ABSTRACT Counselor evaluation is a primary supervision function within preprofessional training, though little is known about the evaluation of practitioners once they enter the field. A survey of counselor evaluation practices was developed using the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) Supervision Best Practice Guidelines and was completed by independent samples of 307 rehabilitation counselors and 152 supervisors working in field environments. Results revealed that counselors perceived significantly lower use of evaluation best practices than supervisors. Additionally, the use of supervision best practices had significant relationships with counselor job satisfaction and counselor role ambiguity, with supervisory alliances mediating these effects.

ABSTRACT We used structural equation modeling to examine supervisor cultural humility (CH) and the supervisory working alliance (SWA) as predictors of supervision outcomes (i.e. supervisee clinical and multicultural competence) and therapeutic working alliance (TWA). In a sample of 186 supervisees engaged in supervision for licensure, we observed significant direct relationships between CH and the SWA. Further, we found a significant relationship between the SWA and supervision outcomes; however, the relationship was not significant between CH and supervision outcomes. Both CH and the SWA were indirectly associated with the TWA through supervision-related variables. We offer implications for supervisees, supervisors, and supervision researchers.

ABSTRACT Research has not explored clinical supervision in child life, including virtual opportunities. This qualitative study examined the experiences of child life specialists from the United States who participated in a virtual group clinical supervision program. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six child life specialists, and interviews were coded using thematic analysis. Participants noted the need for consistent clinical supervision and felt the program provided that support, potentially decreasing burnout. Identified benefits included opportunities for professional growth, protected time for supervision, and community. Child life programs and professional organizations should consider offering or encouraging participation in virtual group clinical supervision.

ABSTRACT Clinical supervisors play a critical role in home visiting programs. Using an exploratory, qualitative design, we examined supervisors’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning in late 2020, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 supervisors about challenges in leadership resulting from the pandemic, adaptations to virtual service delivery, support needs, and insights they gained. Supervisors were concerned about meeting families’ increased needs and supporting home visitors. Supervisors creatively connected with families and staff and juggled their increased work and home responsibilities. They acknowledged support from organizations and the importance of self-care but expressed the need for more formal support.

ABSTRACT Supervision is foundational for therapist development and treatment effectiveness, potentially influencing the therapeutic working alliance (TWA) with clients. This systematic review examines how supervision factors (including the supervisory working alliance) impact the TWA. Following PRISMA guidelines, 11 empirical studies were analyzed. Results suggested structured supervision strengthens the TWA through clear protocols, though excessive structure may limit therapist autonomy, while live supervision was linked to higher initial alliance levels. The supervisory alliance correlated more with therapist-rated than client-rated TWA, primarily boosting therapist confidence. These findings highlight the need for adaptive supervision models integrating structure, flexibility, and reflective learning.

ABSTRACT In Ontario, psychotherapy is designated a controlled act permitted to be performed by six regulated professions (i.e. medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, psychology, psychotherapy, and social work). Supervision is a foundation for ethical and competent care in psychotherapy, and is promoted as an imperative, yet clarity of requirements across these professions is needed. To summarize and describe the interdisciplinary regulatory landscape of the supervision of psychotherapy in Ontario, we conducted a scoping review of gray literature (i.e. regulatory body Web sites) and searched seven databases for articles published from 2007. Findings present a comparison of supervisory requirements, highlighting recommendations and areas for future research.

ABSTRACT In this study, the authors present an empirical investigation of the experiences of racism in clinical supervision as informed by a sample of 80 mental health trainees undergoing clinical supervision. Participants responded to the modified version of the Race-Based Traumatic Stress Symptom Inventory in which they described a memorable racist incident and responded to accompanying items outlining emotional and psychological reactions. Most participants endorsed exposure to a racist event, including such categories as invalidation and/or dismissal of racial experiences and tokenization. Participants also endorsed race-based traumatic symptoms associated with the event. Implications for clinical supervision and future research are discussed.

ABSTRACT Clinical supervision is essential to ethical practice, reflective inquiry, and professional resilience, yet its transformative potential is often fractured by bureaucratic rigidity, hierarchical control, and compliance-driven oversight. This paper offers a novel contribution by applying a sociological lens and a critical realist paradigm – an underutilized approach – to reframe supervision as a dynamic interplay between structure and agency. Drawing on Margaret Archer’s Morphogenetic Cycle and Modes of Reflexivity, it identifies key traits of the critical realist supervisor and proposes policy reforms to embed reflexivity within governance and training, restoring ethical depth and emotional sustainability to supervisory practice.

ABSTRACT Following the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns in 2020, supervision of practitioners across health and social care became even more critical to support an increasingly burnt-out workforce responding to crisis and sickness. Supervisors entered a new age of working remotely online while facing increased demands to support practitioner wellbeing and resiliency. Supervisors across disciplines in Aotearoa New Zealand participated in an online survey and semi-structured interviews regarding how they sustained their own wellbeing, resilience, and professional development. This article explores the challenges and resiliency of supervisors post-pandemic, the versatility of online supervision and potential barriers, and solutions for sustainable supervision practices.