Supervision Training, Practices, and Interests of California Site Supervisors

Abstract

In this descriptive study, the authors surveyed 220 California school counselor site supervisors of interns about supervision training, practices, and interests. Respondents overwhelmingly (71%) felt unprepared for this role and identified the need for more formal training and support. Results indicate a crucial leadership and advocacy role for counselor education programs.

Growing Together: A Developmental Model for Training School Counseling Site Supervisors

“…In a recent study (Uellendahl & Tenenbaum, 2015), only one quarter of the school counselor participants indicated they felt prepared by their training programs from "moderate" to "great extent" for their role as a site supervisor. Therefore, most school counselors rely on their previous experiences as interns and the evaluative supervision provided by building administrators in determining their role as a supervisor.…”

Exploring the Program-Site Alliance: Building Partnerships Between Counseling Programs and Fieldwork Sites

“…In some instances, a lack of communication in the PSA can result in untrained site supervisors struggling with gatekeeping processes. School counseling site supervisors disclosed a need for support and training because there is little to no structure or process to train site supervisors (Uellendahl & Tenenbaum, 2015). In discussions with social workers, Bogo et al (2007) established that site supervisors are conflicted in their roles as dedicated professionals and as gatekeepers for the profession.…”

“…If a CIT challenges an evaluation, the participants reported feeling like the supervisee was questioning their credibility, others did not trust their judgment, and they feared legal action (Dudek et al, 2005). Site supervisors are hungry for clarity regarding supervision and gatekeeping processes (Uellendahl & Tenenbaum, 2015). Without a proper support system or appropriate training, it is unreasonable to expect site supervisors to engage in effective gatekeeping when they feel overwhelmed by the possible complications of the evaluation process.…”

“…Counselor education (CE) curriculum at the master's level typically includes field experiences in the form of practicum and internship. Substantial development can occur during this practice period (Bernard & Goodyear, 2014;CACREP, 2016;Dodds, 1986), and field experiences have proven to significantly influence CITs' level of competence (Bjornestad et al, 2014;Carter & Duchac, 2013;Lewis et al, 2005;Uellendahl & Tenenbaum, 2015). As such, there is a need for CE personnel to develop working relationships with those who serve as site supervisors during CITs' field placement.…”

Promising practices for online site supervision training for school counselors

“…School counselors are commonly tasked with providing supervision for school counselors‐in‐training, but they rarely receive adequate preparation and report feeling unprepared to deliver effective supervision (Brott et al., 2016; Dekruyf & Pehrsson, 2011; Merlin & Brendel, 2017; Studer, 2005; Uellendahl & Tenenbaum, 2015; Wambu & Myers, 2019). There are few studies that focus on the efficacy and outcomes of counseling supervision training programs, though researchers have shown that school counseling site supervisors benefit from training (Bjornestad et al., 2014; Brott et al., 2016; Brown et al., 2017).…”