Comparing Supervisee and Supervisor Initial Perceptions of Supervision

Abstract

Thirty pairs of trainees and supervisors were asked to independently choose one of four trainee descriptions that most closely described the supervisee in the dyad. They also were asked to choose one of four descriptions of trainee environments most appropriate for the trainee. All descriptions were based on the levels of counselor development and concomitant supervision environments described by Stoltenberg (1981). Results indicated that trainee and supervisor ratings of the trainee's developmental level were positively correlated, as were their ratings of the appropriate supervision environment. When differences in pairs occurred, the trainees tended to rate themselves at a higher developmental level than did their supervisors. The trainee's ratings of counselor development level correlated positively with their prior reported amount of supervised counseling experience, however, the supervisors' ratings did not correlate with trainee experience. Significant internal consistency between rated level of co...