Competent Supervision Research Articles

Betwixt and between: Liminality and dissonance in developing threshold competences for research supervision in South Africa

Neoliberal performativity imperatives that drive the strategic vision and mission of many higher education institutions in South Africa have begun to shape the higher education project in particular ways. While research and knowledge production will always remain the defining hallmark of a university, the fragility of the system to deliver on this objective in substantive ways remains a challenge. Graduate supervision capacity and competence continues to be a serious obstacle for many higher education institutions in South Africa. Of concern for this article, is that in the quest to rapidly develop supervision competence amongst faculty, to what extent will fast tracking be at the expense of learning as ‘process’ and deep conceptual development of the young academic. How do novice supervisors negotiate liminality as they learn to be researchers while simultaneously teaching the craft to their assigned research students? In this article, I reflect on my experiences of teaching a structured, accredited postgraduate supervision programme at seven merged higher education institutions in SA from 2014 to2016. I argue that high-level research supervision depends on having certain minimum threshold research supervision competences, the achievement of which necessitates a process approach. Young novice faculty however, have to negotiate a precarious liminal space in which they learn the research ‘trade/craft’ as apprentice whilst simultaneously teaching the research ‘trade/craft’ to research candidates they supervise. I engage the implications of this risky and contradictory agenda for novice faculty and a discussion of how this ‘parallel learning’, which entails learning the research craft and simultaneously learning how to teach the research craft is likely to play out in the South African higher education research context.

A New Era of Competence in SupervisionA New Era of Competence in Supervision

A New Era of Competence in SupervisionA New Era of Competence in Supervision

Teachers' Views on Course Supervision Competencies of Secondary School Managers

Teachers' Views on Course Supervision Competencies of Secondary School Managers

An Exploratory Study Examining Current Assessment Supervisory Practices in Professional Psychology

ABSTRACTThe extant literature reveals a considerable amount of research examining course work or technical training in psychological assessment, but a dearth of empirical research on assessment supervision. This study examined perspectives on current assessment supervisory practices in professional psychology through an online survey. Descriptive and qualitative data were collected from 125 survey respondents who were members of assessment-focused professional organizations and who had at least 1 year of supervision experience. Responses indicated a general recognition of the need for formal training in assessment supervision, ongoing training opportunities, and adherence to supervision competencies. Responses indicated more common use of developmental and skill-based models, although most did not regard any one model of assessment supervision as superior. Despite the recommended use of a supervision contract, only 65.6% (n = 80) of respondents use one. Discussion, directed readings, modeling, role-play, and case presentations were the most common supervisory interventions. Although conclusions are constrained by low survey response rate, results yielded rich data that might guide future examination of multiple perspectives on assessment supervision and ultimately contribute to curriculum advances and the development of supervision “best practices.”

CURRICULUM COMPETENCES MANIFESTED BY PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS FOR CLINICAL SUPERVISION IN ANAMBRA STATE

Clinical supervision is a process of facilitating the professional growth of a teacher, primarily by observing teacher’s instructional practices, giving the teacher the feedback about classroom interactions and helping the teacher make use of that feedback to make teaching more effective. Its effectiveness depends on the competences of the supervisors that carry it out. This study assessed the curriculum competencies manifested by private and public secondary school administrators in Anambra State during clinical supervision. The study was guided by two research questions and one null hypothesis. Sample involved 1,378 respondents (comprising 962 public and 416 private school staff respectively) selected through the multistage procedure. Data was collected through a researcher-developed questionnaire containing 10 items each on a 4-point scale. Mean scores were used to answer the research questions, while the t-test was used in testing the null hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings indicated that public and private secondary school administrators in Anambra State secondary schools manifested only a few out of the variety of curriculum competencies for effective clinical supervision. The manifestations of these clinical supervision competencies were higher in private than in public schools. However, both administrators manifested limited clinical supervision competencies. By implication, this situation has the potential of hindering effective instructional supervision of public and private secondary schools in the State. Based on the findings and implication, it was recommended among other things that the public and private secondary school administrators should give emphasis to and seek avenues for significant improvements in their teaching, human relations, resource management and evaluation competencies. Reading professional journals, peer mentoring, and participating in professional conferences and seminars would help them to improve their clinical supervision competencies. Article visualizations:

DAS ATRIBUIÇÕES ADMINISTRATIVAS NA GESTÃO E SUPERVISÃO DO PATRIMÔNIO GENÉTICO BRASILEIRO

O presente estudo objetivou demonstrar a violação constitucional constante na recente Lei nº 13.123/2015, que dita sobre o acesso ao patrimônio genético, sobre a proteção e o acesso ao conhecimento tradicional associado e sobre a repartição de benefícios para conservação e uso sustentável da biodiversidade, que revogou a Medida Provisória nº 2.186-16/2001. A recente Lei tomou uma posição centralizadora quanto ao controle e exploração do patrimônio genético existente no País, quando disciplinou que são de competência da União a gestão, o controle e a fiscalização das atividades descritas no ato normativo, desrespeitando o art. 23 (incisos III, VI e VIII) da Constituição da República de 1988 (CR/1988). Para tal compreensão foi feito um estudo da Lei Complementar nº 140/2011 em comparação com a legislação em debate, apontando os aspectos geradores do desrespeito à norma constitucional paradigma. Para esta investigação foi utilizado o método hipotético-indutivo, com pesquisa explicativa qualitativa, utilizando-se o levantamento bibliográfico.

The Need for Existential Cross-Cultural Competency in Therapy and Supervision

The Need for Existential Cross-Cultural Competency in Therapy and Supervision

Teaching Not-Knowing: Strategies for Cultural Competence in Psychotherapy Supervision.

Teaching Not-Knowing: Strategies for Cultural Competence in Psychotherapy Supervision.

Effects of Community-Based Health Worker Interventions to Improve Chronic Disease Management and Care Among Vulnerable Populations: A Systematic Review

Background. Community-based health workers (CBHWs) are frontline public health workers who are trusted members of the community they serve. Recently, considerable attention has been drawn to CBHWs in promoting healthy behaviors and health outcomes among vulnerable populations who often face health inequities. Objectives. We performed a systematic review to synthesize evidence concerning the types of CBHW interventions, the qualification and characteristics of CBHWs, and patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness of such interventions in vulnerable populations with chronic, noncommunicable conditions. Search methods. We undertook 4 electronic database searches—PubMed, EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Cochrane—and hand searched reference collections to identify randomized controlled trials published in English before August 2014. Selection. We screened a total of 934 unique citations initially for titles and abstracts. Two reviewers then independently evaluated 166 full-text articles that were passed onto review processes. Sixty-one studies and 6 companion articles (e.g., cost-effectiveness analysis) met eligibility criteria for inclusion. Data collection and analysis. Four trained research assistants extracted data by using a standardized data extraction form developed by the authors. Subsequently, an independent research assistant reviewed extracted data to check accuracy. Discrepancies were resolved through discussions among the study team members. Each study was evaluated for its quality by 2 research assistants who extracted relevant study information. Interrater agreement rates ranged from 61% to 91% (average 86%). Any discrepancies in terms of quality rating were resolved through team discussions. Main results. All but 4 studies were conducted in the United States. The 2 most common areas for CBHW interventions were cancer prevention (n = 30) and cardiovascular disease risk reduction (n = 26). The roles assumed by CBHWs included health education (n = 48), counseling (n = 36), navigation assistance (n = 21), case management (n = 4), social services (n = 7), and social support (n = 18). Fifty-three studies provided information regarding CBHW training, yet CBHW competency evaluation (n = 9) and supervision procedures (n = 24) were largely underreported. The length and duration of CBHW training ranged from 4 hours to 240 hours with an average of 41.3 hours (median: 16.5 hours) in 24 studies that reported length of training. Eight studies reported the frequency of supervision, which ranged from weekly to monthly. There was a trend toward improvements in cancer prevention (n = 21) and cardiovascular risk reduction (n = 16). Eight articles documented cost analyses and found that integrating CBHWs into the health care delivery system was associated with cost-effective and sustainable care. Conclusions. Interventions by CBHWs appear to be effective when compared with alternatives and also cost-effective for certain health conditions, particularly when partnering with low-income, underserved, and racial and ethnic minority communities. Future research is warranted to fully incorporate CBHWs into the health care system to promote noncommunicable health outcomes among vulnerable populations.

A Delphi Study and Initial Validation of Counselor Supervision Competencies

The authors addressed the lack of supervision training standards for doctoral counseling graduates by developing and validating an initial list of supervision competencies. They used content analysis, Delphi polling, and content validity methods to generate a list, vetted by 2 different panels of supervision experts, of 33 competencies grouped into 5 categories.

Effects of Community-Based Health Worker Interventions to Improve Chronic Disease Management and Care Among Vulnerable Populations: A Systematic Review.

Community-based health workers (CBHWs) are frontline public health workers who are trusted members of the community they serve. Recently, considerable attention has been drawn to CBHWs in promoting healthy behaviors and health outcomes among vulnerable populations who often face health inequities. We performed a systematic review to synthesize evidence concerning the types of CBHW interventions, the qualification and characteristics of CBHWs, and patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness of such interventions in vulnerable populations with chronic, noncommunicable conditions. We undertook 4 electronic database searches-PubMed, EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Cochrane-and hand searched reference collections to identify randomized controlled trials published in English before August 2014. We screened a total of 934 unique citations initially for titles and abstracts. Two reviewers then independently evaluated 166 full-text articles that were passed onto review processes. Sixty-one studies and 6 companion articles (e.g., cost-effectiveness analysis) met eligibility criteria for inclusion. Four trained research assistants extracted data by using a standardized data extraction form developed by the authors. Subsequently, an independent research assistant reviewed extracted data to check accuracy. Discrepancies were resolved through discussions among the study team members. Each study was evaluated for its quality by 2 research assistants who extracted relevant study information. Interrater agreement rates ranged from 61% to 91% (average 86%). Any discrepancies in terms of quality rating were resolved through team discussions. All but 4 studies were conducted in the United States. The 2 most common areas for CBHW interventions were cancer prevention (n = 30) and cardiovascular disease risk reduction (n = 26). The roles assumed by CBHWs included health education (n = 48), counseling (n = 36), navigation assistance (n = 21), case management (n = 4), social services (n = 7), and social support (n = 18). Fifty-three studies provided information regarding CBHW training, yet CBHW competency evaluation (n = 9) and supervision procedures (n = 24) were largely underreported. The length and duration of CBHW training ranged from 4 hours to 240 hours with an average of 41.3 hours (median: 16.5 hours) in 24 studies that reported length of training. Eight studies reported the frequency of supervision, which ranged from weekly to monthly. There was a trend toward improvements in cancer prevention (n = 21) and cardiovascular risk reduction (n = 16). Eight articles documented cost analyses and found that integrating CBHWs into the health care delivery system was associated with cost-effective and sustainable care. Interventions by CBHWs appear to be effective when compared with alternatives and also cost-effective for certain health conditions, particularly when partnering with low-income, underserved, and racial and ethnic minority communities. Future research is warranted to fully incorporate CBHWs into the health care system to promote noncommunicable health outcomes among vulnerable populations.

Religiosity gap reversed: how religious counsellors’ belief system presents when working with clients in a non-religious environment

ABSTRACTMost studies exploring the religiosity gap are concerned with non-religious counsellors and religious clients. Approaching this phenomenon from a reversed perspective, this study explores how counsellors’ religiosity presents when working with clients in a predominantly non-religious environment. Semi-structured interviews with 11 Czech counsellors who self-identify as Roman Catholic were subjected to thematic analysis. The analysis revealed seven main themes, divided into two main thematic domains: counsellors’ inner attitude towards the counselling process and direct interaction with clients. The findings are discussed in relation to the concept of religiosity gap, as well as training, supervision, and multicultural competencies of counsellors.

Experiences of registered nurses who supervise international nursing students in the clinical and classroom setting: an integrative literature review.

To examine the literature reporting the experiences and perceptions of registered nurses who supervise international nursing students in the clinical and classroom setting. Nursing education relies on clinical experts to supervise students during classroom and clinical education, and the quality of that supervision has a significant impact on student development and learning. Global migration and internationalisation of nursing education have led to increasing numbers of registered nurses supervising international nursing students. However, a paucity of relevant literature limits our understanding of these experiences. An integrative literature review. Comprehensive database searches of CINAHL, Informit, PubMed, Journals@Ovid, Findit@flinders and Medline were undertaken. Screening of 179 articles resulted in 10 included for review. Appraisal and analysis using Whittemore and Knafl's (Journal of Advanced Nursing, 52, 2005, 546) five stage integrative review recommendations was undertaken. This review highlighted some unique challenges for registered nurses supervising international nursing students. Identified issues were, a heightened sense of responsibility, additional pastoral care challenges, considerable time investments, communication challenges and cultural differences between teaching and learning styles. It is possible that these unique challenges could be minimised by implementing role preparation programmes specific to international nursing student supervision. Further research is needed to provide an in-depth exploration of current levels of preparation and support to make recommendations for future practice, education and policy development. An awareness of the specific cultural learning needs of international nursing students is an important first step to the provision of culturally competent supervision for this cohort of students. There is an urgent need for education and role preparation for all registered nurses supervising international nursing students, along with adequate recognition of the additional time required to effectively supervise these students.

A survey of CBT supervision in the UK: methods, satisfaction and training, as viewed by a selected sample of CBT supervision leaders

AbstractInternationally, clinical supervision has been increasingly recognized as a core competency and an essential requirement for clinical training. Over the past 10 years, frameworks for supervision competencies have been developed and promulgated in several countries, notably the UK, USA and Australia. But what is the current status of the actual practice of CBT supervision in the UK? We conducted an internet survey with a purposive sample of n=110 accredited British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy (BABCP) supervisors and trainers (a 44% response rate), selected for their assumed expertise. The results were consistent with past surveys of Townend et al., indicating that the most frequently reported supervision methods tended to reflect many of the recommendations in widely disseminated supervision competency frameworks and recognized best practice statements. Overall, these CBT supervision leaders reported using an impressively wide range of methods, including much more frequent use of role-play, therapy recordings, and direct observation than reported in the Townend et al. surveys or in observational studies. Although satisfied in their supervisory role, respondents indicated the need for improved CBT supervisor training resources, with significant interest in developing competence instruments and group supervision methods. In conclusion, at least for this small sample of CBT supervision leaders in the UK, practice reflects international progress, but training resources are sought to maintain momentum.

Developing specialist CBT supervision training in Scotland using blended learning: challenges and opportunities

AbstractNHS Education for Scotland (NES) has developed a suite of training to address the learning and development needs of supervisors of psychological therapies in the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland and to support quality of evidence-based practice in psychological therapies, in light of the recent expansion in this area of healthcare. In parallel with the structure of the recently developed supervisory competency frameworks, an initial training package addressing generic (cross-modality) supervision competences was supplemented by the development of a training package to meet the specific needs of supervisors of CBT: NES Specialist Supervision Training in CBT (NESSST CBT). A blended learning package was developed, in light of the emerging evidence around the effectiveness of e-learning, to produce a flexible and learner-centred training package. This paper describes the development, delivery and planned evaluation methods of NESSST CBT. Lessons learned during implementation are outlined, along with key challenges regarding the future of supervision training in Scotland and the UK.

Developing generic supervision competences for supervisors of psychological therapy: a new blended approach to training

Supervisor training has moved forwards greatly in recent years. However, a novel approach has brought some new challenges in its wake.

How can video recordings best contribute to clinical supervisor training?

AbstractSignificant progress has been made internationally in the training of clinical supervisors, yet much remains to be done, such as refining training through the improved use of video material. A review of currently available video recordings used in supervisor training indicates that they are generally used informally, are manifestly lacking in procedural detail, are narrowly applied, and lack an educational rationale or research support. After reviewing current options, a more precise, comprehensive and educationally informed framework is proposed, broadening the video options to 10 complementary applications. Systematic links are made between these applications, the core supervision competencies, and the related workshop content (especially training objectives and learning outcomes), culminating in an educational rationale for the use of video within a supervisor training curriculum. It is concluded that application of this framework can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of supervisor training, helping to maintain progress.

Supporting our supervisors: a Summary and Discussion of the Special Issue on CBT supervision

AbstractContributors to this Special Issue of the Cognitive Behaviour Therapist have considered the kind of infrastructure that should be in place to best support and guide CBT supervisors, providing practical advice and extensive procedural guidance. Here we briefly summarize and discuss in turn the 10 papers within this Special Issue, including suggestions for further enhancements. The first paper, by Milne and Reiser, conceptualized this infrastructure in terms of an ‘SOS’ (supporting our supervisors) framework, from identifying supervision competencies, to training, evaluation and feedback strategies. The next nine papers illustrate this framework with specific technical innovations, educational enhancements and procedural issues, or through comprehensive quality improvement systems, all designed to support supervisors. These papers suggest an assortment of workable infrastructure developments: two large-scale and comprehensive initiatives, some promising proposals and technologies, and a series of local, exploratory work. Collectively, they provide us with models for further developing evidence-based cognitive-behavioural supervision, and offer practical suggestions for giving supervisors the tools and support to maximize their supervisees’ learning, and to improve the associated client outcomes. Much research and development work remains to be done, and successful implementation will require institutional and political support, as well as cross-cultural adaptations. We conclude with an optimistic assessment of progress toward addressing some of the infrastructure improvements required to adequately support supervisors.

Measuring the Effectiveness of a Genetic Counseling Supervision Training Conference.

Genetic counselors who receive formal training report increased confidence and competence in their supervisory roles. The effectiveness of specific formal supervision training has not been assessed previously. A day-long GC supervision conference was designed based on published supervision competencies and was attended by 37 genetic counselors. Linear Mixed Model and post-hoc paired t-test was used to compare Psychotherapy Supervisor Development Scale (PSDS) scores among/between individuals pre and post conference. Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) model and post-hoc McNemar's test was used to determine if the conference had an effect on GC supervision competencies. PSDS scores were significantly increased 1week (p<0.001) and 6months (p<0.001) following the conference. For three supervision competencies, attendees were more likely to agree they were able to perform them after the conference than before. These effects remained significant 6months later. For the three remaining competencies, the majority of supervisors agreed they could perform these before the conference; therefore, no change was found. This exploratory study showed this conference increased the perceived confidence and competence of the supervisors who attended and increased their self-reported ability to perform certain supervision competencies. While still preliminary, this supports the idea that a one day conference on supervision has the potential to impact supervisor development.

Unskilled unawareness and the learning curve in robotic spine surgery.

Robotic assistance for the placement of pedicle screws has been established as a safe technique. Nonetheless rare instances of screw misplacement have been reported.The aim of the present retrospective study is to assess whether experience and time affect the accuracy of screws placed with the help of the SpineAssist™ robot system. Postoperative computed tomography (CT) scans of 258 patients requiring thoracolumbar pedicle screw instrumentation from 2008 to 2013 were reviewed. Overall, 13 surgeons performed the surgeries. A pedicle breach of >3 mm was graded as a misplacement. Surgeons were dichotomised into an early and experienced period in increments of five surgeries. In 258 surgeries, 1,265 pedicle screws were placed with the aid of the robot system. Overall, 1,217 screws (96.2 %) were graded as acceptable. When displayed by surgeon, the development of percent misplacement rates peaked between 5 and 25 surgeries in 12 of 13 surgeons. The overall misplacement rate in the first five surgeries was 2.4 % (6/245). The misplacement rate rose to 6.3 % between 11 and 15 surgeries (10/158; p = 0.20), and reached a significant peak between 16 and 20 surgeries with a rate of 7.1 % (8/112; p = 0.03). Afterwards, misplacement rates declined. A major peak in screw inaccuracies occurred between cases 10 and 20, and a second, smaller one at about 40 surgeries. One potential explanation could be a transition from decreased supervision (unskilled but aware) to increased confidence of a surgeon (unskilled but unaware) who adopts this new technique prior to mastering it (skilled). We therefore advocate ensuring competent supervision for new surgeons at least during the first 25 procedures of robotic spine surgery to optimise the accuracy of robot-assisted pedicle screws.