Practicum Supervision Roles: Effects on Supervisee Statements

The practicum supervision model evaluated in this study utilized the three commonly accepted supervision roles of teacher, counselor, and consultant as methods of addressing specific supervisee issues. Supervisors performed the roles in structured supervision sessions, and supervisee statements were analyzed to determine if use of the roles influenced supervisee behaviors. Utilization of the roles was found to be a significantly effective means of influencing the content of supervisee verbalizations during practicum supervision sessions.     

Review of Research on Practicum Supervision

This six-year review of research on practicum supervision examines articles in terms of findings and the research designs employed. Research is classified according to (a) counselor—supervisor similarity, (b) training methods, and (c) evaluation. Conclusions from the review indicate: (a) the investigators found no support for matching counselors and supervisors according to similar traits; (b) there was some support for modeling, didactic, and experiential methods; (c) there was some support for peer supervision; and (d) an experimental design was used in only 4 of the 19 studies examined.     

Dual Supervision: A Model for Counseling and Supervision

The counseling practicum is generally accepted as an essential part of a counselor-training program. Likewise, the training of future counselor educators necessitates experiences in supervision of counseling-practicum students. The dual supervision model described in this article is an approach that simultaneously meets the training needs of future counselors and counselor educators. The rationale for the dual supervision model, the results of an exploratory study of the counselor trainees' attitudes toward the dual supervision process, and the counseling-practicum supervisors' reactions to the model are described. Both the students enrolled in their second quarter of counseling practicum and the supervisors had very positive reactions to the dual supervision model.     

Current Trends in Practicum Supervision Research

This article presents a conceptual framework and explores the results and implications of practicum research published from 1975–1982. Forty-two studies were found pertaining directly to practicum supervision and were divided into two categories: maximizing effectiveness of the practicum experience and specific techniques in practicum supervision. Overall, practicum supervision was found to be a worthwhile and beneficial experience and a necessary part of counselor education programs. Focusing on the personality characteristics or value systems of supervisors or supervisees, however, produced mixed results in predicting training effectiveness. There was greater consistency in the examination of specific techniques in supervision with positive outcomes resulting from the utilization of microtraining, dual supervision, peer supervision, modeling, and IPR. The use of programmed instruction was not supported.     

Using Cognitive Interventions With Counseling Practicum Students During Group Supervision

The authors argue that students in counseling practicum courses experience many self‐defeating thoughts and anxieties. These worries can impede their performance as new counselors and can have a negative impact on the supervision process. The authors outline innovative methods used by cognitive therapists to address this anxiety. In addition, a model is presented for counselor educators to use cognitive restructuring techniques as a supervision tool. Summary Throughout their studies, counseling graduate students face many possible fears and anxieties that arise from their classroom experiences. The greatest fears and anxieties seem to be related to the counseling practicum experience. This experience is one in which students may feel incompetent, vulnerable, and unskilled as they begin to put their classroom knowledge and experiences into practice. If these fears and anxieties persist, students have a hard time making progress in the area of the counseling relationship and skill building. We have examined how practicum students' fears and anxieties might be addressed, using cognitive interventions. Such interventions allow students to take irrational thoughts and change them to rational thought patterns. This is accomplished by asking students to state their fears verbally, to think about the effects of the fears and the consequences, to think about intervening beliefs and thoughts, and to restate the fears in a rational manner. Our experience suggests that cognitive interventions are useful strategies to help practicum students combat fears and anxieties. Further research might examine the use of other behavioral interventions to address these fears. For example, does role‐playing a counseling technique in supervision make a student less anxious about applying it in a real counseling session? In summary, fear and anxiety can impede the preparation of counselors during their practicum experiences. Understanding the underlying thoughts that cause these fears can help students overcome self‐defeating thought patterns. Cognitive restructuring techniques have been shown to reduce tension and can be used with counseling practicum students to help relieve performance and supervision anxiety.     

Self-Critique Technique Training in a Competency-Based Practicum

This article describes a framework for the effective supervision and systematic evaluation of practicum skills. The practicum format has been developed with the intent of applying competency-based evaluation methods to practicum and promoting self-critique skills among counselor trainees. A methodology for counselor self-critique, based on selective editing and focused discussion of videotaped sessions, is presented and explored.     

The Practicum in Study of Student Development: Its Relation to Counselor Preparation

This paper identifies several kinds of counselor activity for which practicum experiences have been or are being designed. These include individual and group counseling, outreach consultation, supervision of practicum students, and the study of student development. The SSD practicum is seen as sensitizing and predisposing the personnel worker to view action research as a relevant and crucial part of counselor education.     

Counselor Trainees’ Experiences in Triadic Supervision: A Qualitative Exploration of Transcendent Themes

Triadic supervision has been considered a credible and effective form of clinical supervision within counselor education programs since being included in the 2001 standards for the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). A phenomenological study was conducted to examine the experiences of masters-level counselor trainees in practicum with triadic supervision. Several transcendent themes emerged, namely: Initial Apprehensions, Shared Developmental Process, Vicarious Learning, Multiple Perspectives, and Safety through Trust and Relationship. The results of this study are discussed as they impact the field of counselor education and supervision.     

Critical Incidents Among Novice Counselor Trainees

The authors attempted to gain an understanding of critical incidents (CIs) from the perspective of novice counselor trainees during their 1st year of supervised clinical practicum. Journals kept by 9 trainees in master's‐level counseling programs were qualitatively analyzed using the discovery‐oriented research methodology (A. Mahrer, 1988). One hundred fifty‐seven CIs emerged in 5 major categories: (a) professional identity, (b) personal reactions, (c) competence, (d) supervision, and (e) philosophy of counseling. Implications of the findings are discussed for counselor development theory and research, as well as counselor training.     

The Results of the Implementation of a Professional Supervision Model on Counselor Trainee Behavior

This article presents the results of the application of a professional model for practicum supervision using co-equal supervisors. This study found that beginning practicum students (a) learned to use a counseling theory in a professional manner with clients, (b) were rated by an expert rater as having skills equal to or higher than a comparison group of interns, graduate students, and employed agency counselors, and (c) rated the professional supervision practicum higher than did those under the usual apprenticeship supervision model. The authors suggest that counselor educators and supervisors can train students in less time to respond at a more complex skill level than has been previously reported in the literature.     

A Behavioral Model for the Practicum Supervision of Counselor Candidates

This article presents a behavioral model of supervisor behavior for the counseling practicum that involves supervisor, counselor, and client. Five identifiable stages in supervision are presented: (a) the initial session, (b) the development of a facilitative relationship, (c) goal identification and determination of supervisory procedures, (d) the use of supervisory techniques and procedures, and (e) termination and follow-up. This supervisory process between supervisor and counselor is related to the counseling process between counselor and client.     

National Survey of School Counselor Supervision

A sample of 267 American School Counseling Association members were surveyed regarding their current supervision, desire for clinical supervision, and rating of supervision goals. Although a small minority of respondents indicated that they were currently receiving supervision, a majority of respondents indicated a desire to receive supervision. Factor analysis of ratings of supervision goals resulted in 3 factors related to the foci or learning dimensions described in J. M. Bernard's (1997) Discrimination Model. Recommendations for counselor educators and school counselor supervisors are discussed.     

Organizing a Practicum and Internship Program in Counselor Education

This article describes procedures for organizing a practicum and internship program in counselor education. Application procedures, supervision, and communication with sites, students, and supervisors are discussed.     

Effectiveness of Group Supervision Versus Combined Group and Individual Supervision

This study investigated the effectiveness of large group supervision, small group supervision, and combined group and individual supervision with counseling students. Sixty‐four participants in a master's‐level practicum were divided into 3 treatment groups that received supervision over 10 weeks. Using a pretest/posttest method, counselors were rated on growth in effectiveness and development according to self‐report, supervisor, client, and objective rater responses. Analyses of covariance revealed that all supervision formats resulted in similar progress in counselor effectiveness and counselor development. Large group supervision produced a significant result on the factor Autonomy/Dependency. However, participants showed a marked preference for individual feedback and supervision.     

A Modularized Counselor- Education Program

Counselor-education programs may be enriched through the use of modularized learning experiences. This article notes several recent articles on competency-based counselor education, the concepts of simulation and modularization, and describes the process of developing a modularized master's program at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. Such an approach to counselor education offers a flexibility and individualization not often available in traditional programs and integrates theory and practice. The program consists of 26 one-credit modules of 10 contact hours plus practicum. The modules include a statement of instructional experiences, resources, and performance criteria for evaluation. The modules in the program are grouped in four levels of application taken sequentially: didactic, simulation, performance, and experiential. A discussion of experiences with the program is included.     

An Attempt To Measure and Facilitate Counselor Effectiveness

This study evaluated the use of Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR) with videotape (as opposed to more traditional methods) in improving the effectiveness of practicum students. The practicum students were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: (a) a video-IPR, (b) an audio-IPR, and (c) supervision using an audiotape of a regular counseling session. Three judges were asked to rate videotapes of 54 practicum students conducting their final counseling session with a coached client. The judges rated two time-samplings of the final session by means of a scale consisting of three parts: (a) 33 behavioral and feeling items, (b) a single global evaluation representing the normal curve with the baseline divided into eight equal segments, and (c) a request for the judges to write any adjectives or phases that they felt described the practicum student. The results were not as convincing as had been anticipated. This article discusses possible reasons that the results were not convincing and implications the results have for future research within this area of counselor education.     

Brief Therapy: A Model for Early Counselor Training

Early counselor training has traditionally stressed acquisition of basic listening skills while underemphasizing instruction in specific problem-solving competencies. This bias may be partly responsible for such frequently observed supervision issues as counselor anxiety, inefficient counselor management of interview time, inadequate problem clarification, and premature intervention. Models for conducting brief, problem-focused counseling seem well-suited for teaching trainees the verbal skills and structuring methods that promote efficient problem clarification and resolution. The purposes of this article are to present one such model, to identify its skills requirements, and to discuss the advantages of using this model in practicum training.     

Changes in the Perception of the Counselor: Self,Ideal Self,and Self as Judged by Peers

Thirty counseling practicum students' perceptions of self as counselor, ideal counselor, and self as counselor as perceived by other practicum students were measured by the semantic differential technique before and after the supervised practicum experience. Posttest perceptions of self as counselor, ideal counselor, and ratings by other practicum group members were significantly closer to the hypothetical model counselor than were the pretest ratings.     

Ratings on a Comprehensive Set of Counselor Competencies

The specific objectives of this study were (a) to collect and edit a comprehensive set of counselor competencies, (b) to operationally define the counselor competencies, and (c) to determine the specific competencies for which there is a high level of consensus of importance among counselor-educators. The 98 competencies included in this study were collected through an extensive review of the literature of the past 10 years. Fifty counselor-educators throughout the United States rated each of the 98 competencies for perceived level of importance and for when the competencies are to be acquired. Ninety competencies received a consensual rating ranging from important to critical, indicating that they need be acquired and demonstrated by counselor-trainees before the completion of practicum.     

Self-Concept/Ideal-Self-Concept Congruence and Rated Effectiveness of Counselor Trainees

Sixty-nine counselor trainees in Alberta, Canada, completed the Interpersonal Check List at the beginning and end of their training year. On both occasions trainees responded to a “set” for self-concept and self-ideal. The congruence between self and ideal (S-I) was tested for both linear and curvilinear relationships with supervisor ratings and final practicum grades of students. A curvilinear relationship was found between (S-I) congruence and final performance measures for full-time male practicum students, suggesting the presence of an optimal range of S-I congruence.