What is the evidence for supervision best practices?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Clinical supervision is integral to clinical training, but it is unclear to what extent currently recommended supervision practices are supported by empirical evidence. We reviewed professional supervision guidelines for psychologists, counselors, and social workers and identified 17 common elements across these guidelines. We then reviewed published studies that examined the relationship between these supervision elements and relevant therapist-, supervisor-, and client-level outcomes. Twenty-six studies were identified, which reported relevant data from 28 unique samples. Findings from the review indicate a need for further study of the relationship between recommended best practices in supervision and meaningful therapist, supervisor, and client outcomes.