Course Summary

Practice Level: Advanced

All mental health professionals (social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and counselors) have had the experience of having their work supervised by a more seasoned mentor. These supervisory experiences are often key in providing grounding in the profession, helping the newer practitioner to gain practical knowledge and skills, and providing direction on ethical and therapeutic issues that arise. Supervision is also critical in ensuring that clients working with newer clinicians have the benefit of them being guided by someone more experienced. Furthermore, the ethical codes for various professional associations highlight the significant role supervision plays in the standards, values, and principals that guide mental health and human service professionals (e.g., NASW, APA, ACA, NBCC, and AAMFT). Although positive and negative experiences exist, supervisor training is a key factor in ensuring that supervisors are prepared for the mentoring role. It is also invaluable to receive supervision on the provision of supervision prior to conducting it independently. There are a number of models that a supervisor may follow based on their own background and orientation, but within these theoretical differences there is emerging literature in the field of supervision research and a general consensus on what steps professionals can take to become effective supervisors.  This course is designed for supervisees and supervisors and new and seasoned mental health professionals.

Course Format

This course contains downloadable online lessons (PDF) and a practice test. When you’re ready, purchase the course by clicking the “Add To Cart” button. This will let you take the test, complete the course evaluation and receive your certificate for CE credits.

Learning Objectives

  • Differentiate the provision of supervision from the provision of psychotherapy.
  • Describe various approaches to supervision.
  • Differentiate the roles and responsibilities of supervision
  • Explain ethical and legal issues in supervision, including informed consent, confidentiality, and competence.
  • Recognize the essential components of multicultural competence in supervision.
  • Explain the use of technology in supervision.
  • Describe supervision methods and techniques.
  • Identify ways to encourage supervisee reflectivity.
  • Describe supervisee evaluation, including use of evaluation instruments, and communicating feedback.
  • Explain ways to manage conflict in supervision.
  • Discuss the role of documentation and record keeping in supervision.

Course Syllabus

  • Introduction
  • Definition of Supervision
  • Key Learning Points
  • The Supervisory Relationship
  • Supervisor Tasks
  • Supervisor Competencies
  • Supervisor Behaviors
  • Supervisee Objectives
  • Supervision Approaches
  • Psychotherapy Based Approaches
  • Process-Based Approaches
  • Integrative/Eclectic Approaches
  • Responsibilities of Supervision
  • The Client
  • The Therapist Supervisee
  • The Supervisor
  • Attending to Ethical Issues in Supervision
  • Ethical Issues Applied to Supervision
  • Informed Consent for Clients of Trainees and Confidentiality
  • Competence
  • Boundary Issues in Supervision
  • Multicultural Competence – Working with Diversity
  • Multicultural Competence
  • The Supervisory Session
  • Formats for Supervision
  • Use of Technology in Supervision
  • Supervision Methods and Techniques
  • Individual Supervision
  • Structured versus Unstructured Supervision
  • Encouraging Supervisee Reflectivity
  • Group Supervision
  • Evaluation
  • Issues and Concepts
  • How to Manage Conflict in Supervision
  • Supervisee-Specific Strategies
  • Distinguishing Poor Service Quality from Harm
  • Program Administration
  • Documentation and Record Keeping
  • Summary

Authors

Heidi Dalzell, Psy.D.

Heidi Dalzell, Psy.D. is a psychologist in private practice specializing in eating disorders, as well as dual addictions, trauma, domestic violence and depression. She conducts individual and couples therapy with adolescent and adult clients. In addition to authoring numerous mental health courses she frequently blogs and writes newspaper articles about mental health topics.

Amanda Gilmore, PhD

Dr. Gilmore received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington, completed her clinical internship at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, and received postdoctoral training in post traumatic stress research at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). She joined the faculty at MUSC in 2016 and currently holds a joint appointment in the College of Nursing and the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. Her research interests primarily focus on the development and testing of (1) integrated prevention programs for alcohol and drug use, sexual assault, and sexual risk behaviors among high-risk groups including adolescents, college students, and service members, (2) innovative technology-based interventions to improve the rate of treatment access and decrease treatment drop-out among underserved populations; and (3) secondary prevention programs for individuals who experienced recent sexual assault. She is also interested in the acute effects of alcohol on sexual decision making. Dr. Gilmore has served as a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on grants from NIDA, NIAAA, the Office for Victims of Crime and the Department of Homeland Security as well as several internal grant mechanisms. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist with particular expertise in the treatment of substance use disorders, post traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal behaviors and she founded and led clinics that have provided treatment to recent sexual assault victims, victims of crime with post traumatic stress and suicidal behaviors, and integrated behavioral health care within an OB/GYN clinic.

Accreditation Approval Statements

CE4Less.com is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CE4Less.com maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

CE4Less.com, provider #1115, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/08/21-08/08/24. Social workers completing this course receive 6 clinical continuing education credits.

CE4Less.com has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6991. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CE4Less.com is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Courses have been approved by CE4Less.com, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #91345 CE4Less.com is responsible for all aspects of the programming.

We are committed to providing our learners with unbiased information. CE4Less never accepts commercial support and our authors have no significant financial or other conflicts of interest pertaining to the material.

Course Reviews

No Reviews Found!
Show more reviews
What's your experience? We'd love to know!