The Role of Supervision

The Role of Supervision

COUN5223

Introduction to Mental Health Counseling

December 01, 2013

Instructor: Dr. Barbra Cooper

Abstract

A primary role of supervisors in the field of clinical mental health counseling is to ensure that counselors adhere to the Hippocratic Oath; that no harm shall come to their clients. Counselors have the capability to develop an individual's issues into their triumphs or they can abuse their abilities and use their client relationship in an unethical manner. Thus, the primary role of a supervisor is to ensure that counselors adhere to ethical principles.

The Role of Supervision

Various models of supervision are centered in the clinical setting of group, individual, and triadic methods that attempt to elicit different responses from the supervisee. Individual models are focused on the personal characteristics of the supervisee and approach the supervision in an individual style that enables the focus to be placed on how the supervisee addresses issues that are associated with counseling. Group models are predicated on the view that supervision should ascertain the effective manner that counselors work with their peers as this is necessary during the course of their careers (Henderson, 2008).

Working simultaneously with two supervisees is defined as Triadic supervision. Most likely the supervision utilized by me is the cognitive-behavioral supervision. This supervision approach teaches the techniques of theoretical orientation by allowing supervisors to utilize observable cognition and behaviors. Supervisee's professional identity and their reactions to the client are supervised as these tenets are extremely important for the success of a counselor. Rooted in the psychotherapy-based model this approach is pertinent for the understanding of this model. Psychotherapy-based approaches to clinically supervised settings like counseling are rooted in the Freud mentality of theory (Carroll, 1997).

The cognitive-behavioral techniques are used in the area of supervision including the setting of an agenda for supervision sessions, assigning homework to the supervisee, capsule summaries by the supervisor, and bridging from previous sessions. These are methods of supervision that may elicit the desired assessments of the supervisee's performances for the supervisor. Utilization of this model is in my opinion, imperative for the practice where a counselor will work (Counseling, 2006).

The Psychodynamic Approach to Supervision is the next model that I would use in my practice.