Supervision

Supervision is a relational process similar to mentoring but involves many other aspects and perspectives. A supervisor may take on the role of teacher, counselor, or consultant (Bernard & Goodyear, 2018 ) throughout the course of the supervisory relationship to train counselors and help them develop through appropriate stages. Throughout my own supervision experience, the supervision styles that most resonated with me were those that included high expectations and high support. As a result, my supervision philosophy includes expecting excellence from supervisees but also providing them with the support and tools they need to reach that excellence. I believe in modeling appropriate professional dispositions as a way to use parallel processing from a top-down perspective and positively influence how supervisees interact with their clients (Borders et al., 2023). The qualities I possess that help in achieving this include authenticity, genuineness, consistency, and appropriate self-disclosure of professional experiences. Using bioecological systems theory (DeCino et al., 2020) and a trauma-informed lens (Borders et al., 2023), I can address client and supervisee needs within the context of culture and personal experience while also relating back to the group as a whole. My philosophy is heavily influenced by my primary counseling theory and two supervision models. 

Counseling Theory

I use an integrated approach to counseling that incorporates concepts and interventions from trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), art and play therapy, mindfulness and meditation training, and internal family systems (IFS) theory. However, my primary underlying theory is adaptive information processing (AIP) theory, and my primary modality is eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR therapy was created by Francine Shapiro in 1987, and then in 1991, the AIP theory was developed to explain the efficacy of EMDR and to help it gain traction as a credible treatment (Hill, 2020). The AIP theory theorized a process by which the brain records and stores memories, how distress occurs when memories are not stored appropriately, and how healing can occur by desensitizing and reprocessing distressing memories using bilateral stimulation (Hill, 2020). The AIP theory can be reduced to the following statement by Hill (2020),

AIP theory is built on a model of removing obstacles to the brain’s typical processing, rather than on changing or fixing the brain or its processes. At the end of this typical processing, the information gained from the adverse experiences can be adaptively integrated into existing memory networks (p. 322).

It occurs to me that “removing obstacles to the brain's typical processing” (p. 322. Hill, 2020), in addition to using bilateral stimulation, could also be achieved by challenging or reframing cognitive distortions, such as in TF-CBT, or clearing and settling the mind, such as in mindfulness and meditation practices. It could also be achieved by practicing emotion regulation skills, such as in DBT, to reduce emotional intensity so that the prefrontal cortex is able to function appropriately (Linehan, 2015). This may also occur through introducing adaptive information to the brain, such as through psychoeducational materials. The simplicity of the AIP theory provides countless applications in the counseling setting as well as in teaching and supervision settings with various interventions.

Loganbill, Hardy, and Delworth Model

The Loganbill, Hardy, and Delworth supervision model is a developmental model used to progress supervisees through eight tasks, including “competence, emotional awareness, autonomy, professional identity, respect for individual differences, purpose and direction, personal motivation, and professional ethics” (p. 31, Bernard, & Goodyear, 2018). According to Loganbill, Hardy, and Delworth, supervisees cycle through three stages for each task (Bernard, & Goodyear, 2018 ). The stages include the stagnation stage, the confusion stage, and the integration stage, and supervisees may progress cyclically through the stages rather than linearly or may be in different stages of each task simultaneously (Bernard, & Goodyear, 2018 ). The supervisor’s role in group supervision is to alternate between supporting supervisees with validation and encouragement and challenging them by introducing new (adaptive) information or identifying logical inconsistencies with the ultimate goal of guiding supervisee progression toward the integration stage for all eight tasks (Bernard, & Goodyear, 2018 ). The intervention of support in the Loganbill, Hardy, and Delworth model (Bernard, & Goodyear, 2018 ) could be equated to desensitization in the AIP theory (Hill, 2020) as support can reduce distress in supervisees and create a baseline within their window of tolerance. The challenging intervention (Bernard & Goodyear, 2018 ) can be equated with the AIP theory concept of reprocessing (Hill, 2020), as it involves removing barriers and introducing adaptive information.

Multicultural factors

According to Mitchell and Butler (2021), counselors in training who participate in supervision with a supervisor who models multicultural competency and addresses multicultural issues are likely to demonstrate their own multicultural competency skills. Mitchell and Butler (2021) suggested that supervisees work to build a relationship with counselors in training to ease anxieties and encourage participation. Engaging in discussions and activities that explore values and beliefs as well as other multicultural factors can help the counselor in training and the supervisor build rapport (Mitchell & Butler, 2021). Supervisors may broach multicultural differences and power differentials to strengthen the supervisory alliance (Mitchell & Butler, 2021). The supervisor role is well suited to addressing multicultural issues and modeling appropriate broaching techniques. Multicultural competency is another excellent topic with which to use top-down parallel processes in either individual or group supervision.

References

• • AZBBHE. (2019). Arizona administrative code: Board of behavioral health examiners: Title 4. Professions and occupations: Chapter 6. Board of behavioral health examiners 1–37.  Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners. FINAL BOARD RULES 011219.pdf (azbbhe.us)

  • AZIAPT. (2017). Sign up for a training. aziapt. https://www.aziapt.com/events 

    • Bernard, J. M., & Goodyear, R. K. (2018). Fundamentals of clinical supervision (6th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://capella.vitalsource.com/books/9780134790275Links to an external site.

    • Borders, L. D. & Brown, L. L. (2022). The new handbook of counseling supervision (Classic). Routledge.

    • Borders, L. D., Lowman, M. M., Eicher, P. A., & Phifer, J. K. (2023). Trauma-informed supervision of trainees: Practices of supervisors trained in both trauma and clinical supervision. Traumatology, 29(2), 125–136. https://doi-org.library.capella.edu/10.1037/trm0000382

    • Brown-Rice, K. & Furr, S. (2019). "Am I my peers’ keeper? Problems of professional competency in doctoral students." Teaching and Supervision in Counseling. 1(1) 33-46. https://doi.org/10.7290/tsc010104

    • Chamberlin, B., Camden, E., Waggoner, B., & Simmons, R. (n.d.). Intentional supervision: Cultivating critical thinking in case conceptualization. Liberty University

    • DeCino, D. A., Waalkes, P. L., & Chang, V. (2020). Gatekeeper identity development: An application of bioecological systems theory. Counselor Education and Supervision. 61(1) 1-70. DOI 10.1002/ceas.12225

    • ‌Hill, M. D., (2020). Adaptive information processing theory: Origins, principles, applications, and evidence. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work. 17(3) 317-331. https://doi.org/10.1080/26408066.2020.1748155

  • Linehan, M. (2015). DBT skills training handouts and worksheets. The Guilford Press.

  • Mitchell, M. D., & Butler, S. K. (2021). Acknowledging intersectional identity in supervision: The Multicultural Integrated Supervision Model. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 49(2), 101–115. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmcd.12209

    • Prikhidko, A., & Swank, J. M. (2018). Emotion regulation for counselors. Journal of Counseling & Development, 96(2), 206–212. https://doi-org.library.capella.edu/10.1002/jcad.12193