Preparing to Be a Clinical Supervisor: Avoiding a “Trial by Fire” and Using Reflection

Lindsey E Bloor,Katherine A Kitchen Andren,Cathy J Strader Donnell

doi:10.4236/psych.2018.94052

Abstract

Clinical supervision is a distinct skill and role for psychologists, and providing supervision to psychology trainees is foundational to the field. While there is significant attention paid to the progression from trainee to competent therapist with this supervision, there appears a need to articulate models that foster growth from trainee or licensed clinician to effective clinical supervisor. Within psychology, data from the perspectives of trainees, licensed clinicians, and patients/clients have depicted the importance of high quality clinical supervision. These data also illuminate the need for potential models to teach the clinical supervisory role. This paper describes two Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA) clinical training models that offer frameworks and processes for learning a new clinical role. Importantly, the frameworks utilize reflection, from both the medical student and motivational interviewing traditions, which aim to instill confidence and enhance quality as one utilizes new clinical skills and takes on the supervisory role.

Highlights

Providing clinical supervision for psychology trainees is foundational in the field of clinical psychology
This paper describes two Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA) clinical training models that offer frameworks and processes for learning a new clinical role
The American Psychological Association defines clinical supervision as a distinct professional practice, and in the field’s more recent history, guidelines defining the elements of competent supervision have been outlined (American Psychological Association, 2014, 2015), including domains such as professionalism, ethical and legal considerations and supervisory relationship

Summary

Introduction

Providing clinical supervision for psychology trainees is foundational in the field of clinical psychology. There are workshops, courses integrated into training programs, and a growing literature on theories or models of supervision and factors associated with adult learning (e.g., Sudak et al, 2015). These models typically focus on and assure the trainee’s competency to develop case formulation and provide efficacious and ethical treatment to their patients. These do not highlight a process that can facilitate the development of a new effective supervisor. This paper proposes two potential frameworks that draw on coaching and learning theories as practical guides for licensed clinicians to learn and/or practice in a new clinical supervisory role as well as to teach the supervisory role to trainees

Perspectives on the Supervisory Role

Two Proposed Models

Findings

Conclusion