Effectiveness of the Supervision Model on Practice - Essay Example

Topic: According to Bernard et.al, (2006) supervision is an intervention which is offered by a senior profession toa junior or members within the same profession. Based on this definition there is a threefold perspective which is provided in professional development, gatekeeping and the client welfare that are mainly emphasized during the process of training. Therefore, the supervisory relationship that exists between the supervisor and the supervisee follows a hierarchical nature aimed at monitoring and evaluating the supervisee within the provision of therapy. The supervision experience must exhibit a collaborative view that focuses on the supervisory skills that must be adapted by the supervisee under the guidance of the supervisor (Falander & Shafranske, 2004). An effective supervision process channels all the goals of education and training in ensuring client protection and professional development. The aim of this paper is to assess the presented case using an appropriate theoretical supervision model in order to devise the best treatment plan based on the client’s presenting concerns. Case Conceptualization Jack Jones is a 30-year old European male who has a history of violent behaviour. The extent of his violence is physical towards men while with women he is verbally abusive. Jack was recently released from prison after completion of his sentence. Five years ago he was imprisoned for assault on a job colleague and stayed in prison for 6 months before he was released. However, he was arrested again one month later for assaulting a drunken man with a cricket bat until he lost four front teeth. This was Jack’s second arrest for which he served a three year jail term. Jack’s childhood was difficult and full of problems as he was subjected to child abuse and he also witnessed domestic violence. Recently, he found a girl he likes and has been in a relationship for the past one month. As a result of his short temper his girlfriend Mary brought him to our rehab center for anger management. Jack’s past relationships have been quite difficult and they never lasted for more than two months. He usually met his past girlfriends from clubs and his neighbourhoods before inviting them to leave with him after two weeks of dating. He says that the women usually left after sometime even though he felt that the relationships were satisfying. He also states that the girls he dated from his neighbourhood left the neighbourhood as soon as they moved from his house. Jack admits he wanted to marry most of his past girlfriends but never got the opportunity. He further states that he has no children. While in prison Jack thought about his anger problem and how he was tired of jumping from one relationship to another. He now wants to deal with his anger issue so that he can be able to build a lasting relationship with Mary. Jack got employed in a Supermarket where he has been working as the custodian of the stock received from suppliers. However, he is underemployed. His criminal record has ruined his reputation while searching for a job despite that fact that that he holds a degree in Information Technology. Fortunately, there has been no form of aggressive behaviour with his colleagues as most of the time he works alone in the supermarkets store. Nevertheless, Jack’s girlfriend Mary together with his probation officer only finds its fit that he enrols to the rehab center for treatment. Discussion There are numerous theoretical approaches as well as models of treatment which are available for dealing with Jack’s case. Various researches that have been conducted on talk therapies have found the approaches to be effective (Brown, 2008). Jack came to the rehab center in order for him to solve his anger problem which would enable him to be able to stay in a lasting relationship as well as prevent any form of violent outburst with his colleagues. Based from his past history of child abuse and violent behaviour it is easy to understand the root cause of Jack’s anger issues. The probable diagnosis for Jack is that he has intermittent explosive disorder. This is mainly cause by outbursts of rage and aggression. Therefore, building from his past experiences it will be easier to devise a treatment plan that would be able to assist Jack to deal with his problem. Supervisee The supervisee is a 34-year old European American female undertaking a Master’s course in Counselling. She is currently in her second year of the master’s programme with two more weeks before she completes the semester. She has a degree in counselling as well as 5 years’ worth of experience in counselling and other related areas. Currently, she has been working in my organization for the past six months as an intern. Her focus has been to learn more about the theory of practice that she is interested in as a clinician. Supervision model used According to Freitas (2002) his research findings indicated that the therapeutic relationship is much important than the outcome that is received from the therapeutic orientation and it is independent regardless of the treatment plan that is proposed. Majority of the therapists mainly like to perceive themselves as eclectic with regards to the various integrating theories that are put into one consistent practice. However, there are those models that were specifically meant for theoretical orientation. It is based on this assumption that I chose to take up the integrated model in carrying out the supervision. An integrated model works extremely well as it assists the supervisee to be able to understand the supervisory skills passed by the supervisor and also provide an approach that is effective in dealing with the given situation. Supervision with Supervisee According to Hollaway, et.al, using observation tool is one of the supervision tools that are essential when supervisors are conducting training among their supervisee. Based on this as the supervisor I saw it fit to embrace the observation tool in my supervision. It is essential for a supervisor to have a good relationship with supervisee as this promotes professional development as well as the client’s protection. The use of the integrated model offers a wide range of approaches that will focus on enhancing the professional development of the supervisee. In the course of the first session, I observed that the supervisee was reluctant in probing the client more about his past violent experience specifically, his child abuse based on the fact that she noticed anger in the client’s voice and his face depicted that of rage. The supervisee had to cut off eye contact with the client and jumped on to another topic leaving the pending remarks for the next session. Feedback The concept of feedback is very important in supervision and thus an approach that is effective in portraying both positive and negative impact based on the situation must be chosen with precision (Holloway, 1987). In this context the integrated model is able to portray both positive and effective feedback. As the supervisor I used both the observation tool and a supportive approach in order to relay efficient feedback to the supervisee. Immediately we began to talk I probed her of why she was reluctant in asking the client more questions regarding his past experience of which she showed signs that she was a bit scared of the situation. Even though I was supportive of her actions based on the fact that the client had a serious criminal record I had to challenge her more by explaining to her the duties of an effective clinician in dealing with a client. Challenging Supervisee Regardless of the client’s situation, it is important that the supervisee maintains a calm composure when probing the client. As the supervisor, it was my responsibility to advice the supervisee to learn more on ways that can assist her in dealing with her clients and also assist in her professional development. I often encourage all my supervisee to be able to embrace new ways that can assist them in conducting their daily tasks as it is the key to having a positive outcome in their practice. Cultural competency in Supervision Ethics based on a multicultural context is simply meant to encourage critical thinking instead of having a passive acceptance (Dressel, Consoli, Kim, & Atkinson, 2007). Therefore, with regards to this assumption I was more focussed on giving a feedback that was not based on any ethnicity background. The concept of multicultural supervision is quite important especially in the field of clinical supervision. Therefore, I encouraged the supervisee to learn more regarding the aspect of culture and its ever changing concept in the clinical practice. It is a requirement that every supervisor must embrace their supervisee regardless of their race, ethnicity, beliefs and attitudes. As the supervisor I was keen enough to ensure that I understood my supervisee based on all the aspects. It is also important for a supervisor to maintain a respectful relationship with the supervisee especially with regards to culture. Therefore, in this section I encouraged the supervisee to be able to understand all the multicultural aspects that may create conflict during a session with the client. This will further assist the supervisee in understanding the client’s attitudes and beliefs. Ethical Issues According to Cobia & Boes (2000), they advocate for the employment of the disclosure professional statements by the supervisor and the formulation of a well sort out supervisory plan which are meant to prevent any ethical conflicts that may arise during the session. The strategies approach used in supervision must be able to increase opportunities of all the learning skills that are required for the professional collaboration, promote development of trust and rapport as well as establishment of a conducive environment for communication in the supervisory relationship (Cobia & Boa, 2000). Through a thorough analysis into the case using this approach an effective treatment plan will thus be guaranteed. Therefore, as the supervisor I encouraged my supervisee to develop an understanding of the ethical boundaries that need to be followed within the clinical profession Conclusion There are numerous approaches that can be used in evaluating a supervisee performance and the relationship that exists between the supervisor and the supervisee in the clinical profession; hence it is important that the best approach is carefully chosen. As the supervisor I am responsible for ensuring that the supervisee experiences professional growth during the training and also offers quality care to the client. It is only through effective feedback that the supervisee can be able to grow in her profession. References Bernard, J. M. (2006). Tracing the development of clinical supervision. The Clinical Supervisor, 24(1/2), 3–21. Brown, S. D., & Lent, R. W. (Eds.). (2008). Handbook of counselling psychology (4th Ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Cobia, D. C., & Boes, S. R. (2000). Professional disclosure statements and formal plans for supervision: Two strategies for minimizing the risk of ethical conflicts in post-masters supervision. Journal of Counseling & Development, 78(3), 293–296. Dressel, J. L., Consoli, A. J., Kim, B. S. K., & Atkinson, D. R. (2007). Successful and unsuccessful multicultural supervisory behaviors: A Delphi poll. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 35(1), 51–64. Freitas, G. J. (2002). The impact of psychotherapy supervision on client outcome: A critical examination of 2 decades of research. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training 39(4), 354–367. Falender, C. A., & Shafranske, E. P. (2004). Clinical supervision: A competency-based approach. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Holloway, E. L. (1987). Developmental models of supervision: Is it development? Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 18(3), 209–216. Read More