Consistency of supervisor and peer ratings of assessment interviews conducted by psychology trainees

Abstract

Observation of counsellor skills through a one-way mirror, video or audio recording followed by supervisors and peers feedback is common in counsellor training. The nature and extent of agreement between supervisor-peer dyads is unclear. Using a standard scale, supervisors and peers rated 32 interviews by psychology trainees observed through a one-way mirror. Results indicated that peers and supervisors used similar dimensions to cluster the various competencies. Peers rated counsellor performance more positively for general counselling skills but not for specialised techniques. Analyses revealed good supervisor-peer agreement for some items and poor agreement on others, with some differences being unacceptably large. The study has important implications for how feedback involving supervisors and peers might be managed and for peer supervision models. Observation of counsellor skills through a one-way mirror, video or audio recording followed by supervisors and peers feedback is common in counsellor training. The nature and extent of agreement between supervisor-peer dyads is unclear. Using a standard scale, supervisors and peers rated 32 interviews by psychology trainees observed through a one-way mirror. Results indicated that peers and supervisors used similar dimensions to cluster the various competencies. Peers rated counsellor performance more positively for general counselling skills but not for specialised techniques. Analyses revealed good supervisor-peer agreement for some items and poor agreement on others, with some differences being unacceptably large. The study has important implications for how feedback involving supervisors and peers might be managed and for peer supervision models. (Gonsalvez & Milne, 2010). First of all, novice trainees lack both competence and confidence, and have to be supported through phases of misgivings and self-doubt as they deal with high levels of affect and difficult psychological problems (Stoltenberg, Bailey, Cruzan, Hart, & Ukuku, 2014). Secondly, the requirement for intensive supervision is mainly determined by the perceived importance of observation that may be immediate (e.g., through a one-way mirror or co-therapy) or delayed (e.g., through review of video or audio recordings). As a supervisory technique, observation is supported by expert consensus (see Reiser, 2014) and by research (e.g., Townend, Iannetta & Freeston, 2002). Conversely, an over reliance on subjective methods is not recommended, because self-report of case work may be unreliable, may miss important information, and may be vulnerable to bias particularly during early stages of counsellor development, when trainees are less capable of accurate self appraisal (Campbell, 1994;Gonsalvez & Calvert, 2014;Townend, Iannetta & Freeston, 2002). Finally, important knowledge-application (e.g., SUPERVISOR AND PEER RATINGS case conceptualization), skills (e.g., generic counseling and other specialized therapy skills) and relationship (e.g., self-awareness and transference reactions) competencies are...

Clinical psychology trainees' self versus supervisor assessments of practitioner competencies

“…As predicted, discrepancies between self-and supervisorassessments decreased as trainees gained clinical experience. Despite the lack of research in this specific area, a similar pattern was noted by a study that compared peer-and supervisor assessments after a recorded clinical assessment interview (Gonsalvez, Deane, & Caputi, 2016). It is possible that experience provides time and opportunities to allay anxieties and self-doubt and to enhance confidence, making it less likely for trainees to under-rate their performance (Laitila & Oranen, 2013).…”

Addressing Professional Competency Problems in Clinical Psychology Trainees

“…Alongside this body of work, tools have been developed to permit the assessment of competency acquisition during placements, and these tools have since been adopted internationally (Gonsalvez, Deane, & Caputi, ). Although commendable, it is unclear how this shift towards competency assessment been applied to the detection and management of PPC in the Australian and New Zealand clinical psychology training context.…”

Barriers to Provision of External Clinical Psychology Student Placements

“…At each level, students must integrate newly learned knowledge and skills into practice. Gonsalvez, Deane, and Caputi () used hierarchical clustering analyses on supervisor evaluations of students on placement, and identified four competency super clusters, which were described as: good professional attributes and conduct; scientist practitioner and professional management capabilities; assessment and intervention skills; and psychological testing skills. The competency‐based model has gained popularity due to its evidence‐based foundation, and became the accepted model of supervision by the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) in 2013 (Gonsalvez, ; Psychology Board of Australia, ).…”