SUPERVISION PROCESS AND TIPS

“Supervision is a process that consists of a variety of patterns of behavior, the appropriateness of which depends upon the needs, competencies, expectations and philosophies of the supervisor and the supervisee and the specifics of the situation (task, client, setting, and other variables).”--McCrea, Elizabeth S. and Brasseur, Judith A., The Supervisory Process in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, Allyn & Bacon, 2003, p.

SUPERVISION PROCESS

●  At first the supervisor controls the learning situation, provides ample input, and models.

●  The student’s role may be quite minimal.

●  Over time, the supervisor gradually yields control; guides the student to successfully complete the pieces of the task, providing support when needed.

●  As the student gains skill and independence, the supervisor provides less and less support

Sound familiar?

●  This is a description of scaffolding (van Kleeck, 1994; Vigil & van Kleeck, 1996).

●  Just replace the word “student” with the word “child” and the word “supervisor” with the word “adult”

●  In other words, we know how to do this!

STAGES OF SUPERVISION

1. Evaluation Feedback Stage

●  Supervisor is dominant and directive

●  Needed when student is new or dealing with new disorder category, new intervention or assessment

●  Supervisor helps the student to understand clinical decisions

●  Feedback is specific

●  Marginal students will stay here longer

2. Transitional Stage

●  Student is a participant in all aspects of client management

●  Supervisor provides feedback, but tone becomes more collaborative

●  Student is moving toward independence

●  Student is learning to analyze sessions and the methods they used

●  Student’s and supervisor’s anxiety may go up during this phase

3. Self-Supervision Stage

●  Student becomes more of an independent problem solver

●  Relationship shifts to more of a collegial interaction rather than teacher/student

●  Supervisor gives more collaborative feedback

●  Student takes on the caseload

●  Not everyone will get here in a 10 week term

STYLES OF SUPERVISION

●  Direct-Active

o  Directing, suggesting and modeling

●  Collaborative

o  Assist the student’s problem solving and critical thinking

o  Involve the student in decision making

o  Supervisor provides feedback, but also encourages input

●  Consultative

o  Student seeks assistance when appropriate

o  Cooperative interaction between supervisor and student

o  Student can identify strengths and weaknesses and make modifications

Adapting Your Approach:

●  Know your style and know when to adapt based on the student’s learning stage

●  Adjust your approach depending on the level, experience and personality of your student

●  Communicate expectations with the supervisee

●  Informal or formal conferences

●  Balance targets for improvement with positive feedback

Many ASHA resources for the clinical supervisor are available online.

Consider reading the articles The Basics of Supervision (Newman, 2005) and Bullying and Intimidation in Clinical Supervision (Mancinelli, 2017)