Professional Supervision

• Learn why debriefing is critical for a sustainable career in counselling
• Learn how to set up and run a system for supervising and debriefing counsellors
• Enhance your professional skills for a more successful career 

The field of supervision has consequently been reviewed and revised to determine consistent philosophies across the board, and to explain exactly what is meant by supervision and what its central values and aims are. The defining philosophies for the practice of supervision are to be found in the Standards for Supervision and the Curriculum Guide for Counselling Supervision.Without the opportunity to discuss cases in a confidential professional situation, a professional can themselves begin to suffer from the burden of having to deal alone with a build up of problems they confront on a regular basis. This course develops skills in supervising other professionals and an awareness of what to expect when undergoing supervision yourself.

Lesson Structure

There are 7 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction to Professional Supervision
   • Introduction
   • Nature and scope of counselling
   • Defining supervision
   • Benefits of being supervised
   • Personal moral qualities of a counsellor
   • Case study
   • Your strengths and weaknesses
   • SWOT analysis
   • Qualities of a professional supervisor
   • Case study
2. Models of Supervision
   • Beginning the super vision process
   • Contracts
   • Models of supervision
   • Mentoring
   • Proctors interactive model of supervision
   • Use of reflection in the theoretical framework
   • Forms of supervision: individual, group, self, agency
   • Reporting and record keeping
   • PBL: Create and present a plan with specific strategies for improving the supervision of employee’s work related skills, attitudes, and knowledge in the workplace, based on a clear understanding of the person’s needs, values, and situation.
3. Professionalism, Ethics, and Legal Concerns
   • Introduction and ethical codes
   • Supervisor professional standards
   • Ethical decisions
   • Responsibilities of supervisors to other professionals
   • Confidentiality
   • Informed consent
   • Multicultural counselling
   • Dual relationships
   • Professional boundaries
   • Complaints
   • Professional misconduct
   • Bringing the profession into disrepute
   • Sanctions
4. Different Approaches to Supervision
   • Relavent theories or models
   • Developmental models
   • The Professional Development Model (PDM)
   • Discrimination model
   • Issues in supervision
   • What is burnout
   • What causes burnout
   • Is stress the same as burn out
   • Online counselling and supervision
   • Telephone counselling
   • E mail or online counselling
   • How does online supervision work
   • International perspectives on counselling supervision
5. Supervision for Different Professions
   • Introduction
   • What to look for in an effective supervisor
   • Foundations of supervision
   • Supervision policy statement
   • Case study: Supervision in social work
   • Case study: supervision in occupational health nursing
   • Case study: supervision in the coaching profession
   • Case study: supervision for child safety
   • Case study: supervision in youth work
6. Organisational Considerations
   • Introduction
   • Self governance, awareness and supervision
   • Defining requirements
   • Organisational dynamics
   • Team dynamics
   • Supervision and outside contractors
   • Benefits of supervision in an organisation
   • Education
7. Managing Supervision
   • Issues in managing thew process
   • Frequency and duration of supervision
   • Finance
   • Other elements
   • Motivating factors
   • Transference and counter transference
   • Power abuse
   • Selection of supervisors and supervision
   • Standardised and open methods of supervision

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Describe what is meant by professional supervision, why it is necessary, benefits and disadvantages;
• Define and compare different models of supervision including reciprocal mentoring, group supervision, self supervision, and agency supervision;
• Develop an understanding of professional issues of supervision including confidentiality, ethics, quality control, and legal concerns;
• Understand and define different approaches to supervision including psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioural, solution-orientated, process-orientated and narrative methods;
• Understand some of the different approaches applied to supervision for different professional groups;
• Explain the different requirements of providing supervision in organisations where most employees are counsellors, organisations where counsellors are in the minority, and organisations of non-counsellors;
• Identify the different managerial components of the supervision process including budgeting, monitoring frequency of supervision, selection of supervisors, and the question of standardisation.

What You Will Do

• Explain the concept of professional supervision;
• Describe the process of a one-on-one case study of professional supervision;
• Determine the pros and cons of professional supervision;
• Define different supervision models including reciprocal mentoring, group supervision, self supervision and agency supervision;
• Identify ethical concerns to be considered in supervisor/supervisee and supervisee/client relationships;
• Consider the importance of confidentiality and duty of care;
• Identify main legal concerns arising from supervision;
• Discuss problems caused by treating supervision as a form of quality control.
• Explore similarities and differences between psychoanalytic, cognitive behavioural, solution oriented, process oriented and narrative approaches to professional supervision;
• Identify key problems associated with matching theory to practice in supervision.

Some Sample Course Notes 

Personal Moral Qualities of A Counsellor

Under the BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) Code, practitioners must have certain personal moral qualities when dealing with their clients. These are providing services with an ethical and moral component. The qualities should be developed in the individual as a personal commitment rather than because they “have to”. They should aspire to the following personal qualities –

Empathy – understanding things from another person’s perspective. Putting yourself in “their shoes”.

Sincerity – Be consistent between what we say and what we do.

Resilience – Work with the client, supporting them in their concerns, without diminishing us personally.

Integrity – Be moral, honest, coherent and straightforward in our dealings with others.

Respect – Hold others in esteem and understanding.

Humility – Be able to assess our own strengths and weaknesses.

Competence – Use the skills and knowledge that is required.

Fairness – Apply appropriate criteria to inform decisions and actions.

Wisdom – Have sound judgement that informs your practice.

Courage - Act in spite of any risks, your own fears and uncertainties.

It is a challenge to work ethically and there can be times when we have competing obligations. In this situation, it would be easier to stop analyzing things ethically to avoid any tension. However, these ethics are intended to assist practitioners in situations where they should be taken into account.

Supervisors will often have to support their counsellors in ethical decisions. These can be a matter of individual choice and can be difficult for the counsellor and supervisor.

 Want to Learn More?

You may also be interested in some of our other counselling courses -

http://www.acsedu.com/Courses/product.aspx?id=359 Introduction to Psychology

http://www.acsedu.com/Courses/product.aspx?id=509 Abnormal Psychology

http://www.acsedu.com/Courses/product.aspx?id=662 Adolescent Psychology

http://www.acsedu.com/Courses/product.aspx?id=472Advanced Certificate in Psychology

http://www.acsedu.com/Courses/product.aspx?id=480 Psychopharmacology (Drugs and Psychology)

http://www.acsedu.com/Courses/product.aspx?id=367 Stress Management

http://www.acsedu.com/Courses/product.aspx?id=366Conflict Management

Our bookshop offers a range of counseling and psychology courses which you may find useful. You can see our range of books at –

http://www.acsbookshop.com/books_productcategory.aspx?id=14

Not sure whether counseling is the right career for you or if you would like to know more. You can find out more about careers in psychology and counseling at - http://www.thecareersguide.com/articles.aspx?category=14