Supervision: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals

Course overview

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. Please visit ce4less.com to learn about our unlimited plans.