition, and resistance. The results, which revealed that the third stage of the group supervision process involved the working stage, showed that the dynamics at this stage were based on having a sense of belonging to and trust in the group, focusing on development, and tending to receive and provide peer support. The results revealed that the final stage of the group supervision process was the termination stage and that the group dynamics that defined this stage were based on having dual feelings such as relaxation and sadness, self-evaluation, individualization, and dependence on the supervisor. The study results revealed that the supervisor exhibiting the roles of teacher, counselor, and consultant and ensuring peer participation could be functional in coping with the dynamics that emerged in the process. Furthermore, the study results showed that the stages of the group supervision process could be clarified based on the action research method.