What Makes A Good Supervisor

A good supervisor is firm and yet gentle with the employees. Providing continuous and constructive feedback to employees is a must for a person in any supervisory capacity. Supervisors who are helpful and appreciative of good work are much better in their capacity as

As the standards of the counseling profession are continuously being shaped, I desire to play a role in the educating

In supportive supervision the primary issue is counsellor morale and job satisfaction, as well as dealing with stress. The stresses and pressures of the coaching role can affect work performance and take its toll psychologically and physically. In extreme and prolonged situations these may ultimately lead to burnout. The supervisor 's role is to help the counsellor manage that stress more

Psychotherapy-based models of supervision often feel like a natural postponement of the therapy itself. “Theoretical coordination informs the observation and selection of clinical data for discussion in supervision as well as the meanings and relevance of those data (Falender & Shafaanske, 2008). I feel that this model utilize psychotherapy theory to apply similar techniques used with clients in the supervision setting, as a supervisor I would put emphasis on the importance of client-clinician, and clinician-supervisor relationship.

Supervisors’ provide effective formative and summative feedback, promote growth and self-assessment in the trainee, and they also have to be able to conduct their own self-assessment. These skills encourage the trainee in the process of supervising. Clinical supervision is defined as: “An intervention that is provided by a senior member of a profession to a junior member or members of that profession. This relationship is evaluative, extends over time and has simultaneous purposes of enhancing the professional functioning of the junior member(s), monitoring the quality of professional services offered to the clients she, he or they see(s) and serving as a gatekeeper for those who are to enter the particular profession” (Bernard & Goodyear,

Therefore, the definition of counselling supervision according to counsellingresource.com (2014) is a counsellor or psychotherapist that reviews their employee’s work for the beneficial of their client. Also, discusses about their professional and personal development. Supervisor does not act as a boss, but as a consultant who gives the counsellor further guidance about how they could overcome their issues.

Additionally, research has been done that examines the perceptions of school counselor effectiveness, as well as the usefulness of available supervision (Borders & Usher, 1992; Henderson & Lampe, 1992). During a school counseling master’s education program, there is ample supervision, both on-site and through the university, during the practicum and internship field experiences (Peterson & Deuschle, 2006; Studer & Oberman, 2006). However, it has been noted that clinical supervision of school counselors post-graduation has not been utilized in the most effective way (Linton & Deuschle, 2006). Several studies have examined the reason behind the lack of effective supervision within a school setting. Some researchers suggest that there is incongruence between the daily tasks of school counselors and models of clinical supervision most often utilized (Luke, Ellis, & Bernard, 2011). There also appears to be limited research on whether school counselor directors are being provided “best practices” methods of formal education and training for their positions.

Rebekah utilized the “sink or swim” approach to supervision, which particularly emphasizes the process of challenging the counselor-in-training. She described her philosophy of supervision as experiential. In other words, counselors-in-training learn best by jumping in, experiencing the role of a counselor, and learning as they go. Furthermore, it is important to have confidence in the abilities and skills of the counselor-in-training, as well as, trusting in their ability to be responsible for their actions. She monitors

I make sure that the staff are aware that the supervision is confidential but the recordings are accessible by the professional if there is a need and also the staff can get an access to their notes any time.

A supervisor must remain approachable from their subordinates. With this approachability and accessibility the supervisor will be successful in building a better working relationship. The difficulty with some supervisors is the ability to draw the line between having a personal relationship with their subordinates and a professional relationship. With a close working relationship a supervisor should be able to confront the subordinate and be able to resolve the issue. The resolution may range from simply counseling the subordinate, all the way up to possible disciplinary action.

The discrimination model of supervision developed by Bernard & Goodyear, (1998) has three primary focus areas in training novice counselors these include use of intervention, what the supervisee is doing in the session that is observable, conceptualization or how the session work is being conducted and the level of understanding the supervisee has regarding client themes and application of specific counseling session interventions, and personalization, the supervisors own approach or method. This model embeds three essential supervisory roles, teacher, counselor and consultant in providing effective supervision. The teacher's primary

Counseling supervision, the ethical and legal issues, and the multiple relationships that result is a dynamic topic that presents numerous complex issues. The important functions of the supervisory relationship are to teach counseling through a hands-on process, assess, inform, implement, and evaluate the application of theories, ethical and competent practices to prepare the supervisee for their future profession in the counseling field. However, while supervisors play multiple roles in the supervision process, there are situations and times when the boundaries between therapy and supervision are not always clear. During the supervisory relationship it is vital and of the upmost importance that the supervisor model’s ethical behavior and implements the ethical standards of the counseling profession.

A good supervisor will inspire, challenge, and motivate their employees. In addition, a supervisor has the ability to stay focused and is able see the big picture. However, one could possibly argue that the best quality that a good supervisor must possess is the skill to recognize the potential in others. Nevertheless, the most important skill a supervisor must possess is the ability to help those around realize their own potential.

Supervision should be planned and adopted to the changing conditions. It calls for good planning and organization.

Problem employees inevitably surface in most workplaces and sometimes employers need to counsel their employees and on occasions employers must discipline the employee. In an organization top-management often formulate the standards that supervisors must use when they have to deal with problem employees. A supervisor must have the skills required to organize, staff, lead, and control which includes the ability and talent required to deal with problem employees.