Supervisors' Personal-Professional Attributes and Approaches to Supervision in Organizations Providing Clinical Services to Mexican-American Persons

Abstract

This paper presents findings from a dissertation study examining variations of personal-professional attributes and approaches to supervision, distinguished by the ethnic origin of the supervisor, in clinical settings that provide services to Mexican-American persons. Utilizing an ethnic-sensitive practice perspective and a sample of 323 staff employed in a public MHMR system, two hypotheses were tested to examine variations in personal-professional attributes and approaches to supervision. The hypothesis that demographic traits differentiate supervisors by personal-professional attributes was confirmed. With respect to demographic traits distinguishing supervisors on approaches to supervision, there is inconclusive evidence to suggest that significant differences exist among supervisors. This study highlights the urgency in mobilizing organizations to provide greater access to services for Hispanic consumers by improving performance of ethnic-sensitive supervision in their operations. Recommendations to develop and promote ethnic-sensitive supervision in public mental health and substance abuse treatment organizations are presented.