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Building clinical supervision competence: a curriculum for clinical supervisors in the mental health field

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Building clinical supervision competence: a curriculum for clinical supervisors in the mental health field

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Running head: CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 1

BUILDING CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE:
A CURRICULUM FOR CLINICAL SUPERVISORS IN THE MENTAL HEALTH FIELD

by

Isis Romero Orozco

______________________________________________________________________________

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

May 2018

Copyright 2018 Isis Romero Orozco

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 2

Acknowledgements

This dissertation would not have been written and completed without the help, love, and
support of many key individuals in my life. I would like to begin by thanking Dr. Kenneth Yates,
Dr. Kimberly Hirabayashi, and Dr. Rebecca Lundeen for your incredible patience and support
through this tireless process. This dissertation is a product of our collaboration.
I would like to thank my parents, Irma and Salvador Romeo for always loving me and
supporting me in more ways than I would like to admit. You have seen me at my lowest and
now, I am so happy that you will see me accomplish something many only dream of. My
accomplishments are your accomplishments as parents.
I would also like to thank my mother and father in-law Maria and Bernabe Orozco. I am
in awe of your kindness, generosity, and love. I am lucky to have you in my life and to call you
mother and father. Many only dream of having in-laws as amazing as you.
Many thanks to Dr. Tsuilei Mace. You are like a sister to me. Ten years of friendship is
only the beginning. Esther Hamm and Emily Weisberg, school partners in crime. Thank you for
your support through the writing process.
To Dr. Katherine Tsai for supporting my professional growth and always being on my
side. This dissertation has largely influenced my work with you and my work with you has
largely influenced this dissertation.
Finally, thanks does not begin to express the gratitude I owe to my husband, Jose Orozco.
You stood with me and continue to stand with me through my growth as a wife, student, and
professional. You shared my struggle and took on my load when I could not carry it. I hope to
repay you for this during our lifetime together.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 3

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements 2
List of Tables 8
Abstract 9
Chapter One: Introduction 10
Statement of the Problem 10
Organizational Context and Mission 10
Organizational Problem of Practice 11
Organizational goal 12
Evidence for the Problem of Practice 12
Importance of Solving the Problem of Practice 13
Instructional Needs Assessment 14
An Innovation Model Approach 15
Data Collection 16
Curriculum Description and Purpose 17
Curriculum Goal, Outcomes, and Assessment 17
Definitions of Concepts and Terms 18
Potential Designer Biases 20
Organization of the Design Blueprint 21
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature 22
The Curriculum 22
Causal Approach 22
Content 23
Effective clinical supervision skills 25
Clinical supervision, burnout, and compassion fatigue 28
Prior Attempts to Solve the Issue of Lack of Clinical Supervision
Training 32
Analysis of prior attempts 33
Approaches to the Curriculum Design 34
Theoretical Foundations of the Curriculum Design 34
Information processing theory 34
Cognitive load theory 36
Social cognitive and behavioral theories 37
Chapter Three: The Learners and Learning Contexts 40
Learner Profile 40
Ability 40
Cognitive characteristics 40
General aptitude 40
Specific aptitude 41
Developmental level 41
Language development 41
Reading level 42
Physiological characteristics 42

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 4

General health 42
Age 42
Self-Efficacy 42
Affective characteristics 43
Interests 43
Motivation 43
Attitude towards subject matter and learning 43
Academic self-concept 44
Anxiety levels 44
Beliefs 44
Attribution of success 44
Social characteristics 44
Relationship towards peers 44
Feelings towards authority 45
Tendency towards cooperation or competition 45
Moral development 45
Socioeconomic background 45
Racial/ethnic background 45
Role models 45
Prior Knowledge 46
General world knowledge 46
Specific prior knowledge 46
Description of Learning Environment 46
Facilitator Characteristics 46
Existing Curricula/Programs 47
Available Equipment and Technology 47
Classroom Facilities and Learning Climate 48
Chapter Four: The Curriculum 49
Overall Curriculum Goal, Outcomes, and Summative Assessment 49
Curriculum Goal 49
Curriculum Outcomes 49
Summative Assessment 50
Cognitive Task Analysis (Information Processing Analysis) 51
Objective 51
Cue 51
Condition 52
Standards 52
Equipment 52
Steps 52
General Instructional Methods Approach 53
Description of Specific Learning Activities 55
Overview of the Unites 57
Unit One: What is Effective Clinical Supervision? 57
Learning objectives 57

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 5

Prerequisite analysis (enabling learning objectives) 58
Learning activities 58
Learning assessment 59
Unit Two: How do you Build a Strong and Supportive
Supervisorial Relationship with your Supervisees? 60
Learning objectives 60
Prerequisite analysis (enabling learning objectives) 60
Learning activities 61
Learning assessment 62
Unit Three: Establishing a Clinical Supervision Contract 62
Learning objectives 62
Prerequisite analysis (enabling learning objectives) 63
Learning activities 63
Learning assessment 64
Unit Four: How do you Assess Supervisees’ Clinical Practice and
Clinical Ability Using Competencies? 65
Learning objectives 65
Prerequisite analysis (enabling learning objectives) 65
Learning activities 66
Learning assessment 67
Unit Five: How do you Provide Evaluation and Feedback in
Clinical Supervision? 67
Learning objectives 67
Prerequisite analysis (enabling learning objectives) 68
Learning activities 68
Learning assessment 69
Unit Six: How do you Encourage Metacompetence,
Self-Assessment, and Self-reflection of their Clinical Abilities and
Knowledge? 69
Learning objectives 69
Prerequisite analysis (enabling learning objectives) 10
Learning activities 71
Learning assessment 72
Unit Seven: Understanding the Impact of Burnout and Compassion
Fatigue on Supervisee Wellbeing 72
Learning objectives 72
Prerequisite analysis (enabling learning objectives) 73
Learning activities 73
Learning assessment 74
Unit Eight: How do you Manage Supervisee Personal Factors in
Clinical Supervision? 74
Learning objectives 74
Prerequisite analysis (enabling learning objectives) 75
Learning activities 75

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 6

Learning assessment 76
Scope and Sequence 76
Delivery Media Selection 77
Key Considerations in Choosing Media 78
Conceptual authenticity 78
Immediate feedback 78
Special sensory requirements 78
General Instructional Platform Selection 79
Specific Media Choices 79
Chapter Five: Implementation and Evaluation Plan 81
Implementation of the Course 81
Implementation of the Evaluation Plan 84
Curriculum Purpose, Need, and Expectations 84
Evaluation Framework 85
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators 86
Level 3: Behavior 87
Critical behaviors 87
Required drivers 88
Organizational support 89
Level 2: Learning 90
Learning goals 90
Components of learning evaluation 90
Level 1: Reaction 91
Evaluation Tools 92
Immediately following the program implementation 92
Delayed for a period after the program implementation 93
Conclusion of the Curriculum Design 93
References 95
Appendix A: Evaluation Instrument (Formative) 102
Appendix B: Evaluation Instrument (Summative) 104
Appendix C: Evaluation Instrument (Six Month Booster) 106
Appendix D: Course Overview and Associated Materials 108
Appendix E: Unit One Lesson Plan and Associated Materials-What is Effective
Clinical Supervision? 120
Appendix F: Unit Two Lesson Plan and Associated Materials-How do you
Build a Strong and Supportive Supervisorial Relationship with your Supervisee? 150
Appendix G: Unit Three Lesson Plan and Associated Materials-Establishing a
Clinical Supervision Contract 184
Appendix H: Unit Four Lesson Plan and Associated Materials-How do you
Assess Supervisees’ Clinical Practice and Clinical Ability Using Competencies? 213
Appendix I: Unit Five Lesson Plan and Associated Materials-How do you
Provide Evaluation and Feedback in Clinical Supervision? 250
Appendix J: Unit Six Lesson Plan and Associated Materials-How do you
Encourage Metacompetence, Self-Assessment, and Self-Reflection of their

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 7

Clinical Abilities and Knowledge? 274
Appendix K: Unit Seven Lesson Plan and Associated Materials-Understanding
the Impact of Burnout and Compassion Fatigue on Supervisee Wellbeing 301
Appendix L: Unit Eight Lesson Plan and Associated Materials-How do you
Manage Supervisee Personal Factors 337

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 8

List of Tables
Table 1: Scope and Sequence 76
Table 2: Key Considerations of Instructional Media 79
Table 3: Specific Media Choices 80
Table 4: Indicators, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes 86
Table 5: Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing of Evaluation 87
Table 6: Required Drivers and Support Critical Behaviors 88
Table 7: Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program 90
Table 8: Components to Measure Reactions to the Program 92

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 9

Abstract
Professionals across the country provide services to thousands of mentally ill individuals.
Clinical supervisors often provide oversight of the treatment provided by these professions.
However, clinical supervisors often do not receive sufficient training to fulfill this role (Falender,
Shafranske, & Ofek, 2014; Falender & Shafranske, 2016). Lack of clinical supervision training
leads to the use of ineffective skills. This curriculum will provide instruction to clinical
supervisors on building clinical supervision skills. The curriculum relies upon a competency-
based clinical supervision (CBCS) approach. Information processing, cognitive load, social
cognitive, and behavioral theories inform the design of this eight unit course to be delivered in
person over the span of eight months. The course addresses a variety of topics applicable to
mental health settings. In addition to being able to evaluate their supervisee’s performance, upon
completion of the course, learners will also be able to successfully describe and incorporate
components of CBCS, reflective practices, and supportive strategies in their practice as clinical
supervisors. The summative assessment of this curriculum will include a compilation of
experiential and reflective activities and the completion of two video recordings. Clinical
supervision is a process heavily influencing the treatment of clients and the professional
development and wellbeing of supervisees. This curriculum aims to fill this area of training
needed to promote effective clinical supervision skills contributing to client and supervisee
wellbeing.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 10

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Statement of the Problem
Organizational Context and Mission

Many individuals seek out mental health services at some point in their lives. The
prevalence of mental illness demonstrates a need for efficient and accessible mental health
services. In the United States, one in four individuals suffer from a diagnosable mental illness
(Sundararaman, 2009). In California alone, one in six adults demonstrate a mental health need
with one in 20 actually suffering from a severe mental illness (California Healthcare Foundation,
2013). Furthermore, one in 13 children suffer from some form of a mental illness, which also
impairs their daily living.
Individuals providing mental health services to these clients have different professional
backgrounds and training. Between 2006 and 2008, there was an estimated 78,000 mental health
(MH) providers serving the mentally ill in California (California Healthcare Foundation, 2013).
Nationwide, estimates of the number of providers amount to 450,000 professionals with
specialized training to serve the mentally ill (Sundararaman, 2009). These providers ranged from
marriage and family therapists, social workers and psychologists, to psychiatrists and psychiatric
nurses. Many of these providers work in different types of organizations or independently. As of
2011, there was an estimated 6,100 organizations providing outpatient care to mentally ill clients
(World Health Organization, 2011). In addition to outpatient care, there is an estimated 2,800
organizations providing inpatient care to mentally ill clients (Center for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2011).

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 11

In conducting an environmental scan of various mental health organizational (MHO)
mission statements (Board of Behavioral Sciences, 2012; Los Angeles County Department of
Mental Health, 2017; San Bernardino County Behavioral Health, 2017; San Diego County
Department of Behavioral Health, 2017), one major theme emerged. Mental health organizations
generally strive to provide competent and culturally aware mental health services which
reinforce the wellbeing of communities and individual clients. The mission statement from the
Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (2017) provides a general example of a
mission statement that reflects these principles:
Enriching lives through partnership designed to strengthen the community’s capacity to
support recovery and resiliency is our Mission. DMH works with its stakeholders and
community partners to provide clinically competent, culturally sensitive and linguistically
appropriate mental health services to our clients in the least restrictive manner possible.
We tailor our services and support to help clients and families achieve their personal
goals, increase their ability to achieve independence and develop skills to support their
leading the most constructive and satisfying life possible (para. 4).
Organizational Problem of Practice
Mental health clinical supervisors are tasked with providing supervision to unlicensed
staff and oversight of the treatment that such staff provide to mentally ill clients and patients.
However, clinical supervisors often do not receive the necessary level of training to properly
supervise the treatment of mentally ill individuals (Falender, Shafranske, & Ofek, 2014; Falender
& Shafranske, 2017). Often, clinical supervisor are only required to receive minimal training to
become clinical supervisors, leading to the use of their own personal experiences in being

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 12

supervised in the past as their primary source of knowledge in clinical supervision (Falender et
al., 2014). Lack of training in clinical supervision contributes to the use of ineffective clinical
supervision skills and poor clinical supervision in general which can negatively impact client
care (Falender & Shafranske, 2016).
Organizational goal. Mental illness impairs the daily lives of individuals across the
country. Organizations and providers providing mental health services strive to give assistance
which aims to help mentally ill individuals reduce impairments in their lives. For this reason,
mental health organizations aim to maintain a strong and well trained workforce of mental health
professionals who can provide effective and consistent mental health services to individuals with
mental illness.
Evidence for the Problem of Practice
Although the requirements to provide clinical supervision to unlicensed staff varies
across states and professions, clinical supervisors usually undergo brief training through
continuing education providers to fulfil the minimum direct training requirements (Board of
Behavioral Sciences, BBS, n.d.; California Board of Psychology, 2017). According to BBS
(n.d.), clinical supervisors must accrue a minimum of six continuing education credits to
supervise unlicensed marriage and family therapists over the course of their licensing renewal
period which can span several years, they must be licensed throughout the time they provide
clinical supervision, and they must have two years of experience after becoming licensed to
supervise others. In comparison, clinical supervisors providing supervision to clinical social
workers must receive 16 hours of continuing education credits associated to clinical supervision
training over the span of their licensing renewal period. Psychologist in training are also required

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 13

to receive clinical supervision from a supervisor who has received at least six hours of
formalized clinical supervision training in each licensing renewal period (California Board of
Psychology, 2017). Falender and Shafranske (2017) express concern for the limited training
requirements asked of clinical supervisors and further postulate a stance of worry regarding the
fact that clinical supervision has been ignored as a separate training competency in the mental
health field. Clinical supervision training for clinical supervisors lacks enough depth to ensure
that supervisees provide effective and sound client care.
Importance of Solving the Problem of Practice
Clinical supervision is “a distinct, competency-based professional practice” (Association
of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, ASPPB, 2015, p. 5), which requires specific training
and attention. The issue of lack of effective training for clinical supervisors is important to
address because clinical supervision is the primary source of guidance and training supervisees
receive during a pivotal time in their professional development. Falender et al. (2014) assert that
even though training is often seen as the primary purpose of clinical supervision, clinical
supervisors play an important role as gatekeepers of the profession and ensuring that client’s
receive adequate and effective treatment. The ASPPB (2015) emphasize that the protection of the
client and the public is also key in the clinical supervisor process.
Furthermore, mental health (MH) providers are tasked with providing effective mental
health services while facing the growing demands of managed care and other organizational
needs. Unfortunately, these growing demands put MH providers at risk of experiencing high
levels of burnout which contribute to high turnover rates in this field (Acker, 2011; Acker &
Lawrence, 2009). However, Knudsen, Roman, and Abraham (2013) affirm that effective clinical

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 14

supervision can serve as a powerful buffer against the negative organizational factors that
providers may experience and emotional exhaustion brought on by stress and the work that they
do with clients.
It is clear that when clinical supervisors are not able to provide effective clinical
supervision to their supervisees, many things are negatively impacted. Mental health provider’s
training is impacted, their wellbeing is affected, and client care and protection is put at risk. This
is why training for clinical supervisors important.
Instructional Needs Assessment
The lack of clinical supervision training for clinical supervisors exemplifies a big issue in
the field of mental health (ASPPB, 2015; Falender & Shafranske, 2017). Supervisors are tasked
with training and gatekeeping for the profession, amongst other tasks. However, training for
supervisors has been largely ignored as an essential practice in the field of mental health and has
been considered a practice that can be gained from one's own previous professional experiences
of being supervised (Watkins & Wang, 2014). Watkins (1997) asserts that an egregious paradox
exists in the field of mental health in that MH providers receive rigorous training during the
establishment of their careers. However, clinical supervisors receive limited training in the
practice of supervising MH providers. This paradox continues to be present even though some
MH provider academic training programs have incorporated clinical supervision in their
curriculum.
Mental health providers are tasked with providing effective treatment to individuals with
mental illness or concerns. This requires that they receive adequate supervision from a competent
supervisor who can guide their practice. Watkins and Wang (2014) assert that this cannot occur

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 15

unless clinical supervisors are “rigorously and vigorously trained themselves in how to provide
supervision of clinical work” (p. 180). In effect, if effective clinical supervision is to take place,
clinical supervisors are in need of clinical supervision training.
An Innovation Model Approach
Smith and Ragan (2005) identify three reasons why an instructional needs assessment is
important to conduct: when there is a problem in an organization (problem model), when there is
a need for learners to engage in new learning (innovation model), and when an organization
wants to engage in an evaluation of a process or program (discrepancy model). The problem of
practice described above aligns with a needs assessment which employs a innovative model.
The first step in the innovation model is to identify the innovation or change that has
occurred. The literature above describes how clinical supervisors do not receive adequate and
enough training in clinical supervision practices. Watkins and Wang (2014) assert that training
for clinical supervisors has not been a specific competency of focus in the field of mental health.
Organizational missions and values are negatively impacted when clinical supervisors are not
trained to provide adequate clinical supervision to MH providers serving mentally ill clients and
patients.
The second step of the innovation model is to determine the goals that the innovation will
accomplish. Training in clinical supervision skills can enhance clinical supervision and MH
provider practice. Furthermore, Gonzalvez and Milne (2010) assert that training for clinical
supervisors can serve the purpose of combating significant issues in the field of mental health
including the belief that past experiences in supervision is enough to make an individual
competent in clinical supervision, that clinical practice without training in clinical supervision

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 16

reaches unethical grounds, and the spreading of ineffective clinical supervision and clinical
practices.
The third step outlined by the innovation model approach is to determine whether the
goals outlined in the second step are important and have high level of priority. Falender and
Shafranske (2017) assert that clinical supervisor play an important role in the training of MH
providers and the treatment that clients and patients receive. Moreover, Ellis, Berger, Hannus,
Ayala, Swords, & Siembor (2014) assert that a high percentage of MH providers receive
inadequate or harmful clinical supervision, further justifying the need for clinical supervision
training.
Data Collection
In order to understand the need for instruction for clinical supervisors in the mental health
field, data was compiled from various sources. First, Ellis et al. (2014) found that 61% of
supervisees (i.e. MH providers) surveyed were either currently or had in the past received
inadequate supervision from a clinical supervisor. Furthermore, 49% of MH providers in their
study believed that the harmful supervision they had or were still receiving was also harmful to
their clients. In addition, various experts in the field have identified a need for clinical
supervision training in the mental health field (Falender & Shafranske, 2017; Falender et al.,
2014; Watkins & Wang, 2014). Moreover, Green, Miller, & Aarons (2013) suggest that training
supervisors on leadership skills can promote wellbeing in their supervisees and a positive work
climate. Lastly, prior work experiences and observations of this designer at various mental health
organizations have revealed a need for instruction in sound clinical supervision practices.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 17

Curriculum Description and Purpose
The literature discussed above and the evidence for a lack of clinical supervision training
highlights the need for instruction that examines supervisorial skills that can enhance clinical
supervision practice Therefore, this curriculum design blueprint focuses on establishing a
curriculum that will facilitate the learning of such skills. This instruction will be in the format of
a eight unit professional development (PD) training series primarily training new mental health
clinical supervisors. The aim is to also use select content for shorter workshops as needed. This
curriculum will include components of competency based clinical supervision (CBCS) and will
incorporate strategies on helping providers manage burnout in the workplace, which is
considered a significant issue in the mental health field (Aarons & Sawitzky, 2006; Green et al.,
2013; Knudsen, Ducharme, & Roman, 2008; Maertz, Griffeth, Campbell, & Allen, 2007). The
ultimate purpose of this curriculum is to provide instruction that will help build clinical
supervision skills for supervisors that will positively impact MH provider’s clinical practice.
Curriculum Goal, Outcomes, and Assessment
The goal of this curriculum is to prepare new clinical supervisors to engage in effective
clinical supervision practices that enhance MH provider clinical practice. At the end of this
instruction, clinical supervisors will be able to:
● Describe components of competency based supervision.
● Incorporate key components of competency based clinical supervision into their practice
as supervisors.
● Reflect on their clinical supervision practice.
● Evaluate their supervisee’s competence in their clinical practice.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 18

● Incorporate reflective practices in their clinical supervision practice.
● Incorporate supportive strategies to help their supervisees manage burnout, compassion
fatigue, and personal factors.
The summative assessment of this curriculum will include a compilation of experiential
and reflective activities which learners will engage in during the workshop along with the
completion of two video recordings (e.g., one completed at the midway point and one at the end)
of learners engaging in clinical supervision with supervisees. This curriculum will emphasize
reflection, engagement in the learning process, and demonstration of competency.
Definitions of Concepts and Terms
The definitions of the concepts and terms associated to this curriculum are provided
below.
a. Burnout-The concept of burnout is “a work related mental health impairment comprising
three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal
accomplishment (Awa, Plaumann, & Walter, 2010, p. 184)
b. Clinical Supervision-Clinical supervision is “a distinct professional activity in which
education and training aimed at developing science-informed practice are facilitated
through a collaborative interpersonal process. It involves observation, evaluation,
feedback, facilitation of supervisee self-assessment, and acquisition of knowledge and
skills by instruction, modeling, and mutual problem-solving.... Supervision ensures that
clinical consultation is conducted in a competent manner in which ethical standards, legal
prescriptions, and professional practices are used to promote and protect the welfare of
the client, the profession, and society at large” (Falender & Shafranske, 2004, p.3)

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 19

c. Clinical Supervisor-A professional in the mental health field who engages in clinical
supervision practices when supervising their supervisees. This professional is likely to
hold a license in a specific profession in the mental health field. Licensing varies from
state to state.
d. Compassion Fatigue-The concept of compassion fatigue is defined as “a form of
burnout, often experienced by those who work as caregivers in their own families and/or
the human service sector….Chronic physical and emotional exhaustion,
depersonalization, feelings of inequity, irritability, headaches, and weight loss are a few
of the many symptoms of compassion fatigue. Other symptoms of compassion fatigue
may include negative feelings towards work, life, and others outside of the therapeutic
relationship” (Negash & Sahin, 2011, p.1)
e. Competency-based clinical supervision (CBCS)-Defined as “a comprehensive, systemic,
and metatheoretical approach to implementing the guidelines that can be applied to all
clinical specialties and theoretical orientations” (Falender and Shafranske, 2017, p. 5)
f. Emotional Exhaustion-Emotional exhaustion is “the state of being depleted of one’s
emotional resources” (Awa et al., 2009, p. 184)
g. Depersonalization-Depersonalization is defined as “a negative, cynical and detached
approach to people under one's care” (Awa et al., 2010, p. 184)
h. Mental Health Provider (MH provide)-Mental health providers, also referred to as
‘supervisees’ in this curriculum blueprint, provide direct mental health services to clients
experiencing a mental health impairment. Unlicensed MH providers work under the
direct supervision of a clinical supervisor, while some licensed MH providers may

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 20

receive clinical supervision or work independently from a supervisor.
i. Mental Health Organization-An organization specializing in providing mental health
services to individuals with mental health impairments. Mental health organizations can
be privately owned or publicly funded. Mental health organizations often specialize in
serving a specific population or geographical area.
j. Metacompetence- “The ability to know what one does not know” (Falender &
Shafranske, 2017).
Potential Designer Biases
Human bias is an important factor to consider in the development of instruction. Merriam
and Tisdell (2016) explain that biases should be explored and tracked instead of simply ignored.
It is important to identify how our interests and experiences influence our biases and to clarify
how biases shape our perspective.
This designer’s prior experiences have influenced the creation of this curriculum.
Working in the mental health field for over 6 years has provided this designer with an insider’s
point of view of issues that arise as a result of lack of training on the part of the supervisor. As
part of the licensing requirements, this designer has been exposed to four years of clinical
supervision with various supervisors who have exhibited various supervisory skills and
competencies. This designer understands the importance of clinical supervision, especially as it
relates to the professional development and wellbeing of MH providers.
The monitoring of this clouding of judgment is essential in the development of this
curriculum. It is essential to acknowledge that clinical supervisors will all have various levels of
competencies and abilities in their practice. Furthermore, this designer acknowledges that the

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 21

influence of personal experiences of being supervised should also be observed. Experiencing
clinical supervision as a trainee in the mental health field influences how one practices as a MH
provider and what orientation one chooses to conceptualize client cases under. Past experiences
and observations of clinical supervisors have impacted the desire to create this curriculum and
the selection of skills and strategies included in the instruction.
Organization of the Design Blueprint
This curriculum is divided into five chapters. Chapter One introduces the organizational
context and mission, explains the organizational problem, explores evidence for the lack of
clinical supervision training, provides an instructional needs assessment justifying this
curriculum, describes the curriculum that is to follow, explains definitions of terms and concepts
important to this curriculum, and explores designer biases. A literature review will be provided
in Chapter Two. The literature review will explore the approach that will provide a lens by which
this curriculum will be developed, in addition to discussing important content information that
will support his curriculum. The instructional theory that this curriculum will employ will be
discussed. Learner characteristics and the learning environment will be explored in Chapter
Three. Chapter Four will explain the curriculum goals, outcomes, capstone assessment, unit
descriptions, module objectives, and module assessments in greater detail. In addition,
information on the cognitive task analysis will be discussed along with unit descriptions and
explanations for the use of media. Chapter Five will discuss the evaluation of the implementation
of this curriculum.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 22

CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

The Curriculum

This literature review will provide an overview of the issue of insufficient training for
clinical supervisors and the dangers of clinical supervisors not receiving effective training.
General skills in clinical supervision along with CBCS skills will be discussed. Burnout and
compassion fatigue will be explored, along with strategies for providing support for those who
experience the effects of burnout and compassion fatigue. In addition, examples of prior attempts
of organizations providing clinical supervision will be noted, along with an analysis of prior
attempts. This literature review will conclude with an exploration of the instructional theoretical
foundations that will be used to design this curriculum. Specifically, information processing,
cognitive load, social cognitive, and behavior theories will be explored in relation to instructional
design.
Causal Approach

Various factors have impacted the lack of training of clinical supervisors in the mental
health field. Stronger levels of accountability have led to a greater need to focus on competencies
in MH provider training and practice (Falender and Shafranske, 2017). However, clinical
supervisors, who are tasked with providing effective training to new providers, often lack
sufficient training, themselves, in clinical supervision (Falender, Shafranske, and Ofek, 2014).
Clinical supervision is a concept that has historically not been clearly defined. Milne and
Watkins (2014) note that even though the trend of clinical supervisions helping to building
mental MH provider competence has become increasingly steady and popular over the past few
decades, the practice of clinical supervision, in general, continues to be ill defined across a

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 23

variety of professions. Many have found it difficult to describe the skills and practices that the
practice of clinical supervision entail. Furthermore, Falender and Shafranske (2017) assert that
the wide variety of definitions for the concept of clinical supervision demonstrates the variation
in the quality of supervision that supervisees receive from their supervisors. They also note the
recent shift towards competency-based clinical supervision, which they define as, “a
comprehensive, systemic, and metatheoretical approach to implementing the guidelines that can
be applied to all clinical specialties and theoretical orientations” (p. 5). The CBCS approach is fit
to help individuals meet requirements of training competency necessary to practice competently.
Despite the availability of this comprehensive clinical supervision model, Falender and
Shafranske (2017) assert that it is no longer valid to believe that competences as a clinical
supervisor can be gained from previous experiences being supervised. Even though the practice
of clinical supervision has been difficult to define within the mental health field, the practice of
clinical supervision has begun to move towards an emphasis of competency building for both
supervisors and supervisees. Despite the move towards a CBCS approach for training
supervisees, training for supervisors has continued to fall behind.
Clinical supervisors and leadership in mental health organization often do not receive
sufficient training that is needed to supervise others effectively (Broome, Knight, Edwards, &
Flynn, 2009; Ellis et al., 2014; Falender et al., 2014). Brome et al. (2009) assert that the type and
quality of leadership preparation varies across organizations. Leadership preparation has
increasingly become an important topic in light of evidence demonstrating that the quality of
leadership within organizations is connected to client outcomes. Brome et al. (2009) postulate
that since client outcomes may be tied to the quality of leadership, organizations may benefit

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 24

from investing in the training and mentorship of leadership. Falender et al. (2014) further posit
that despite the importance of clinical supervision and its competencies for the supervisor and
supervisee, clinical supervisors often do not receive the necessary training. Supervisors receive
minimal training in supervision before they become supervisors and often use their own past
experiences of being supervised to inform their current practice as a clinical supervisor. Falender
et al. (2014) advocate for the strong need for systematic training opportunities in which
supervisors receive supervision on their own practices. This is a necessary step in the practice of
clinical supervision as Ellis et al. (2014) finds that 61% of supervisees surveyed in their study
were either currently or had in the past received inadequate supervision and 49% of supervisees
believed that the harmful supervision they had or were still receiving was also harmful to their
clients. Ellis et al. (2014) find that
Inadequate clinical supervision occurs when the supervisor is unable, or unwilling to
meet the criteria for minimally adequate supervision, to enhance the professional
functioning of the supervisee, to monitor the quality of the professional services offered
to the supervisee’s clients, or to serve as a gatekeeper to the profession (p. 439).
When harmful supervision is present, MH providers and clients are at risk of experiencing
mental or physical harm. This is why Ellis et al. (2014) believe that inadequate and harmful
supervision may occur less frequently if there were established regulations encouraging
supervisors within the mental health profession to receive training and supervision in the practice
of clinical supervision.
A lack of clinical supervisorial training for supervisors often leads to negative
psychological, emotional, and professional consequences, that impact the training supervisees

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 25

receive and their wellbeing. Even though clinical supervisors may generally be not receive
adequate training, there are a variety of sources of information which demonstrate that effective
clinical supervision encompasses a rich skillset that benefits both clinical supervisors and the
MH providers receiving supervision.
Content
Competency-based clinical supervision is an approach that encompasses a variety of
different effective clinical supervision skills that help guide the building of competency of a
supervisee. Part of the practice of being a supervisor includes being able to provide support to
supervisees who experience burnout and compassion fatigue, two factors that impede proper
client care.
Effective clinical supervision skills. Competency-based clinical supervision is an
approach that promotes accountability, competency, and effective supervision of MH providers
(Falender & Shafranske, 2012; Falender & Shafranske, 2017; Falender et al., 2014; Tebes,
Matlin, Migdole, Farkas, Money, Shulman, & Hoge, 2011). Falender and Shafranske (2012)
assert that CBCS helps to maintain accountability in the profession of counseling, which
ultimately aids in the protection of the clients being served. Presenting competency as a complex
concept, they clarify that the competency based approach should be utilized with the
understanding that building competence is a continual process that should continue for one’s
entire career. Competency based clinical supervision emphasizes reflection and self-evaluation
that can help encourage a continuation of self-monitoring throughout a career. Falender and
Shafranske (2012) observe that many supervisors believe they are fully competent in clinical
supervision. However, this is not always the case. While discussing training for clinical

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 26

supervisors, they assert that by believing that being a good MH provider will lead one to be a
good clinical supervisor, the clinical supervisor alienates the complexity of what supervision
should be.
Falender and Shafranske (2017) continue to emphasize that competence does not have an
endpoint, but that it is a continual process that relates to the context in which the knowledge is
being used. As the mental health field is continually shifting and evolving, clinical supervision
must also promote a level of flexibility and adaptation. Metacompetence is a competency in
itself, which can be demonstrated when a professional is able to reflect and be aware of the
knowledge they do not possess. This competency is necessary, especially as professional face
new changes in the field.
Metacompetence promotes the continual engagement and openness to feedback and the
seeking of knowledge (Falender & Shafranske, 2017). It is through those gaps in knowledge that
supervisors can assist supervisees in identifying competencies they would like to work on.
Competency in the practice of psychology should be captured with measurable outcomes. Along
with the measuring of outcomes, Falender and Shafranske (2017) identify the following
components as being associated to effective clinical supervision and the building of
competency: a strong supervisorial relationship, establishment of a supervisorial contract,
understanding of the learning cycle of a supervisee, understanding of diversity issues,
understanding of the influence of personal factors that impact practice, strong understanding of
legal and ethical standards, and understanding and ability to evaluate and provide feedback, and
an understanding of self-care. Falender et al. (2014) further extend the list of clinical supervision
practices that reflect evidenced based practices in supervision. They report that helping to build

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 27

autonomy, trusting the provider’s ability to do their job well, providing constructive feedback,
and modeling good clinical practice can help build a positive supervisorial alliance. Furthermore,
competence in diversity and multicultural considerations within the supervisorial relationship is
essential when building a working relationship with a supervisee. This factor is increasingly
important as it relates to the power differential between the supervisor and supervisee. Overall,
Falender et al. (2014) identify CBCS as an evidence based model for clinical supervision based
on specific knowledge, skills, and values that form foundation and advanced professional
competency in measurable terms. In order to understand competence within clinical supervision,
training for supervisors is needed.
Demonstrating that building competencies for supervisors is equally as important as
building competency in supervisees, a study conducted by Tebes et al. (2011) demonstrated that
training supervisors in specific competencies helped them to improve their ability to meet those
specific competencies. The competencies incorporated in this study included the management of
the relationship with supervisees, managing supervises job performance, and the promotion of
professional development in supervisees. Results also indicated that several months after the
training, supervisors’ competency increased in the three competencies trained on. This study
demonstrates that training supervisors on competencies is compatible to other training in other
theoretical approaches of clinical supervision.
Overall, CBCS provides a strong framework from which quality clinical supervision can
be built upon. Effective clinical supervision not only serves the purpose of promoting training of
MH providers, but it also can be factor that contributes to provider wellbeing.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 28

Clinical supervision, burnout, and compassion fatigue. Burnout and compassion
fatigue are factors that develop as a result of the work that MH providers do (Schaufeli, Leiter, &
Maslach, 2008; Slatten, Carson, & Carson, 2011; Turgoose & Maddox, 2017). According to
Schaufeli et al. (2008), the concept of burnout was first associated to the mental health field in
the 1970’s by Maslasch and Freudenberger. Freudenberger, in particular, wrote about burnout
from his observations of volunteers who worked at a free clinic in New York and from his own
experiences working the caring professions. Similarly, Maslasch and her colleagues studied the
concept of burnout at that same time while conducting interviews of individuals working in the
human service sector. Both Maslasch and Freudenberger observed changes in the emotional and
motivational state of those they observed, worked with, and interviewed. Even though many
perceive the concepts of burnout and compassion to be similar in nature, Slatten et al. (2011)
clarify that there is a difference between both concepts. Burnout is a longer and progressive
problem. Compassion fatigue is considered to be an occupational hazard as opposed to burnout,
which is more of an organizational hazard as a result of organizational factors out of the control
of the employee. Turgoose et al. (2017) further clarify that compassion fatigue is different from
burnout in that burnout is associated to the emotional exhaustion experienced from the
difficulties of doing the work. Compassion fatigue refers to a difficulty in one's ability to
empathize and commiserate with others who have experienced a traumatizing event. Regardless
of whether a professional is experiencing burnout or compassion fatigue, the subsequent effects
can be detrimental.
Burnout and other stress factors influence the emotional wellbeing of MH providers in
the helping professions (Freudenberger, 1975; Maslach & Jackson, 1981; Sprang, Clark, &

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 29

Whitt-Woosley, 2007). Freudenberger (1975) observed physical, behavioral, and psychological
symptoms associated to burnout and stress. He identified various types of personalities that are
susceptible to experiencing burnout including workers committed to their jobs, administrators,
and those with authoritarian personalities. Also looking at provider characteristics, Sprang et al.
(2007) found that in comparison to males, female professionals were more likely to experience
compassion fatigue. Maslach and Jackson (1981) further observed that emotional exhaustion was
a common symptom of burnout, which also contributed to changes in the professional’s view of
their clients. There are a variety of different negative effects of burnout and compassion fatigue,
which can impact a variety of different professionals in the mental health field demonstrating the
importance to develop remediation strategies.
The impact of burnout in MH providers on client care demonstrates a need for a better
understanding how to remediate this issue (Morse, Salyers, Rollins, Monroe-Devita, and Pfahler,
2012; Paris & Hoge, 2009). Yet, Morse et al. (2012) acknowledge that even though there is a lot
of research highlighting the negative impact of burnout in the mental health field, there is very
little research outlining specific strategies for remediating burnout in MH providers. In a review
of burnout as a major problem in the mental health field, Morse et al. (2012) found only 8
research articles which outlined specific interventions to reduce burnout in MH providers. In
another review of burnout in the mental health field, Paris and Hoge (2009) contend that burnout
intervention tends to be focused on how individual providers can reduce their own level burnout
despite research in other fields showing that factors relating to the organization and work
situations actually are bigger contributors to the problem.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 30

Organizational and supervisorial support can prove to be a significant big force in the
remediation of burnout in the mental health workforce. Many factors associated to supervision
support helped decrease burnout in staff (Aarons & Sawitzky, 2006; Green et al., 2013; Knudsen
et al., 2008; Maertz, Griffeth, Campbell, & Allen, 2007). Feeling of organizational and
supervisorial support may help mediate the effects of such negative factors impacting mental
health services. Maertz et al. (2007) acknowledges the importance of understanding the effects of
perceptions of support in organizations. Negatively perceived organizational support contributed
to higher employee turnover when there was also low perceived supervisorial support. In effect,
when supervisors were not seen as supportive by their employees, employees were more likely to
leave the organization. Knudsen et al. (2008) found that clinical supervision helped to decrease
the negative effects of emotional exhaustion and intent to quit in counselors. They believe that
clinical supervision could be a protective factor for the counselors overall wellbeing. Clinical
supervision impacted the level of autonomy felt by the counselor and how they perceived the
distribution of job tasks and organizational rewards, as well as procedures leading to decisions
made by the organization. Aarons and Sawitzky (2006) also suggest that a way to decrease
burnout and improve organizational climate is to improve the leadership of those who supervisor
others directly. They emphasize that leadership has the potential to heavily influence the culture
of an origination. Finally, Green et al.’s (2013) findings suggest that a transformational
leadership style could also help to remediate the negative effects of burnout. This form of
leadership has led to positive performance outcomes in organizations.
Leadership and supervision has been shown to be a powerful remediating force against work
stress.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 31

High quality clinical supervision can serve as a protective factor against the experience of
burnout and compassion fatigue (Knudsen et al., 2013; Macchi, Johnson, & Durtschi, 2014;
Merriman, 2015). Macchi et al. (2014) assert that clinical supervision can serve as an important
resource to clinicians working in community based settings. Specifically, they suggest that one
should look beyond the amount of supervision received and analyze the quality of supervision
being provided to MH providers. Similarly, Knudsen et al. (2013) contend that supervision can
serve as the buffer between the supervisee and negative factors experienced and associated to the
organization and the job duties. Examining the quality of clinical supervision and counselor
emotional exhaustion, they found that clinical supervision is negatively correlated to emotional
exhaustion in the provider. High quality supervision strengthens an employee's commitment to
the organization and to the job itself. Therefore, high quality supervision is important for MH
provider commitment to the organization and to the field. Merriman (2015) further postulates
that clinical supervision can be an avenue from which clinical supervisors can inform
supervisees about compassion fatigue. Supervisors have the duty to protect the public from
harmful treatment. By educating supervisees about compassion fatigue, its effects, and the
prevention, supervisors are also protecting the public. During the supervision process,
supervisors can help supervisees develop a self-care plan that can help them fight the negative
effects of burnout. Burnout and compassion fatigue are common and strong factors often
influencing the practice of MH provider, but which can also be remedied by the clinical
supervisors’ engagement in effective supervisory practices with their supervisees. Clinical
supervision, which is a practice not uniform in nature across the mental health field, has been
performed in different ways across a variety of organizations.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 32

Prior Attempts to Solve the Issue of Lack of Clinical Supervision Training
Clinical supervision training varies significantly across the mental health field (Hancox,
Lynch, Happell, & Biodo, 2004; Hadjistavropoulos, Kehler, & Hadjistavropoulos, 2010; Milne,
2010). In their evaluation looking at a program employing MH providers in the nursing
profession, Hancox et al. (2004) found that issues with retention and recruitment prompted a
need for better training of mental health nursing staff and supervisors. After establishing a
clinical supervision training program, they found that MH providers’ personal factors associated
with their jobs improved after a supervision program was established. Some of the major
components of the established supervision program included clarifying the definition of clinical
supervision for that organization, information surrounding standards, ethical considerations,
description of effective supervision, and explanations of the role of the supervisor and
supervisee. Milne (2010) describes the dire situation that the field of clinical supervision
currently resides in. Milne (2010) asserts that even though professional development is available
across the profession, training for clinical supervisors continues to be a mystery and many
clinical supervisors continue to engage in practices demonstrating incompetence in the
profession. More recent movements have demonstrated how competency-based approaches may
be effective formats for providing clinical supervision. Hadjistavropoulos et al. (2010) describes
how the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) found that clinical supervision training
lacked depth. This is why the CPA established regulations surrounding clinical supervision
training in graduate programs. With the establishment of clinical supervision training in graduate
programs, Hadjistavropoulos et al. (2010) found that although some of these training programs
incorporated some coursework related to clinical supervision delivered through lecture or

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 33

discussion format, very few programs required students to practice those skills via practicum
programs supervising other students at lower graduate levels. Various organizations have placed
efforts in training MH professions in clinical supervision practices. However, the approaches
demonstrate a need for greater growth in this field of practice.
Analysis of prior attempts. Despite efforts to provide training surrounding clinical
supervision practices, there continues to be great variability in training requirements and
availability (Hadjistavropoulos et al., 2010; Hancox et al., 2004). Hadjistavropoulos et al. (2010)
report that the clinical supervision training offered during graduate school training programs
varied significantly, further highlighting the differences in quality of training received by
graduate students in this particular domain. The variability in training provided is illustrated by
the great range of hours required as part of the training; some programs required as few as 3
hours while other programs required up to 39 hours. Despite the effort in trying to provide
training in clinical supervision, there continues to be many challenges that exist in offering
clinical supervision training during graduate school training including access to other
knowledgeable clinical supervisors and the requirements surrounding practical training in
clinical supervision. Hancox et al. (2004) noted in their study that training in clinical supervision
practices provided many benefits to participants including improving their perceptions about
their knowledge surrounding clinical supervision, positively shifting perceptions about the
importance of clinical supervision in the field of practice, and higher feelings of competence in
being able to provide good clinical supervision after the training. Despite the benefits,
participants in Hancox et al.’s (2004) study reported wanting more opportunities to practice skills
taught in trainings. In effect, the opportunity to practice clinical supervision skills was lacking.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 34

Approaches to the Curriculum Design
Theoretical Foundations to the Curriculum Design
There are various approaches to instructional design with many theoretical
underpinnings. Information processing, cognitive load, social cognitive, and behavioral theory
were taken into account in the development of this curriculum. These theories are explored here.
Information processing theory. There are many assertions in instructional approaches
which align with best practice in learning. Among those assertions is one that stems from
information processing systems theory, which dictates that learners prior knowledge should be
considered in the formation of instruction (Ambrose, Bridges, DiPietro, Lovett, & Norman,
2010; Schraw & McCrudden, 2006). Ambrose et al. (2010) assert that even though learners may
have some prior knowledge in a subject being taught, this knowledge does not always align with
a full understanding in that subject. Learners’ prior knowledge is a combination of concepts,
attitudes, and values that may or may not have been established and learned accurately by the
learner. This is because new knowledge gained during instruction is often filtered and understood
based on knowledge already gained from previous experiences. The integration of new
knowledge may be hindered by prior knowledge. This is why acknowledging and understanding
learner’s prior knowledge assists in the development of effective instruction and further aids in
filling areas of knowledge that the learner may be deficient in. Activating learners’ prior
knowledge can assist them to learn from instruction effectively. Instructors can activate prior
knowledge by connecting concepts to situations or experiences that the learner may have
experienced already. Instructors can also encourage learners to assess their prior knowledge by
having learners rate their perceived level of competence in various areas to be covered in the

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 35

course and then discussing gaps in knowledge with the learners. Schraw and McCrudden (2006)
also emphasize that instruction can help learners make connections between their prior
knowledge and new content being taught. Helping learners to organize information in a way that
connects it to prior knowledge or in a way that helps learners understand connections facilitates
deeper learning of information. Regular practice of a skill can help learners gain automaticity in
that skills, which can liberate resources in the working memory and allow learners to engage in
other learning skills. There are learning concepts to consider in the learning process.
Metacognition is essential to the learning process (Ambrose et al., 2010; Mayer, 2011).
Mayer (2011) emphasizes the importance of providing instruction to learners on how to engage
in their own metacognitive process. Mayer (2011) states that, “metacognition refers to awareness
of one’s cognitive processing and control of one’s cognitive processing” (p. 42). Learners who
self-regulate their learning are aware of how they best learn and have control over when to use
learning strategies. Ambrose et al. (2010) add that, “to become self-directed learners, students
must learn to assess the demands of the task, evaluate their own knowledge and skills, plan their
approach, monitor their progress, and adjust their strategies as needed” (p. 191). Metacognitive
skills are essential in the learning of professional skills and when directing one’s own learning.
Having metacognitive skills helps learners develop other skills that are valuable in learning such
as planning, evaluating, and constructing other approaches to solving problems. A basic model of
learner engagement in metacognitive skills includes assessing, evaluating, planning, applying
and reflecting. Furthermore, practice and feedback provide learners with the opportunity to
understand and assess areas of improvement. When self-assessments are provided to learners,
instructors should explain the reflective benefits and value of the activity. Instructors can also

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 36

provide opportunities for learners to reflect by having learners discuss their decisions. Assessing
learners’ prior knowledge and allowing for the engagement in metacognitive practices
strengthens the learning process and reinforces self-directed learning. Along with learner’s prior
knowledge and engagement in metacognitive strategies, learners’ ability to process information
can impact learning.
Cognitive load theory. Creators of instruction should consider how learners process
information and the barriers that may exist within and outside of the instruction given (Paas,
Renkl, & Sweller, 2003; Sweller, van Merrienboer, & Paas, 1988). Paas et al. (2003) affirms that
the human cognitive architecture includes the limited working memory and the vast long-term
memory. Memories are organized into schemas, which are stored in the long-term memory and
which can be retrieved into the working memory. Schemas development consists of organizing
various elements into one. When learners develop sophisticated schemas that are automated, they
are able to process information effectively without experiencing cognitive load. Intrinsic load is
the form of load that results from factors in the instruction itself. Extraneous load refers to the
processing that the learner engages in that has nothing to do with the instruction itself. Germane
load differs from extraneous load in that it does not interfere with learning. When adding up
intrinsic, extraneous, and germane load, instructors should be cautious in not surpassing the
capabilities of the working memory.
Cognitive load theory is concerned with the limits of the working memory, which
influence and should be a consideration when designing curriculum (Sweller et al., 1988). The
working memory has many limitations and these limitations are made more significant by the act
of processing information instead of simply holding information. Sweller et al. (1988) affirm

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 37

that, “instruction should facilitate domain specific knowledge acquisition, not very general
reasoning strategies that cannot possibly be supported by human cognitive architecture” (p. 255).
Instructional design that ignores the resource constraints of the working memory is ineffective at
promoting learning. Furthermore, expertise is developed when schemas, which are stored in the
long term memory, are made more complex. Expertise stem from the complex schemas, which
allow for the ability of automaticity in the performance of the skill. Complex schemas help
reduce the load on the working memory by allowing for the use of many connected elements to
be used at the same time. The limits of the working memory, schema development and
complexity, and the various forms of cognitive load are essential factors in the creation of
effective instruction. Factors outside of learner’s cognition also have a strong influence on
learning.
Social cognitive and behavioral theories. The learner’s personal, environmental, and
behavioral factors influence the learning process (Denler, Wolters & Benzon, 2009; Schunk,
2012; Watkins, 2012). Social cognitive theory, a theory derived from the work of Albert
Bandura, emphasizes that individuals acquire knowledge from their environment (Denler et al.,
2009). Learning by observation, also known as vicarious learning and learning from models, is
an important component of this theory and an important component of learning. Denler et al.
(2009) explain that there are various types of models including mastery models (i.e. demonstrate
expertise in the skill), coping models (i.e. models that struggle with the skill but are eventually
able to gain proficiency), and cognitive models (i.e. model verbally communicates thinking
while engaging in the use of the skill). Learners can learn skills effectively when there are
opportunities to observe various types of models using various forms of modeling and when this

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 38

is paired with the ability to practice the skills taught. Practice should be accompanied by
feedback that is specific to the performance of the skill, given after the skill has been performed.
Feedback should provide information about how well the skill was performed and any need for
improvement. Furthermore, self-observation is an important skill to teach students in order to
promote the self-monitoring of outcomes and expectations. This can take the form of journaling,
self-reflection, and checklists. In order for learners to engage in the learning process, they
should be frequently exposed to models who can engage in the skill effectively. Instructors
should create instructional material that will lead the learner to find meaning and relatedness to
their own environments.
Additionally, models can also help learners establish goals for the instruction of a skill
(Denler et al, 2009). Goals are important to establish as they are “cognitive representations of
anticipated, desired, and preferred outcomes” (Denler et al., 2009, p. 5). Goals assist in the
measuring of outcomes and help learners self-regulate their learning, which is often linked to
self-efficacy in learning. Self-efficacy is an important factor to help learners build upon.
Instructors can build on student’s self-efficacy by engaging them in activities that will require
effort, but in which they can also be successful.
Similarly, Schunk (2012) also acknowledges that learning occurs by observation and by
engaging in the skill. Even though an individual can learn a skill by simply observing it,
performing the skill is tied to having motivation to do the skill, interest in the skill, and
reinforcement from others. Providing the opportunity for learners to learn from and observe
their peers increase self-efficacy. Although the use of worked examples has its theoretical basis
in information processing theory, the use of this instructional method can help to increase learner

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 39

self-efficacy by helping the learner feel more competent in performing a task. In the training of
clinical supervisors, Watkins (2012) also affirms that feedback is important to provide after
engaging in practice. Training for supervisors should include both direct instruction of
conceptual knowledge and the opportunity to engage in the practice of skills. Role playing and
behavioral rehearsals, along with modeling skills is essential in the training of supervisors.
Overall, effective learning can occur when instructors assist learners in increasing self-efficacy
and when learners are given the opportunity to observe various types of model, practice skills,
and receive feedback.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 40

CHAPTER THREE: THE LEARNERS AND LEARNING CONTEXT

Learner Profile

Ability
Clinical supervisors are a diverse group of learners with varying abilities. According to
Smith and Ragan (2005), there are many factors associated to learners that should be considered
and explored in the creation of instruction. Even though there may be great variability and
diversity within a group of learners, there are important similarities that can also help to inform
the creation of curriculum. Learner ability will be explored below, specifically, cognitive and
physiological characteristics among aspiring and current clinical supervisors.
Cognitive characteristics. New supervisors’ cognitive characteristics, such as general
aptitude, specific aptitude, developmental level, language level, and reading level are explored
below. Smith and Ragan (2005) explain that it is important to analyze factors that describe the
learner and that these factors should be considered when designing instruction for these learners.
General aptitude. The general aptitude of new supervisors can be moderate to high.
Often individuals who are promoted to a clinical supervisor position demonstrate moderate to
high advanced leadership skills. Individuals in clinical supervisorial positions have significant
experience providing treatment to mentally ill individuals or those who suffer from impairment
due to a mental health condition. Furthermore, since most states require several years of
therapeutic practice post licensure to supervise other mental health practitioners, those past years
of experience could lead to a solid level of expertise in a specific domain in the field of mental
health. Learners aspiring to be clinical supervisors may possess awareness of competencies
required to perform the job and may already be seeking training in leadership and supervision.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 41

Specific aptitude. Clinical supervisors have generally practiced in the field of psychology
for many years prior to becoming clinical supervisors. According to the Board of Behavioral
Sciences (2012), the governing board that oversees marriage and family therapists, clinical social
workers, and professional counselors in the state of California, in order to practice in the field of
mental health, learners must minimally obtain a master’s degree and accrue thousands of hours
of supervised work before applying for licensure. Some practitioners may possess a doctoral
degree in Psychology. After they have completed a graduate degree, many hours of direct
treatment experience are required before obtaining a license to practice. Once a MH provider
begins to practice, often, a specific domain or niche within the field of psychology is selected
and further expertise is gained through practice and direct clinical supervision. It is important to
note that some clinical supervisors may have received a broader level of experience and may
subsequently choose to treat a wider population of clients.
Developmental level. The Piagetian stages of intellectual development extend from birth
and beyond (Smith & Ragan, 2005). Even though the stages of intellectual development
generally follow age guidelines, learners do not always reach a higher level of intellectual
development in all knowledge domains. Learners for whom this curriculum is intended will most
likely have reached the formal operational stage. However, there may be some variability within
this population of learners.
Language development. Verbal and nonverbal communication is important in the field of
mental health. Learners will generally understand and speak English. Most, if not all new clinical
supervisors will have experience with the English language from their academic or home
settings. Some learners may speak and understand a second or third language as they may have

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 42

family origins from counties where the primary language may is not English.
Reading level. All learners will have moderate to high reading abilities. Effective reading
skills are imperative to the successful completion of a graduate degree, which all clinical
supervisors have achieved. Furthermore, moderate to high reading skills are necessary for the
successful performance as a clinical supervisor since reading assessment and other treatment
reports is part of the job.
Physiological characteristics. Below, new clinical supervisors’ general health and age
will be explored.
General health. The level of health among learners will vary. All new clinical
supervisors will generally be healthy enough to work full time or part time and complete job
duties as required. However, there may be some clinical supervisors that may also experience
physical and mental health ailments that may impact their abilities to complete their jobs
successfully.
Age. Learners will range in age. Most will be older than 25 years old. Even though some
new clinical supervisor may be as old as the age of retirement, this would be rare since newer
clinical supervisors will be in the later portion of their early career or in the middle phase of their
career.
Self-Efficacy
Even though values, beliefs, motivation, and interest change and shift over time, it is
imperative to consider these factors in the creation of instruction (Smith & Ragan, 2005). Factors
associated to affective and social characteristics of aspiring and current clinical supervisors are
explored.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 43

Affective characteristics. Affective characteristics, such as interest, motivation, attitudes
towards subject matter and learning, academic self-concept, anxiety levels, beliefs, and
attributions of success will be discussed below.
Interests. Most clinical supervisors enter the field of mental health because they possess a
general interest to help others. Most will also have general interest in the field of psychology and
human behavior. Furthermore, most new clinical supervisors will also possess some interest in
the training and development of MH providers. Despite possessing these specific interests,
learners may have other general interests that may vary in scope across the population.
Motivation. Learners’ general level of motivation may vary across the population.
However, the level of motivation to learn among new supervisors attending this workshop will
generally be high. Since learners will be attending this workshop voluntarily, they will most
likely be motivated to learn the content in order to strengthen their supervisory skills.
Attitude toward subject matter and learning. Clinical supervisors benefiting from this
curriculum will have a generally positive attitude towards the subject. Even though all clinical
supervisors face challenges in the workplace, gaining knowledge on how to build supervisorial
skills may be perceived as a positive opportunity. Those who do not possess a positive attitude
towards building clinical supervision practices and burnout of mental health workers will most
likely not seek to attend this workshop. Even though a positive attitude towards the subject
matter can be expected, some resistance towards learning the subject matter can also be expected
as information may supplement and challenge knowledge already possessed about the subject
matter. Moreover, attitudes towards learning may vary across those who chose to attend this
workshop. All learners will have experienced a wide array of educational experiences that may

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 44

impact their general attitude towards learning.
Academic self-concept. All learners will have completed an advanced degree from a
graduate level program. This will most likely contribute to a higher academic self-concept.
Anxiety levels. Anxiety levels may be low to moderate for those who participate in this
workshop. Information presented in this curriculum may have components that learners may be
broadly familiar with, but will most likely include information that is new and that will
supplement knowledge they may already possess. Some learners may be anxious to learn the
content of the curriculum in order to be able to perform the skills once they return to their duties.
Beliefs. Learners’ belief systems will vary due to the high level of cultural diversity
within the population.
Attribution of success. Due to learners’ attendance being voluntary, they may attribute
their success in learning the content of this workshop series to factors outside of their control.
New clinical supervisors often face many challenges in the workplace. Learners will perceive
their ability of fully learn the concepts of this instruction as dependent on organizational support
and workplace factors.
Social characteristics. Relationship towards peers, feelings towards authority, tendency
towards cooperation or competition, moral development, socioeconomic background,
racial/ethnic background, and role models of aspiring and current clinical supervisors will be
explored below.
Relationship towards peers. Since the content of this workshop series involves
workplace factors, those who attend the workshop may know other participants from work
related meetings. Some may work with each other, while others may simply be familiar with

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 45

each other through professional affiliations. The relationship towards peers for workshop
participants will, most likely, be collegial in nature.
Feelings towards authority. Learners will possess generally positive feelings towards
authority figures. Most will possess social skills that will promote respect towards instructors and
other authority figures.
Tendency towards cooperation or competition. The tendency to cooperate or compete
will vary among participants. Personality preferences and cultural backgrounds will be diverse in
nature, thus contributing to a wide array of working preferences among learners.
Moral development. Due to the possibility of a high level of diversity among
participants, it is expected that learners will vary in their level of moral development.
Socioeconomic background. Even though there can be large levels of variability in living
situations among learners, it is expected that learners will generally have a middle class
background. Since all learners will minimally possess an advanced graduate degree, this often
correlates with a higher earning potential and a more stable living situation.
Racial/ethnic background. Racial and ethnic background will vary among new clinical
supervisors.
Role models. Learners may have a variety of different role models and individuals they
admire. Many will admire and look up to well-known psychologists or professionals in the field
of mental health. Others may see their previous clinical supervisors as their role models. It is also
a possibility that some learners may have mentors who are helping to guide their career
trajectory and whom may also serve as role models.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 46

Prior Knowledge
It is imperative that creators of instruction understand and explore the learner’s prior
knowledge (Smith & Ragan, 2005). According to Ambrose et al. (2010), understanding learners’
prior knowledge allows instructors to create effective instruction and facilitates effective learning
for learners. Both general world knowledge and specific prior knowledge are discussed below.
General world knowledge. The general world knowledge of aspiring and current clinical
supervisors will vary. Learners come from various cultural backgrounds and different
nationalities. Most learners will have had exposure to a wide range of populations in this country
and from their travels abroad. Exposure to clients with mental illness adds another layer of world
knowledge as it relates to the diversity of others. The age range of clinical supervisor also varies,
further highlighting the variety of world experiences and knowledge they may possess.
Specific prior knowledge. All learners will possess prior knowledge of information in
the field of psychology including general perspectives in psychology, the psychopathology of
individuals, and the treatment of individuals. Furthermore, in order to become a clinical
supervisor, one must have some basic prior knowledge of basic leadership and supervisory skills.
Depending on the years of experience of the learner, prior knowledge of leadership and
supervisory skills may vary from basic to advanced. Clinical supervisors will have knowledge of
self-care strategies since these concepts are often taught to clients.
Description of the Learning Environment
Facilitator Characteristics
The facilitator has an advanced degree in the field of psychology and a license to practice
in the treatment of individuals with mental illness. Over the past eight years, the instructor’s

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 47

work experience has focused primarily in the treatment of children and families, organizational
and provider treatment compliance, and training of MH providers on clinical issues. The
facilitator's current interests include training and development of MH providers, and the
promotion of effective clinical supervision practices. Through the development and
dissemination of this instruction, the instructor aims to build knowledge of the negative effects of
burnout and work stress and provide clarity of how clinical supervision can promote wellbeing in
supervisees. The facilitator aims to mentor, instruct, and inspire through content delivery,
modeling, and practice promotion. Furthermore, the instructor possesses a positive attitude
towards the effective and tasteful use of technology to reinforce learning and support instruction.
The facilitator has general experience using computer/internet based platforms for instruction in
academic settings. Lastly, the instructor will coordinate the signup process of the workshop and
will possess an understanding of the number of individuals to be trained.
Existing Curricula/Programs
There are no other forms of instruction that need to be considered in the development of
this curriculum.
Available Equipment and Technology
Instruction will be provided in an office conference training room which will be equipped
with a computer, projector, and internet access. Learners will be required to have access to a
computer and internet access outside of the classroom. Most are expected to have access to a
personal computer or work borrowed computer. An online based platform will be utilized in
between workshop sessions to reinforce the learning of content and to promote reflection of
learned material.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 48

Classroom Facilities and Learning Climate
Instruction will be provided in a conference training room that will comfortably
accommodate 15 participants plus at least one instructor. Due to the high level of importance and
the depth of the content being instructed, training groups will not exceed more than 15 learners.
The room will accommodate participants sitting down, standing up, or moving around if
necessary for engagement in activities. The space in which instruction will be provided are
located within a mental health organization’s work office/clinic environment. Special
consideration will be made to workers outside of the training space and clients who may be
coming in to receive mental health treatment at the office/clinic. Learners will be asked to respect
the environment in which the training will be hosted by not disrupting the noise level exhibited in
the clinic, respecting worker’s work space, and respecting confidentiality of clients who they may
come into contact with.
The main philosophy of mental health organizations is to provide treatment to individuals
with mental illness. Often, providers see the treatment of mentally ill individuals as a big
commitment that takes time. Even though learners may perceive learning experiences and
training as valuable, they are also perceived to take time away from the limited work time they
have to accomplish their job duties in a work environment where client care is coupled with the
completion of paperwork.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 49

CHAPTER FOUR: THE CURRICULUM

Overall Curriculum Goal, Outcomes, and Summative Assessment

Curriculum Goal

The preparation of mental health clinical supervisors has been of great concern to the
field of counseling over the past decades (Watkins, 2012). The training of clinical supervisors
requires special attention, as this group of professionals serve as gatekeepers to the field and they
train the next generation of MH providers (Falender & Shafranske, 2012). Furthermore, burnout
is a major concern for providers in the mental health field (Acker, 2011; Acker & Lawrence,
2009). Knudsen et al. (2008) asserts that clinical supervisors can serve as protective force
against burnout and work related stressors. For this reason, the goal of this curriculum is to
prepare clinical supervisors to engage in effective clinical supervision practices that enhance MH
provider clinical practice.
Curriculum Outcomes
Curriculum outcomes were developed to facilitate the furthering of learners’ knowledge
in clinical supervision practices that enhance MH provider clinical practice. At the end of this
instruction, clinical supervisors will be able to:
● Describe components of competency based supervision. Being able to understand
components of supervision based on building competency, observation, and feedback
enables clinical supervisors to be effective in their jobs, as not only supervisors, but
trainers and gatekeepers of the profession.
● Incorporate key components of competency based clinical supervision into their practice
as supervisors. Incorporating components of CBCS is an essential skill in their

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 50

interactions with supervisees. Using competency-based practices in supervision ensures
that the supervisor is able to provide a sound training opportunity to a supervisee.
● Reflect on their clinical supervision practice. According to Falender and Shafranske
(2017), “metacompetence refers to the ability to know what one knows and does not
know” (p. 22). Being able to self-assess one’s areas of growth is a learning component
that is essential for growth in one's profession.
● Evaluate their supervisee’s competence in their clinical practice. Evaluating a
supervisee’s competence is a major component of being a supervisor. This process assists
supervisees in not only receiving feedback about their performance but to also start to
become aware of areas needing improvement.
● Incorporate reflective practices in their clinical supervision practice. Reflective practice is
a major component of engaging in a metacognitive process and can lead to professional
growth for supervisees.
● Incorporate supportive strategies to help their supervisees manage burnout, compassion
fatigue, and personal factors. This curriculum outcome supports the curriculum goal by
enabling learners to learn a primary step in providing support to supervisees.
Summative Assessment
The summative assessment for this curriculum is one that emphasizes reflection,
engagement in the learning process, and demonstration of competency. Learners will engage in
experiential and reflective activities (e.g., writing prompts and discussions) that will support their
metacompetence; monthly reflective prompts will be provided to learners. Furthermore, learners
will engage in various skill building activities (i.e., role play, practice of procedures such as

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 51

providing feedback and establishing a plan for wellbeing) in which they will demonstrate use of
strategies essential for clinical supervision. Lastly, learners will be asked to video record two
clinical supervision sessions with a supervisee. Learners will self-evaluate their clinical
supervision session and will also receive feedback from the instructor and other learners using a
feedback rating scale.
Cognitive Task Analysis (Information Processing Analysis)
A task analysis should be conducted to capture the skills needed to perform that task
(Smith & Ragan, 2005). Therefore, in order to supplement information gathered and described in
the literature review outlined above in Chapter Two of this blueprint, a cognitive task analysis
(CTA) was conducted with a subject matter expert (SME) in order to capture the steps associated
with providing effective clinical supervision that enhance MH provider clinical practice. The
SME interviewed for this cognitive task analysis is a clinical supervisor in the field of mental
health with over 10 years of experience providing mental health services to children, families
and adults. Furthermore, this SME has extensive experience supervising MH providers in public
mental health organizations.
Objective
The curriculum goal identified at the beginning of this chapter was converted into the
following question, which was provided to the SME: How do clinical supervisors provide
effective clinical supervision that enhances supervisee clinical practice and incorporates support
for providers suffering from burnout?
Cue
The steps outlined below should begin as soon as a mental health provider is added to a

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clinical team or when they are hired by the agency and assigned to a specific supervisor. The
steps outlined below follow a general sequence aligned with the professional development of a
MH provider working under a clinical supervisor. Step one through five are steps that allow for
the establishment of a supervisorial relationship based on clear communication, support,
feedback, and self-reflection. Engaging in these steps from the beginning of treatment
encourages positive professional growth for the supervisee. Steps six through eight are steps that
can be employed once evidence of provider burnout is hypothesized by the clinical supervisor.
Condition
The steps outlined below should be performed within the context of the clinical
supervision relationship between a clinical supervisor and a supervisee. The steps can be
performed in any setting in which mental health professionals are employed.
Standards
Tasks one through eight should be performed throughout the development of a clinical
supervisorial relationship. Even though the steps are organized in a sequential order, each step
can be performed on its own. The sequence of the steps varies across different situations.
Equipment
Clinical supervisors will need access to published documents outlining competencies for
MH providers in order to perform step three. In regards to step six, supervisors may want to use
standardized and researched validated instruments meant to assess for provider burnout if they
wish to assess this factor in their supervisee in a formalized way.
Steps
The following are the steps outlined by the SME and the literature review as being

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 53

essential for the practice effective clinical supervision that enhances MH provider clinical
practice:
1. Build a strong and supportive supervisorial relationship with the supervisee (CTA; Lit).
2. Provide consistent support and check-ins to the supervisee regarding how they are
acclimating to the practice of psychotherapy (CTA).
3. Assess the provider's clinical practice and clinical ability using competencies that have
been communicated to the supervisee (CTA; Lit).
4. Give providers the opportunity to guide treatment of clients while the supervisor provides
feedback and encourages self-reflection of their clinical abilities (CTA, Lit).
5. Incorporate and encourage supervisee self-assessment and metacompetence, including a
reflective practice (Lit).
6. Assess for provider burnout and coping using evidence from various sources in the
provider’s job (attitudes towards clients, ability to meet productivity, general self-report,
reports of countertransference, reports from others who have observed, requested time
off) (CTA; Lit).
7. Provide assistance in establishing a plan that incorporates positive coping activities
(CTA; Lit).
8. Help supervisee manage personal factors that can influence client treatment (Lit).
General Instructional Methods Approach
This curriculum will be sequenced using a utilization-related structure. According to
Smith and Ragan (2005), this format of structuring curriculum emphasizes the organization of
skills as they are to be employed. Issues of burnout will be incorporated through the units and

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 54

will also be specifically explored in later units. Clinical supervision related units will be
provided in the beginning of the workshop series. Since burnout, stress, and other related
stressors usually become apparent in MH providers after some time working in the field, the
assessment of burnout and employable skills in its remediation will be discussed in the later part
of the curriculum. Despite the format of the utilization-related structure, the content of each unit
can be used at any point should the learner see fit.
Instruction of this curriculum will incorporate a balance of supplantive and generative
strategies. Some generative strategies will be used across the instruction of the curriculum as
learners demonstrate competency in the material. Smith and Ragan (2005) explain that
generative instructional strategies can be used when learners have high levels of prior knowledge
in the subject area, while a supplantive approach should be used when learners have low prior
knowledge. Supplantive strategies help to decrease a learner's cognitive load in the learning
process if learners have low prior knowledge. However, this same approach can also contribute
to less meaning making and can prove to be less of a challenge for learners with higher prior
knowledge. In this curriculum, a supplantive approach is evident when learners are provided
with direct instruction and structured guidance of procedures. An example of a generative
approach is evident when learners are asked to analyze a problem scenario for factors of burnout.
Learners benefiting from this curriculum will be new in their role as clinical supervisors.
They all will have general prior knowledge about clinical supervision because they all have been
supervised in the past. Learners may not know how to apply all the clinical supervision strategies
that are essential in helping MH providers deal with issues of stress and burnout. Furthermore,
learners may lack prior knowledge in CBCS all together. Learners attending this eight month

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 55

long workshop will most likely not be experts in clinical supervision and may be attending
because they feel the need to supplement or add to their current level of knowledge or establish
an understanding of what clinical supervision should be.
Moreover, various contextual factors have influenced the decision to used supplantive-
generative balanced approach. Even though instruction will be take place over the span of a year,
training time is limited. In addition, clinical supervision is a high stakes process which requires
learners to engage in the learning process in a structured way. Therefore, supplantive strategies
with some generative strategies are essential in the instruction of this curriculum. Learner's
cognitive abilities are also an important factor to consider during instruction.
Instructional techniques that help learners decrease cognitive load will be employed.
Instruction will include pre-training in important concepts and definitions before more in-depth
material is covered or before they are asked to practice a skill. Instructional materials will display
only necessary information, eliminating unnecessary content that can contribute to cognitive
overload and confusion. Smith and Ragan (2005) refer to this strategy as weeding, a technique in
which seductive details are eliminated in instruction. Instructional materials used during the
learning process will also demonstrate alignment of graphics with words in a format that does
not force the learner to place effort in understanding the connection between these two things.
Finally, during the presentation of printed material, the instructor will employ the use of spoken
word to supplement the printed material and will avoid the repetition of information.
Description of Specific Learning Activities
Learners will be engaged in various learning activities in order to meet the learning
objectives. Learning activities include direct instruction and opportunities for practice and

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 56

feedback. Reflection will be incorporated through the units. Instruction for conceptual,
procedural, and attitudinal knowledge will be incorporated in this curriculum. In the instruction
of concepts (e.g. effective clinical supervision, four primary factors, supervision contracts,
metacompetence, etc.), Smith and Ragan (2005) suggest that instruction include time to stimulate
learners interest in the concept, discuss the purpose of learning the concept, preview information
about how the lesson will progress, help learners recall prior knowledge surrounding the concept,
assist in the processing of information by exploring examples, specify how the examples
represent the concept, and provide opportunity to practice. There are various learning strategies
that can be employed in the process of learning concepts. This curriculum will employ the use of
concept maps in various lessons.
Even though instruction of procedures has a similar structure, Smith and Ragan (2005)
explain that it is important for the instruction of procedures to include information on how to
determining when it is necessary to use the procedure, the steps of the procedure, the ability to
verbally recall the steps of the procedure, and the ability to find out if the procedure was
performed correctly. Practice and feedback in each of these four elements is essential in the
learning of a procedure. Procedures included in this curriculum include providing feedback to a
supervisee, establishing goals, collaboratively establishing a plan to manage burnout, among
other procedures.
Attitude learning is also important when instructors want learners to choose to engage in
the skills outside of instruction. Smith and Ragan (2005) assert that often, instruction focus most
on the affective component of learning and ignore the cognitive components. Components of
attitude learning include cognitive, behavioral and affective components. Learners have to know

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 57

how to engage in the task being taught. They also need to actually be able to do the task. Finally,
learners need to know why they should engage in the task, most importantly from a respected
model. Instruction in this curriculum will include modeling from the instructor as role model for
the task, opportunities for the learner to practice the task through role plays with peers or the
instructor, and reinforcement of engagement in the task correctly from the instructor.
Instruction is organized by units. All units are discussed below along with learning
objectives, learning activities, and learning assessments.
Overview of the Units
This course is organized into 10 units outlined below. The units include topics such as
effective clinical supervision, evaluation, feedback, reflection, burnout, compassion fatigue, and
its support strategies.
Unit One: What Is Effective Clinical Supervision?
Learning objectives. The following are the learning objectives for Unit One:
● Given the four primary factors that represent a supervisor’s commitment to
effective clinical supervision (i.e. integrity-in-relationship, value-based practice,
appreciation of diversity, and science informed-evidence based practice), learners
will explain how an example represents the four factors by identifying two areas
for each factor per a rubric.
● Given the definition of the four primary factors that represent a supervisor's
commitment to effective clinical supervision (i.e. integrity-in-relationship, value-
based practice, appreciation of diversity, and science informed-evidence based
practice), learners will describe how their idea of clinical supervision aligns

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 58

to the four factors by writing a four sentence paragraph of their thoughts and
sharing it with one peer.
● Given the components of effective clinical supervision based on competency
based supervision, learners will assess their level of competency regarding
effective clinical supervision components using Falender et al.’s (2016)
Supervisor Competency Self-Assessment.
Prerequisite analysis (enabling learning objectives).
● Know what clinical supervision is.
● Know what clinical supervision practices they have engaged in.
● Ability to work in a small group with peers.
● Ability to compose a short paragraph response to a prompt.
● Ability to assess abilities.
● Ability to navigate an assessment tool.
Learning activities.
● Assess learners’ prior knowledge about four primary factors that represent a
supervisor’s commitment to effective clinical supervision and clinical supervision
practices that are considered effective in the mental health field.
● Discuss learning objectives and provide basic overview of primary topic.
● Provide direct instruction on the four primary factor representing a commitment
to effective clinical supervision.
● Learners will be provided with examples of the four primary factors, will be asked
to form small groups, and will asked to develop and explanation of how the

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 59

examples demonstrate the four factors using an instructor provided worksheet.
● Learners will then be given an opportunity to reflect on how their values and
beliefs align to the four primary factors.
● Whole group instruction will be provided in order to explain the major
components of effective clinical supervision.
● An advanced organizer will be provided to learners in which they will organize
the components of effective clinical supervision.
● Learners will then be given the opportunity to complete a pre assessment of their
perceived competencies (this same assessment will be re-administered at the end
of the year-long learning
experience).
Learning assessment. The three learning objectives for this unit will be assessed in the
following ways:
● For first learning objective, completion of a worksheet with 100% accuracy.
Learners to share responses.
● Learners will describe how their ideas of clinical supervision align to the four
factors using a prompt written on paper. A learner will have met this learning
objective if they compose a written reflection that answers the prompt and sharing
it with a peer
● When given component of effective clinical supervision, learners will assess their
level of competency regarding effective clinical supervision components using
self-assessment tool.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 60

Unit Two: How do you Build a Strong and Supportive Supervisorial Relationship with
your Supervisees?
Learning objectives. The following are the learning objectives for Unit Two:
● Given components associated to alliance formation, learners will demonstrate
their ability to engage in a conversation with a supervisee that reflects the use of
all the alliance formation components by receiving at least a 70% on the self and
instructor feedback rating scale.
● Given the steps to repair a strain the supervisorial alliance, learners will
demonstrate their ability to execute the steps during a role play by obtaining at
least a 70% on the self and instructor feedback rating scale.
● Given the explanation of the power differential in clinical supervision, learners
will reflect upon how their position of authority impacts the establishment and the
maintenance of clinical supervisorial relationship by writing a paragraph
identifying two
ways in which this occurs in their clinical supervisor relationships.
Prerequisite analysis (enabling learning objectives).
● Knowledge of effective clinical supervision.
● Ability to work with peers in small group.
● Ability to form short statements or conversations in writing.
● Ability to role play a conversation with a peer.
● Ability to provide feedback to a peer using a rating scale.
● Know what a strained supervisorial relationship is.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 61

● Ability to engage in whole class activity.
● Ability to reflect by writing short paragraph answering a prompt.
● Know of what Google Classroom is and how to access it.
Learning activities.
● Assess learners’ prior knowledge about forming a working alliance with a
supervisee.
● Conduct short activity to activate prior knowledge.
● Provide direct instruction on the major components of alliance formation.
● A prompt will follow, asking learners to create and write down statements or
small conversations they would use with supervisees, incorporating alliance
formation components.
● Provide an opportunity for learners to role-play the use of the
statements/conversations with a peer.
● Provide learners the opportunity to provide feedback to peers using a feedback
rating scale.
● Instructor to provide immediate feedback verbally and using a rating scale.
● Instruction incorporating a discussion about power differential factors in clinical
supervision will be facilitated. The instructor will also provide instruction on the
steps to repair a strained supervisorial relationship.
● Model the use of the steps to repair a strained supervisorial relationship.
● Learners will then be asked to role-play the use of the steps with a peer.
● The instructor will follow this activity with a discussion about the process

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 62

including challenges brought up by learners and whole group feedback.
● After the workshop session, learner will be asked to provide a reflection based
upon a prompt.
Learning assessment. The three learning objectives for this unit will be assessed in the
following ways:
● The learner will demonstrate competency in the first objective by obtaining a 70%
rating in the self-rated rubric after engaging in a role play conversation
demonstrating alliance formation.
● The instructor will determine that the second learning objective was met if the
learner obtains at least 70% on a self and instructor feedback rating scale after
they demonstrate their abilities to follow the steps in repairing a strain in the
supervisory alliance.
● The instructor will determine that the third objective was met by the learner after
the learner has submitted a written reflection answering the assigned prompt in an
online portal identifying 2 ways that power differential impact the clinical
supervisorial relationship.
Unit Three: Establishing a Clinical Supervision Contract
Learning objectives. The following are the learning objectives for Unit Three:
● When given two examples of clinical supervision contracts, learners will identify
the contract that incorporates the most important components according to best
practice with 100% accuracy.
● Given an example of a clinical supervisor contract, learners will demonstrate their

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 63

ability in communicating the purpose and information contained in the contract in
a role play with a peer by receiving at least a 70% on the self and instructor
feedback rating scale
● Given an explanation of the importance of establishing a clinical supervision
contract with a supervisee, learners will reflect on their experience using a
contract and their level of motivation to use one in clinical supervision in a
written paragraph at least four sentences long.
Prerequisite analysis (enabling learning objectives).
● Know what a clinical supervision contract is.
● Ability to read and critique a clinical supervision contract.
● Ability to role play with a peer.
● Ability to provide feedback to a peer using a rating scale.
● Ability to reflect by writing short paragraph answering a prompt.
● Ability to use a computer and access the internet.
● Ability to follow step by step directions using a job aid.
● Know what Google Classroom is and how to access it.
Learning activities.
● Assess the learner’s prior knowledge and inquire about their prior use of clinical
supervision contracts.
● Assess client’s understanding of Google Classroom.
● Discuss learning objectives and provide basic overview of topic.
● Provide direct instruction on the content of clinical supervision contracts and the

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 64

importance of establishing a contact.
● Engage learners in an activity in which they are shown two examples of contracts.
Learners will be asked to critique both contracts and determine which one
contains pertinent information.
● Model a conversation with a supervisee about establishing and explaining a
contract.
● Provide an opportunity for learners to engage in their own role play doing the
same as what the instructor modeled. Peers feedback will be provided using a
rating scale. The instructor will provide feedback verbally.
● Provide a job aid on how to access Google Classroom in which learners will post
reflection.
● After the workshop session is over, learners will be asked to reflect on their
motivation to use a contract in supervision. This will be done based upon a
prompt in the online portal.
Learning assessment. Learning objectives will be assessed in the following way:
● Learners will meet the first objective if they are able to correctly identify the
contract that incorporates best practice components using the rubric provided.
● Learners will meet the second objective if they are able to engage in a role play
with a peer demonstrating their ability to communicate the purpose and
information contained in a contract and after peer they receive at least a 70% on
the self and instructor feedback rating scale.
● Learners will meet the third objective by completing a written reflection

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 65

answering the prompt in at least a four sentence paragraph in the online portal.
Unit Four: How do you Assess Supervisees’ Clinical Practice and Clinical Ability Using
Competencies?
Learning objectives. The following are the learning objectives for Unit Four:
● Given a pre-selected number of competencies, learners will demonstrate their
ability to gather data to assist in the evaluation of supervisee competence by
identify at least two forms of evidence for each competency that can be used
when assessing whether a supervisee has met required growth for their level.
● Given an example of a communication of competencies to a supervisee, learners
will demonstrate their ability to formulate a conversation surrounding the
establishment of goals with a supervisee by obtaining at least a 70% on a self and
instructor feedback rating scale.
● Given the explanation of the importance of communicating competencies and
formulating goals with supervisees, learners will reflect on their ability to
incorporate this skill into their clinical supervision practice in a paragraph at least
four sentences
long.
Prerequisite analysis (enabling learning objectives).
● Knowledge of about what a competency is.
● Knowledge of general assessment procedures.
● Knowledge of general provider professional development.
● Ability to work and collaborate in small groups.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 66

● Ability to role play with a peer.
● Ability to provide feedback to a peer using a rating scale.
● Ability to reflect by writing short paragraph answering a prompt.
● Know of what Google Classroom is and how to access it.
Learning activities.
● Assess learners’ prior knowledge on counselor competencies.
● Conduct short activity to activate learners’ prior knowledge about general
assessment skills.
● Provide general overview and discuss learning objectives.
● The general purpose and examples of core competencies in the practice of
counseling will be discussed at the initiation of this lesson.
● Provide a list of competencies and will be asked to select and assign competencies
to developmental stages of trainees.
● While organized in small groups, learners will be responsible for discussing what
forms of evidence can be used to determine if a competency has been met and
completing a worksheet.
● Facilitate a whole group discussion about group activity in order to reinforce
correct information and provide additional information if gaps of information are
discovered.
● Model a conversation with a supervisee in which competencies are discussed and
goals are developed based upon those competencies.
● Provide opportunity to engage in a role play of a conversation with supervisee in

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 67

which competencies are discussed.
● Instructor and self-provided feedback will follow the role play using a rating
scale.
● Learners will be assigned a prompt to be completed in between workshop sessions
in which they will be asked to reflect on their competency in holding
conversations with supervisees about the establishment goals.
Learning assessment. The four learning objectives will be assessed in the following
way:
● The instructor will determine that the first objective was met based on answers
provided on a given worksheet.
● Learners will demonstrate their learning of the second objective by roleplaying
with a peer the formulation of a conversation surrounding the establishment of
goals. Instructors will observe the role play.
● Learners will produce a written, four sentence reflection based upon a prompt
provided via the online portal in order to meet the third objective.
Unit Five: How do you Provide Evaluation and Feedback in Clinical Supervision?
Learning objectives. The following are the learning objectives for Unit Five:
● Given the clinical supervision learning cycle diagram with explanations of
components of the cycle, learners will be able to identify components they find
challenging to execute in their practice as supervisor in a short paragraph
answering a prompt.
● Given a list of steps for giving feedback, learners will demonstrate their ability to

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 68

facilitate a feedback conversation by obtaining at least an 80% on the self and
instructor feedback rating scale.
● Given a list of steps for giving feedback, learners will reflect upon their ability to
give feedback to a supervisee in the future by writing a four sentence paragraph.
Prerequisite analysis (enabling learning objectives).
● Knowledge about evaluation and feedback.
● Ability to reflect on current practices.
● Ability to engage in role play with a peer.
● Ability to provide feedback to a peer.
● Ability to reflect by writing short paragraph answering a prompt.
● Know of what Google Classroom is and how to access it.
Learning activities.
● Assess learners’ prior knowledge regarding evaluation and feedback in the
clinical supervision process.
● Facilitate a discussion about learners’ prior experiences receiving evaluation and
feedback from a supervisor
● Provide direct instruction regarding the learning cycle of a supervisee will be
provided to learners. Examples will be provided to learners which demonstrate
components of the learning cycle.
● Provide the opportunity to reflect on components of the learning cycle that they
currently perform in their supervision.
● The instructor will discuss a standard set of steps to provide feedback to a

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 69

supervisee.
● Model the use of these steps and ask learners to practice using these steps in a role
play activity with a peer in the workshop.
● Peer and instructor feedback will be provided to learners after they engage in this
activity.
● Provide the opportunity to answer a reflection prompt via the online portal
relating to their perceived ability to give feedback.
Learning assessment. The four learning objectives for this unit will be assessed in the
following ways:
● In order to meet the first objective, the learner will communicate which
components they struggle in written format based on a prompt.
● In order to meet the second objective, the learner will engage in a role play using
the feedback steps provided to them by receiving at least an 80% on the self and
instructor feedback rating scales.
● In order to meet the third objective, the learner will at minimum complete a four
sentence written reflection via the online portal.
Unit Six: How do you Encourage Metacompetence, Self-Assessment, and Self-Reflection of
their Clinical Abilities and Knowledge?
Learning objectives. The following are the learning objectives for Unit Six:
● Given a scenario in which a supervisor is encouraging metacompetence, learners
will demonstrate their ability to identify the behaviors that represent
metacompetence on a worksheet with at least 80% accuracy.

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● Given a list of question stems that lead to open ended responses, learners will
demonstrate their ability to encourage metacompetence and self-reflection in their
supervisees by developing at least five open ended questions they would use with
their supervisees.
● Using the list of questions developed to encourage metacompetence and self-
reflection in clinical supervision, learners will demonstrate their ability to
facilitate a conversation with a supervisee that incorporates metacompetence and
self-reflection by obtaining an 80% on the self and instructor feedback rating
scale.
● Given an explanation of the benefits of metacompetence in a supervisee’s
learning process, learners will reflect upon their current incorporation of this skill
and their plan to use it in their clinical supervision practice by completing a four
sentence paragraph of this reflection.
Prerequisite analysis (enabling learning objectives).
● Knowledge about reflection.
● Ability to analyze a vignette.
● Knowledge about what an open-ended question is.
● Ability to compose open-ended questions.
● Ability to work and collaborate in small groups.
● Ability to role play with a peer.
● Ability to provide feedback to a peer using a rating scale.
● Ability to reflect by writing short paragraph answering a prompt.

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● Know of what Google Classroom is and how to access it.
Learning activities.
● Assess learners’ prior knowledge regarding metacompetence and self-reflection in
the clinical supervision process
● Engage learners in an activity to activate their prior knowledge about engaging in
self-reflection.
● Provide with direct instruction regarding the definitions of metacompetence and
self-reflection and explain the value of these components in the clinical
supervisorial process.
● Provide a sample vignette that reflect the use of metacompetence.
● Learners will be asked to analyze the scenario and identify the behaviors that
represent metacompetence.
● Facilitate a discussion regarding the scenario and the behaviors identified by
learners.
● Engage learners in a question developing activity in which they develop open-
ended questions that will help facilitate self-reflection in their supervisees.
● Ask learners to role play a conversation with a peer in which they incorporate the
questions that were developed.
● Instructor and self-feedback will be provided using a rating scale.
● After this module is over, learners will be asked to answer a prompt via the online
portal.

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Learning assessment. The four learning objectives will be assessed in the following
ways:
● In order to meet the first objective, the learner will provide responses on a
worksheet identifying the behaviors that represent metacompetence with 80%
accuracy.
● In order to meet the second objective, the learner will complete a list of five open
ended questions that will assist them in encouraging self-reflection in their
supervisee.
● In order to meet the third objective, the learner will engage in a role play of a
conversation that incorporates metacompetence and self-reflection skills and
obtaining an 80% on the peer and instructor feedback rating scales.
● In order to meet the fourth objective, the learner will complete a four sentence
written reflection via the online portal based upon the prompt.
Unit Seven: Understanding the Impact of Burnout and Compassion Fatigue on Supervisee
Wellbeing
Learning objectives. The following are the learning objectives for Unit Seven:
● Given factors that contribute to burnout and compassion fatigue, learners will
demonstrate their ability to assess burnout or compassion fatigue in a supervisee
by obtaining at least an 80% in a self and instructor feedback scale.
● Given a scenario of a supervisee struggling with burnout or compassion fatigue,
learners will demonstrate their ability to collaboratively develop a plan to assist
the supervisee manage burnout and compassion fatigue by identifying one

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 73

strategy to use with a supervisee during a discussion with the whole group.
● Given the consequences of burnout and compassion fatigue, learners will reflect
on the impact burnout and compassion fatigue have on supervisees’ wellbeing and
client care by completing a four sentence.
Prerequisite analysis (enabling learning objectives).
● Knowledge of burnout and compassion fatigue.
● Knowledge about assessment.
● Ability to engage in role play with a peer.
● Ability to provide feedback to instructor.
● Ability to reflect by writing short paragraph answering a prompt.
● Know of what Google Classroom is and how to access it.
Learning activities.
● Assess learners’ prior knowledge in relation to issues with burnout and
compassion fatigue in the mental health field.
● Provide direct instruction on burnout and compassion fatigue, the factors describe
burnout and compassion fatigue and other relevant information.
● Activate prior knowledge on assessment.
● The instructor will model procedures for assessing burnout and compassion
fatigue in a supervisee.
● Learners to engage in practice and receive feedback.
● Discuss collaborative wellness plan that can be established with supervisee.
● After the workshop, learners will be asked to reflect upon their own experience of

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 74

burnout and the impact it had on their ability to perform their jobs.
Learning assessment. Learning objectives for Unit Seven will be assessed in the
following ways:
● In order to meet the first objective, the learner will demonstrate competence in
assessing for burnout/compassion fatigue by obtaining at least an 80% in both self
and instructor feedback rating scales.
● In order to meet the second objective, leaner will have to participate in whole
group discussion and explain at least one strategy to use with supervisee when
establishing a collaborative wellness plan.
● The learner will complete a written four sentence reflection via the online portal
in order to demonstrate that they have met the third objective.
Unit Eight: How do you Manage Supervisee Personal Factors in Clinical Supervision?
Learning objectives. The following are the learning objectives for Unit Ten:
● Given the explanation of the influence of supervisee personal factors on client
care, learners will demonstrate their ability to explain the importance of ensuring
supervisee awareness of these factors on their treatment of clients by receiving at
least an 80% on the self and instructor feedback rating scale.
● Given an example of the components essential to the supervision of personal
factors and reactivity, learners will demonstrate their ability to role play at the
management of supervisee reactivity by receiving at least 80% on the feedback
rating scale.
● Given the difficulties of discussing personal factors with supervisees, learners will

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 75

reflect upon their own expected challenges and their approach to overcome those
challenges by completing a four sentence paragraph.
Prerequisite analysis (enabling learning objectives).
● Knowledge of effective clinical supervision.
● Knowledge of personal factors (i.e. countertransference) influencing the treatment
of clients.
● Ability to role play a conversation with a peer.
● Ability to provide feedback to a peer using a rating scale.
● Ability to reflect by writing short paragraph answering a prompt.
● Know of what Google Classroom is and how to access it.
Learning activities.
● Assess learners’ prior knowledge about personal factors influencing the
psychotherapy process.
● Conduct short activity to activate prior knowledge.
● Provide direct instruction of supervisee personal factors and reactivity in the
psychotherapy process.
● The instructor will model a conversation with a supervisee that helps to create
awareness of the effects of personal factor on client treatment.
● Instructor to model the management of reactivity.
● Provide the opportunity to practice how to create awareness of the effects of
personal factors on client treatment and how to manage reactivity.
● Allow for peer and instructor feedback using a rating scale.

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● After the workshop session is over, learners will be asked to complete a written
reflection based upon a prompt.
Learning assessment. Unit Ten objectives will be assessed in the following way:
● The first objective will be assessed based on learners’ participation role play with
a peer explaining the importance of ensuring supervisee awareness of these
factors on their treatment of clients and by obtaining at least an 80% on the peer
and instructor feedback rating scale.
● Learners will demonstrate that they have met the second learning objective by
their participation in a role play with a peer in which they model the management
of reactivity and by obtaining at least an 80% on the self and instructor feedback
rating scale.
● The third objective will be met when the learner completes a four sentence
paragraph reflection via the online portal answer the prompt.
Scope and Sequence
Below, Table 1 describes the scope and sequence of this curriculum.
Table 1
Scope and Sequence
I= Introduced
R= Reinforced
M= Mastered
Units
Curriculum Outcomes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Describe components of CBCS. I R R R R R M
Incorporate key components of CBCS
into their practice as supervisors.
I R R R R R M

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Reflect on their clinical supervision
practice.
I R R R R R R M
Evaluate their supervisee’s
competence in their clinical practice.
I R M
Incorporate reflective practices in
their clinical supervision practice with
supervisee.
I R R M
Incorporate supportive strategies to
help their supervisees manage
burnout, compassion fatigue, and
personal factors.
I R M

Delivery Media Selection

Even though media used in the delivery of instruction is considered to be an important
component of instruction by some educators, there is very little evidence supporting the
assumption that it influences learning and motivation (Clark, Yates, Early, & Moulton, 2010).
The form of media used during instruction has no influence on the learning that occurs within the
learner and mostly serves as a vehicle for delivering the instruction. Even though the type of
media selection does not influence learning, it is still important to analyze the benefits and
detriments of each mode. This curriculum will employ the use of instructor-led instruction and
demonstration accompanied by the strategic use of PowerPoint slides. Instruction can be
provided in-person and onsite or via a live online portal that allows the instructor to lead the
lessons, teach the skill, allow for practice amongst participants, and which also allows for
immediate feedback from the instructor. In order to analyze the benefits and detriments of
selected media, Clark et al. (2010) suggest that conceptual authenticity, immediate feedback, and
special sensory requirements are important factors to consider when choosing media.

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Key Considerations in Choosing Media
Media selection involves a process in which the instructor should consider various
factors. Clark et al. (2010) suggest that conceptual authenticity, immediate feedback, and special
sensory requirements should be considered in the selection of media. Below, these factors are
discussed. Table one summarizes these considerations.
Conceptual authenticity. Clark et al. (2010) emphasize the importance of ensuring that
the type of media used during instruction mimics the real situations in which the concepts and
skills will be used by the learners. In person instruction and demonstration will allow for an
authentic experience in which the learner will be able to view skills being modeled by the
instructor and will also be given the opportunity to practice the skills. This can be done during an
in person training of via an online portal which allows for these conditions.
Immediate feedback. Immediate, or synchronous, feedback is an essential component
when learning complex skills or when integrating a variety of pieces of knowledge or skills
together (Clark et al. (2010). Clark et al. (2010) clarify that, “complex practice exercises must
support synchronous feedback for trainees through real-time observation and both verbal and
visual feedback by the coach” (p. 288). Therefore, learners will be provided with the opportunity
to practice and receive synchronous feedback from the instructor and from peers. This will
become possible in an in-person training platform or through an live, online training platform
which allows for these conditions.
Special sensory requirements. Clark et al. (2010) state that some skills demand sensory
considerations in the learning process. When learning some complex skills, learners may be
required to experience sensations or smells in order to learn the skill completely. Special sensory

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requirements are not necessary for this training as learners are taught clinical supervision skills.
Therefore, instruction can be provided both in-person or via an online portal.
Table 2
Key Considerations of Instructional Media

Synchronous (Live) In-
Person Training Platform
Synchronous (Live) Online
Training Platform
Contextual Authenticity Yes Yes
Immediate Feedback Yes Yes
Sensory Requirements. Not Applicable Not Applicable

General Instructional Platform Selection

Instructors following this curriculum have the capability to provide this training both in-
person or through an online platform which allows for a live interaction between the instructor
and the learners. Synchronicity is required for this training as learners will be engaging in
practice with peers and will be receiving immediate feedback during their skill development
process. Clinical supervision training is needed by many different professionals across the
country. Giving the option to provide this training both in-person or online will allow for
individuals to gain the necessary knowledge and skills in clinical supervision regardless of their
location.
Specific Media Choices

Specific media choices, their purpose, and benefits are organized below in Table 3.

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Table 3
Specific Media Choices

Media Choice Purpose Benefit
Instructor ● Leads direct instruction
● Communicates learning
objectives
● To serve as a model
during skill
development
● Provide feedback
● Instructor modeling
is an effective
learning tool (Denler
et al., 2008)
● Feedback is essential
to the learning
process (Denler et
al., 2008)
PowerPoint slides ● Organized platform to
convey information
● Advanced organizers for
learner
● Will help learners
decrease cognitive
load during the
learning process
Google Classroom
Online Portal
● Easy to access platform
for learners to complete
written reflections and
receive peer and
instructor feedback
● Increase interaction
with training material
outside of training
time

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CHAPTER FIVE: IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION PLAN
Implementation of the Course
Smith and Ragan (2005) explain the importance of paying close attention to the
implementation process of a new course. The implementation of a course requires special
attention if the course is to be sustained throughout time within the organization. Since the
purpose of this course is to improve clinical supervision practices of clinical supervisors within
mental health organizations, it is important to consider how mental health organizations and
supervisors will be able to receive this information and adopt it into their work routines. Since
this course may bring about a new approach to how mental health clinical supervisors are
conducting their jobs, it is important to consider the points of view of all stakeholders and to
incorporate their feedback before the course is fully disseminated to the larger group.
A pilot of the course will be conducted which will include a selected number of clinical
supervisors. Before a pilot of the course is conducted, the developer of this course will meet with
leadership members of the organization in which the course will be disseminated in order to
present a basic summary of the course, course lessons, purpose, importance, and plan for
implementation. The developer will solicit feedback relating to the culture of the organization,
potential barriers that may impact the implementation process, and any other factors that
leadership members believe may need to be considered relating to the implementation of this
course. The developer of the course will also make it clear that change within organizations takes
time; however, the plan is to change modify the way clinical supervisors do their work and to
help improve those important processes that heavily influence the treatment of clients.
Furthermore, the developer will ask leadership members to identify new clinical supervisors who

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should participate in the pilot. Smith and Ragan (2005) assert that it is essential to consider the
opinion of individuals who hold political power within an organization or who could potentially
get in the way of the success of the course. Building a relationship with these individuals is
essential to the success of implementation of course. Therefore, the pilot of the course will
include new supervisors who have a strong influence within the organization, those who may
require more convincing to use course content and skills, and those who could serve as
promoters of the course once the pilot is complete.
The pilot will be conducted in the order the course was constructed (i.e., over the span of
eight months, beginning with Unit One and ending with Unit Eight). Pilot participants will be
solicited for feedback relating to the content of the course, their opinions relating to the pace of
each lesson and each unit, and the ease of which they believe the content can be adopted into the
work routine. They will also be solicited for feedback about the need for changes or
modifications to the order of units, the need for more examples or practice within units, and the
need for more instruction in any particular unit. The developer will consider the feedback
provided and will incorporate it into the course before it is rolled out to a larger group of
learners. At the end of the pilot, the developer will meet with all leadership members and clinical
supervisors who participated in the pilot to consolidate all feedback and discuss how to move
forward with the training delivery of the course.
The course will become available to other new clinical supervisors within the
organization after the pilot. During the dissemination phase, learners will be solicited for
feedback about the content and pace of the course. They will also be solicited for feedback
associated to potential barriers that may impact the implementation of these clinical supervision

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 83

skills being taught. The adoption of this course is important to consider if implementation is
expected to be successful. Smith and Ragan (2005) discuss adoption as a six stage process
including awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, adoption, and integration. Initial awareness of this
course will be achieved via announcements within the organization coming from leadership
members and participants of the pilot. Interest will be gaged by the number of participants who
volunteer to participate in the training. Smith and Ragan (2005) assert that during the interest
stage, learners may not yet be formulating opinions about the course but may want to learn more
about it.
During the evaluation stage, learners who are participating in the course will begin
applying the content and skills to their job routines and assessing whether they will continue
using the course content. Since units will be taught over the span of eight months (i.e., one unit
per month), learners will have the opportunity to practice and test out the content during the
month between unit delivery. The instructor will solicit for feedback during each unit relating to
the previous unit.
During the trial phase, learners will begin using the course content in their job routines.
Six months after the entire course has been delivered, a booster training session will be
conducted in order to help reinforce content and clarify any questions or concerns that may have
come up after the end of the last unit. Feedback will be obtained at this phase, as well. It is the
hope of the developer that learners will move into the adoption and integration stages. The
adoption phase is exemplified by the learner fully engaging in the new skills they have learned
and integration stage is exemplified by the learner fully engaging in their new skills in their work
routine. Feedback for adoption and integration stages will be obtained during the monthly

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 84

consultation meetings, which will include all supervisors who participated in the training. Smith
and Ragan (2005) furthermore discuss the importance of considering adaptations to the course.
Often, adaptations will need to be made in order to ensure that the course can be used within the
unique setting. The feedback received throughout the implementation of the course will assist the
instructor to make necessary adaptations to the original course content or for the learner to better
adapt the material to the work routines and situations. In order to continue to sustain this course
within organizations, an in-house trainer will be identified and trained to support and promote
course content.
Even though the course pilot and initial course delivery will be conducted by the
developer of the course, additional instructors will need to be trained to deliver the course in
order to ensure the survival of this innovation within the organization. An organization instructor
will be identified by the organization’s leadership team. This new instructor will be asked to
participate in the pilot of the course and will observe the creator of the course during the initial
course delivery. The new instructor will be expected to read the full course materials, observe the
course delivery (all eight units), and meet with the course developer after each unit to discuss
implementation questions or concerns. The new instructor will then deliver the course with a
fresh group of learners and will be observed and given feedback by the developer after they have
delivered every unit. This individual will also be expected to serve as consultant to the
organization and will run the monthly consultation groups with supervisors.
Implementation of the Evaluation Plan
Curriculum Purpose, Need and Expectations
The purpose of this curriculum is to provide instruction to new clinical supervisors in the

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 85

mental health field on clinical supervision skills that will enhance their practice as clinical
supervisors and positively contribute to the professional development of their supervisees and the
treatment of clients with mental illness. The ultimate goal of this curriculum is to prepare clinical
supervisors to engage in effective clinical supervision practices that enhance MH provider
clinical practice. Falender and Shafranske (2017) assert that clinical supervisors do not receive
adequate training before moving into this role. This curriculum aims to fill the need for training
in effective clinical supervision skills.
Evaluation Framework
This implementation and evaluation plan will follow Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick’s
(2016) New World Kirkpatrick Model which proposes a four level model for evaluating training
programs. Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) suggest that Level 4 should be considered before
3, 2, and 1 since this level relates more to how the training impacts organizations outcomes.
Level 4 is used to evaluate, “the degree to which targeted outcomes occur as a result of the
training and the support and the accountability package” (p. 12). A Level 3 evaluation is
concerned with the behavioral changes that occur after the training has occurred. Level 3
evaluations seeks to find out if learners were able to implement what they consumed in the
training in their natural work settings. A Level 2 evaluation investigates if learners have been
able to acquire key learning components such as knowledge, skills, attitudes, confidence, and
commitment. Finally, Level 1 evaluation investigates the, “degree to which participants find the
training favorable, engaging, and relevant to their jobs” (p. 17). Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick
(2016) assert that individuals evaluating training programs often place greater efforts in
completing Level 1 evaluations and often overlook Level 3 evaluation. Trainers conducting a

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 86

Level 1 evaluation are interested in the learners’ satisfaction, level of engagement, and relevance
of the information to the learner’s work.
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators
Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) suggest that in order to effectively evaluate a training
program, leading indicators should be identified in order to help clarify how the training is
contributing to the results that are desired. Table 4 describes the internal and external indicators,
along with the metrics that will be used in the data collection process and the methods that will
be used to obtain the data demonstrating that the training is helping to contribute to the
organization's goals.
Table 4
Indicators, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes

Outcome Metric(s) Method(s)
External Outcomes
Increased positive client
treatment outcomes.
Mental health treatment outcome
measure data gathered from each
client receiving services.
Compare pre and post outcome
measure data obtained from each
client.
Increased staff mental health
provider retention.
Staff turnover rate. Compare staff turnover rates
before training and after
implementation of training.
Decrease mental health
provider stress related
workers compensation
claims.
Number of worker compensation
claims made by mental health
providers associated to stress.
Obtain HR records.
Internal Outcomes
Decrease staff complaints
made by mental health
providers about their
supervisors.
Number of complaints made by
mental health providers about their
supervisors
Obtain HR records.
Improved supervisory
working alliance.
Supervisory Working Alliance by
Efstation, Patton, and Kardash
(1990)
Supervisors and mental health
providers complete appropriate
form before training and after
training.

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Decrease level of burnout in
mental health providers.
Maslach Burnout Inventory by
Maslach, Jackson, and Leiter
(2006)
Mental health providers complete
burnout inventory before training
is provided to supervisors and after
training is complete.
Decrease level of
compassion fatigue in
mental health providers.
Compassion Fatigue Self-Test by
Florida State University
Psychological Stress Reduction
Program (1994)
Mental health providers complete
compassion fatigue self-test before
training is provided to supervisor
and after training is complete.

Level 3: Behavior
Critical behaviors. The primary focus of Level 3 is the transfer of information after a
training event has occurred (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). There are three critical behaviors
that were identified which can demonstrate that the key components of the training were learned
and have been transferred to the learner’s work environment. First, learners will use components
of competency based clinical supervision in their work with staff. Second, they will engage in
reflective practices with their staff during supervision. Thirdly, they will use a collaborative
wellness plan with staff when the need arises. Table 5 describes these critical behaviors, the
metrics that will be used to measure the behavior, the method of collecting data, and the timing
the evaluation of that critical behavior will take place.
Table 5

Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation
Critical Behavior Metric(s)
Method(s)
Timing
1. Supervisors use
competency based
clinical supervision
components in
their clinical
supervision
sessions with staff.
Number of components
document in supervision
notes.

Number of components
observed in supervision
session recording.
Random selection of
supervision notes made
available by supervisors.

Viewing supervision
session recordings
provided by supervisors.
Clinical supervisions
occur weekly in both
individual and group
format.
2. Supervisors use
reflective practices
in their supervision
with staff.
Self-reported level of
reflective practice use.
“Thinking of the past
week, on a scale from 1
Weekly, solicit
supervisors on level of
self-reflection.
Clinical supervisions
occur weekly in both
individual and group
format.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 88

to 10 (1=you did not
engage in self-
reflection, 10=you
reflected as much as
you could), rate how
much you engaged in
reflective practice at
work.”
3. Supervisors use
collaborative
wellness plan with
supervisees.
Supervisors report on
the use of collaborative
wellness plan.
Monthly, solicit
supervisors about their use
of the collaborative
wellness plan.
Situations that trigger
the use of a wellness
plan are not standard
in in nature. However,
supervisor will be
asked out their use of
the plan on a monthly
basis.

Required drivers. Support and accountability are important in the successful learning of
training content (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). Required drivers assist in the reinforcement,
encouragement, rewarding, and monitoring of training content. Table 6 describes the required
drivers that will help support the critical behaviors.
Table 6
Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors
Method(s) Timing
Critical Behaviors Supported
1, 2, 3 Etc.
Reinforcing
Agency supervisors to hold
monthly supervisor consultation
meetings to discuss pre-set
competency based clinical
supervision concepts and
wellness issues.
Monthly 1, 2, 3
Provide booster training session
covering topics from the
training.
Every six months 1, 2, 3
Encouraging
Supervisors share creative ways
they have implement the
competency based clinical
Ongoing 1, 2

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supervision components with
their supervisees during
supervisor consultation
meetings.
Supervisor provide peer support
to each other to new supervisors.
Ongoing 1, 2, 3
Rewarding
Agency leadership team provide
recognition to supervisor for
using effective clinical
supervision practice via
company newsletter
Ongoing 1, 2, 3
Supervisor recognize other
supervisors who use components
of effective clinical supervision
Ongoing 1, 2
Monitoring
Supervision submit to trainer at
least one video recording of a
clinical supervision session
Once a month 1, 2, 3
Supervisors submit to trainer all
wellness plans completed
Once a month 3

Organizational support. Organizational leaders and clinical supervisors hold the
majority of oversight in the implementation of strategies discussed in the training. Their buy-in
during the implementation of the driver package is essential for the continued use of effective
clinical supervision strategies. This is why an in-house trainer will be developed from among the
clinical supervisors who participate in the training, booster session will be delivered six months
after the training, and monthly consultations will be hosted by the in-house trainer to further
reinforce learning. Furthermore, both agency administrators and supervisors will be continually
informed of the importance of effective clinical supervision practices. Data will be presented to
both supervisors and administrators to demonstrate positive changes in staff and to justify the
need for continual support in this area. Components of the driver package will be adjusted if
pieces are deemed to be difficult to achieve.

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Level 2: Learning
Learning goals. By the end of this training curriculum, learners will be able to:
● Describe components of competency based supervision.
● Incorporate key components of competency based clinical supervision into their practice
as supervisors.
● Reflect on their clinical supervision practice.
● Evaluate their supervisee’s competence in their clinical practice.
● Incorporate reflective practices in their clinical supervision practice.
● Incorporate supportive strategies to help their supervisees manage burnout, compassion
fatigue, and personal factors.
Components of learning evaluation. Along with the evaluation of result and transfer, it
is also important to evaluate learning (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). Evaluating knowledge
includes the analysis of whether declarative and procedural knowledge were acquired. However,
it is equally important to evaluate the acquisition of necessary attitudes, confidence, and
commitment to perform skills taught in the training. Table 7 provides detailed description of the
evaluation of the learning components for this training program.
Table 7
Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program.
Method(s) or Activity(ies) Timing
Declarative Knowledge “I know it.”
Journal reflection opportunities relating to lesson
content
During and after each lesson
Group discussions during lesson Every lesson
Knowledge checks by instructor Every lesson
Comparison of Pre- and Post- completion of
Supervisor Competency Self-Assessment (Falender
et al., 2016)
At the beginning and end of training series

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 91

Procedural Skills “I can do it right now.”
Instructor feedback on feedback from Given after each opportunity to role play
Peer feedback on feedback form Given after each opportunity to role play
Use of role plays and vignettes of various clinical
supervision skills and clinical supervision issues
Throughout various lessons
Self-rated question on lesson evaluation At the end of each lesson
Attitude “I believe this is worthwhile.”
Discussion about why learners believe information
is valuable to learn
At the end of lesson
Journal entries about how they will incorporate
skills learned in their work setting
Throughout various lessons
Self-rated question on lesson evaluation At the end of each lesson
Confidence “I think I can do it on the job.”
Discussion during supervision consultation groups
about level of confidence in using skills and to
discuss concerns
Monthly post training.
Verbal feedback from learners At the end of each lesson
Self-rated question on lesson evaluation At the end of each lesson
Commitment “I will do it on the job.”
Discussion during consultation groups Every month
Self-rated question on lesson evaluation At the end of each lesson

Level 1: Reaction
Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) acknowledge that Level 1 evaluations are most
commonly used and often overdone in comparison to other forms of evaluations. They assert that
it is beneficial for trainers to conduct formative evaluations during the training in order to make
changes to the training that are responsive to the feedback from the learner. Summative
evaluations are also useful for the purpose of gathering feedback from learners. However, these
evaluations should be simple in nature. Table 8 explains the components that will be used to
measure engagement, relevance, and customer satisfaction feedback from learners.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 92

Table 8
Components to Measure Reactions to the Program.
Method(s) or Tool(s) Timing
Engagement
Workshop evaluation After each training event
Attendance Each training event
Instructor observation Each training event
Completion of online journal entries between
training events
Each training event starting Unit 2
Relevance
Workshop evaluation After each training event
Pulse check asking learners about relevance of
content to their work
Each training event
Customer Satisfaction
Workshop evaluation After each training event
Instructor observation Each training event
Pulse check asking learners how satisfied they
were with progression of lesson
Each training event.

Evaluation Tools
An evaluation instrument (See Appendix A) was created in order to gather data for Level
1 and Level 2 evaluations. This evaluation instrument is meant to gather feedback from learners
directly after each workshop. The intention behind this instrument is to gather data associated to
learners’ level of engagements, level of relevance of the information to their work, their
satisfaction with the workshop, knowledge and skills they gained from the workshop, their
attitudes towards the workshop, confidence in performing the skills, and their level of
commitment in using the information. This instrument is partly based upon resources found in
Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016).
Immediately following the program implementation. An evaluation instrument was
created to capture feedback for Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 evaluations (See Appendix B). This
evaluation form is summative in nature and intended to be administered directly after the training

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 93

series has been implemented. In addition to questions capturing data for Levels 1 and 2, this
evaluation incorporates questions that will capture data for Levels 3 and 4, as well.
Delayed for a period after the program implementation. An evaluation instrument
capturing data for Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be administered six months after the training series
has been implemented (See Appendix C). The information from this evaluation form will
provide insight into the progression of learning after the training series has concluded.
Conclusion to the Curriculum Design
Mental health concerns are a pervasive problem for children and adults in the United
States (California Healthcare Foundation, 2013; Sundararaman, 2009). Close to 80,000 mental
health professionals provide services benefiting the mental health of individuals around the
country. Many of these professionals are unlicensed and often are required to receive supervision
oversight of their work by a clinical supervisor. Since some MH professionals are providing
mental health treatment under the supervision of a supervisor, the quality of supervision is
therefore important to ensure. However, Falender and Shafranske (2017) assert that many
clinical supervisors do not receive proper training to become supervisors. Therefore, this
curriculum was created with the intent to fill this gap in training for clinical supervisors. This
curriculum is largely based upon a competency-based clinical supervision approach, since this
approach is metatheoretical in nature and allows for clinical supervisors to maintain alliance to
any other specific theoretical approach they also use. Mental health professionals hold a lot of
responsibility when it comes to the treatment of their clients. Often, professional responsibilities
and demands are detrimental to the wellbeing of these professionals. Knudsen et al. (2013) posit
that clinical supervisors can serve as a positive barrier protecting the wellbeing of their

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 94

supervisees. Therefore, effective training of clinical supervisors in the mental health field is
essential for the wellbeing of mental health providers and the clients receiving treatment from
them.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE 95

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Appendix A
Evaluation Instrument (Formative)

Instructions: The purpose of this evaluation is to gather feedback from learners relating to this
workshop. Please take a few minutes at the end of the workshop to complete this evaluation
form. Your feedback is highly valued and will be used to improve learners’ experiences in this
workshop.
Please rate your level of agreement using the scale provided next to the statements below
(1= strongly disagree; 10=strongly agree):
I took responsibility for being involved in
today’s workshop.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
This workshop held my interest. Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
The information from this workshop is
applicable to my work.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I plan to incorporate the information I learned
from this workshop in my work routine.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I am confident in my ability to use what I
learned in today’s workshop in my work
routine.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
The information from this workshop is
valuable to my work and my professional
growth.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
This workshop was worth my time. Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I am satisfied with having attended this
workshop.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I plan to recommend this workshop to my
colleagues.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Please provide written responses for the following questions:
1. List two things that you learned in today’s workshop.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. How do you plan to implement what you learned in today’s workshop in your work
routine?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Describe any barriers that may get in the way of you implementing what you
learned in today’s workshop.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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Appendix B
Evaluation Instrument (Summative)

Instructions: The purpose of this evaluation is to gather feedback from learners relating to this
workshop. Please take a few minutes at the end of the workshop to complete this evaluation
form. Your feedback is highly valued and will be used to improve learners’ experiences in this
workshop.
Please rate your level of agreement using the scale provided next to the statements below
(1= strongly disagree; 10=strongly agree):
Throughout this training series, I took
responsibility for my own learning.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
The topics presented in this workshop series
were interesting to me.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
The information I learned throughout this
training series was applicable to my work.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I have incorporated some of the information I
learned from this training series in my work
routine.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I am confident in my ability to continue using
what I learned in this training series in my
work.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
The information from this training series is
valuable to my work and my professional
growth.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
This training series was worth my time. Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I am satisfied with having attended the entire
training series.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I plan to recommend this training series to my
colleagues.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
As a result of this training series, I have a
stronger supervision alliance with my
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

supervisees.
As a result of this training series, clients’
treatment outcomes are improving.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
As a result of this training series, I am able to
provide support to my staff to help them
reduce the impact of burnout and compassion
fatigue.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
As a result of this training, I have
incorporated aspects of competency based
clinical supervision.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
As a result of this training, my reflective
practice has improved.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Please provide written responses for the following questions:
4. List two things you have been able to implement in your work since beginning this
training series.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
5. How do you plan to continue implementing components learned from this training
in the future?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. Describe any barriers you have experienced in the implementation of such
components in your work.

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Appendix C
Evaluation Instrument (Six Month Booster)

Instructions: The purpose of this evaluation is to gather feedback from learners relating to this
workshop. Please take a few minutes at the end of the workshop to complete this evaluation
form. Your feedback is highly valued and will be used to improve learners’ experiences in this
workshop. Please rate your level of agreement using the scale provided next to the
statements below (1= strongly disagree; 10=strongly agree):
Since the end of the training series, I have
continued to implement components of
competency based clinical supervision in my
work.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
The topics presented in this workshop series
continue to be interesting to me.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
The information I learned throughout this
training series is still relevant to my work.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I have incorporated some of the information I
learned from this training series in my work
routine.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I am confident in my ability to continue using
what I learned in this training series in my
work.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
The information from this training series
continues to be valuable to my work and my
professional growth.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
This training series was worth my time. Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I am satisfied with having attended the entire
training series.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I have recommended this training series to my
colleagues.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
As a result of this training series, I have a
stronger supervision alliance with my
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

supervisees.
As a result of this training series, clients’
treatment outcomes are improving.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
As a result of this training series, I am able to
provide support to my staff to help them
reduce the impact of burnout and compassion
fatigue.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
As a result of this training, I have
incorporated aspects of competency based
clinical supervision.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
As a result of this training, my reflective
practice has improved.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Please provide written responses for the following questions:
7. List two things you have been able to implement in your work since the end of this
training series.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
8. How do you plan to continue implementing components learned from this training
in the future?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
9. Describe any barriers you have experienced in the implementation of such
components in your work.
_____________________________________________________________________________

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Appendix D
Course Overview and Associated Materials

Duration: 16 minutes

Lesson Materials
Presentation tools:
● Course Overview presentation slides
● Course Overview Vignette Handout
● Blank writing paper

Learner Characteristic Accommodations
Learners are new clinical supervisors in the mental health field who are voluntarily attending this professional
development training and who may be motivated to learn effective clinical supervision skills for their own practice.
Many of the learners will have prior knowledge about clinical supervision. However, they may be lacking in skills
and confidence in their practice. In order to maintain motivation and build utility value for learners in the lesson, the
practicality and usefulness of the training must be reinforced.

Facilitator’s Notes
To informally assess learners’ prior knowledge about clinical supervision, the instructor should ask questions
relating to the definition of effective clinical supervision; competency based clinical supervision; and what skills
they use to supervise mental health providers.

Instructional Activities

Instructional
Sequence
Time
(mins)
Description of the
Learning Activity
Instructor
Action/Decision
(Supplantive)
Learner
Action/
Decision
(Generative)
Introduction 5 Provide motivation by gaining
learners’ attention to the problem of
poor quality of clinical supervision
training in the mental health field.
Explain the overall purpose of the
course to teach learners how to engage
in effective clinical supervision
practices that will help enhance their
personal practice as supervisors and
their supervisee’s clinical practice.
Introduce the course and
purpose/goal using a
vignette describing a
clinical supervision
session exemplifying a
clinical supervisor using
ineffective clinical
supervision skills leading
to various missed
opportunities between the
interaction of clinical
supervisor and provider.
Vignette will be provided
to learners on a handout
which they will read
independently. Learners
to be instructed to
contrast this vignette with
another vignette in which
a supervisor engages in a
skill with a supervisee
that enhanced their
clinical practice in a
positive way.

Learners will
write a
reflection about
their current
performance
and behaviors in
clinical
supervision and
compare their
performance
and behaviors to
the vignettes
discussed in the
lesson while
also identifying
strength they
have and
challenges they
may face in
their practice.
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Ask learners to engage in
a written reflection
describing their current
skill at the onset of the
course and where they
would like to see their
skillset at the end of the
course.
Course Goal 1 Introduce the overall course goal and
the course outcomes.
Present the course goal
and course outcomes on a
PowerPoint slides while
directing learners to draw
connections to vignettes
previously discussed.
Learners draw
connections
between their
goals of where
they want to be
at the end of the
course with the
course goal and
outcomes.
Purpose for
the Course

5 Stimulate motivation for the course by
describing the opportunity to learn
and practice clinical supervision skills
that will enhance their practice.
Describe the risk the learner may
experience of not learning and
engaging in effective clinical
supervision skills with supervisees.
Ask the learners to
answer questions such as:
“How confident am I in
my ability to use effective
clinical supervision
skills? How important is
it for me to learn clinical
supervision skills?”
Learners journal
their answers
and draw
connections
between their
responses, their
personal goals,
and the course
goal. Learners
to share
summary of
journal entry in
pairs.
Course
Overview

5 Demonstrate all the units in the course
in order to provide the learner with a
mental model and to assist them in
structuring their future learning. Show
learners that the sequence of the course
units are “as performed” but can also
be used independently of one another.

Verbally describe the activities, tools,
and artifacts that will be used in each
unit.
Present a visual model on
a slide to learners which
demonstrates all units in
the course and how each
is connected to the course
goal. Describe how each
unit is sequenced and the
reasoning behind that
sequencing.

Describe how the units
will be structured, the
design of the units, and
the various activities
within each unit.
Learners to
actively listen to
instructor
describing the
model and make
note of how
each unit will
help them reach
their personal
learning goal.
Total Time 16

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Slide 1

Building Clinical Supervisor
Competence
Course Overview

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Slide 2

Warm‐Up
• Read vignettes
• Complete written reflection
• Describe
• Your current clinical supervision
skillset, strengths and
challenges
• What you would like your
clinical supervisor skillset to
look like at the end of the
course.
Warm up your brain (n.d)

State: Please read the vignettes in the handout I have provided you. After you have read the
vignettes, think about how they are different from each other.

Ask: What is the main difference of both vignettes?

No, complete a written reflection based on the prompt given on this slide. Try to reflect on where
your skillset is now and develop a goal of where you would like it to be. What are the
components of clinical supervision that you need to work on or gain more knowledge in?

Warm up your brain [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/childrens-
responsive-ichef-live/r/720/1x/cbbc/SSG_Warm_Your_Brain_Intro_Image.png.

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Slide 3

Course Goal
• Prepare clinical supervisors to
engage in effective clinical
supervision practices that
enhance MH provider clinical
practice
Company leadership (n.d)

Say: The goal of this curriculum is to prepare you, as a current or future clinical supervisor, to
engage in effective clinical supervision practices that enhance MH provider clinical practice

Clinical supervisors are the leaders of their teams and they help the providers they work with
provide effective treatment to their clients.

Think about how the goal of this course will help you meet the goal you set in your written
reflection

Company leadership [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://themocracy.com/wp-
content/uploads/2016/10/Company-Leadership.jpg.

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Slide 4

Course Outcomes
Describe
CBCS
Incorporate
CBCS
Reflect on
practice
Evaluate
supervisee
competence
Incorporate
reflective
practice
Incorporate
supportive
strategies

Say: There are six course outcomes for this course.

Animation 1: Describe components of competency-based supervision.
Animation 2: Incorporate key components of competency based clinical supervision into their
practice as supervisors.
Animation 3: Reflect on their clinical supervision practice.
Animation 4: Evaluate their supervisee’s competence in their clinical practice.
Animation 5: Incorporate reflective practices in their clinical supervision practice.
Animation 6: Incorporate supportive strategies to help their supervisees manage burnout,
compassion fatigue, and personal factors.

Think about how these course outcomes will help you meet the goal you set in your written
reflection

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Slide 5

Purpose of the Course
Bad leader (n.d.)

Say: In this course, you will have the opportunity to learn and practice skills that many experts in
the field believe are effective and needed in a clinical supervision practice.

Clinical supervisors play a very important role in the training of supervisees and in client care.
Even though they play such an important role, often, clinical supervisors do not receive adequate
or sufficient training in this practice. If a supervisor does not know how to properly supervise
others, they are truthfully leading blindly. This is a huge risk to the supervisees the supervisor is
supposed to guide and support and the client’s being treated by those supervisees.

Bad leader [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.startupist.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/01/badleader.png.

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Slide 6

Purpose of the Course
How important
is it for me to
learn clinical
supervision
skills?
How confident
am I in my ability
to use effective
clinical
supervision
skills?

Think about the questions in these thought bubbles and answer them on the same paper you
wrote your initial reflection on. Reflect upon how the answers to these questions are connected to
your goals already established.

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Slide 7

Overview
Managing personal factors
Providing support
Understanding compassion fatigue
Understanding burnout
Metacompetence and self‐reflection
Evaluation and feedback
Assessing supervisee practice
Supervisorial contract
Building relationship
Effective clinical supervision
Supervisor
Competence

Say: This course covers ten units which are meant to help grow your competence as a supervisor.
Each unit serves as a stepping stone for providing effective clinical supervision. However, the
content of each unit also stands on its own and can be used at any point. Often, supervisors may
find that they use some skills more than others.
Animation
1. What is effective clinical supervision
2.How do you Build a Strong and Supportive Supervisorial Relationship with your Supervisees?
3. Establishing a Clinical Supervisorial Contract
4. How do you Assess Supervisees’ Clinical Practice and Clinical Ability Using Competencies?
5. How do you Provide Evaluation and Feedback in Clinical Supervision?
6. How do you Encourage metacompetence and Self-Reflection of their Clinical Abilities and
Knowledge?
7. Understanding the Impact of Burnout on Supervisee Wellbeing
8. Understanding the Impact of Compassion Fatigue on Supervisee Wellbeing.
9. How do you Provide Support for Supervisee Burnout and Compassion Fatigue?
10. How do you Manage Supervisee Personal Factors in Clinical Supervision?

Animation: each of these units will build on one another and will contribute to your (animation)
competence as a supervisor

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Slide 8

Course Activities
Toolbox (n.d.)
Man thinking (n.d)
Board meeting (n.d.)
Warm up your brain (n.d)

In each unit, you will be given the opportunity to read vignettes of situations pertaining to
clinical supervision, learn new skills for our toolbox as a supervisor (animation), and practice
those skills (animation). Feedback will be provided by both your peers and instructor
(animation). You will also be asked to reflect about the skills you have learned and your abilities
to use those skills once the training is over (animation).

Toolbox [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.thule.com.au/wp-
content/uploads/2016/12/31353.jpg.

Board meeting [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/593d37031b631b4d312c4452/t/59dd09aebce176985870ecc
9/1501731927567/.

Role play [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://improaustralia.com.au/wp-
content/uploads/2016/06/role-play-image-aqua.jpg.

Man thinking [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://n6-img-fp.akamaized.net/free-
vector/man-doubting-design_1133-263.jpg?size=338&ext=jpg.

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Course Overview Vignette Handout
Vignette One
Clinical supervisor Tiffani was scheduled to meet with her supervisee Kate, a mental
health provider at the agency, for their weekly clinical supervision meeting. Tiffani was running
late to their meeting due to experiencing traffic coming back from a leadership meeting at
another location.
Waiting patiently, Kate decides to use the time to finish her most recent client’s initial
assessment which was due in two days. After 20 minutes, Tiffani shows up to their meeting and
officially begins clinical supervision with Kate.
Tiffani asks Kate, “What do you have for me?”
Kate, feeling caught off guard by Tiffani, shares that she was in the process of finishing her new
client’s assessment.
Tiffani interjects and reports, “By the way, the assessment form will be changing soon. Look out
for the new changes. You know, sometimes I can’t stand how often things change around here. I
should start focusing more on my private practice so that I can sustain myself solely with that
income.”
Kate, unsure of how to respond to Tiffani’s statement, continues to listen to her complain about
agency policies for the remainder of their meeting. The meeting ends 5 minutes before the hour.

Vignette Two
Clinical supervisor Tiffani was scheduled to meet with her supervisee Kate, a mental
health provider at the agency, for their weekly clinical supervision meeting. Tiffani was running
late to their meeting due to experiencing traffic coming back from a leadership meeting at
another location.
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Waiting patiently, Kate decides to use the time to finish her most recent client’s initial
assessment which was due in two days. After 20 minutes, Tiffani shows up to their meeting and
officially begins clinical supervision with Kate.
Tiffani says, “Kate, I’m very sorry for being late to our supervision meeting. Let’s
arrange another time to ensure that you receive the full 60 minutes of supervision that is required
by the Board. Do you have any pressing issues you would like to add to today’s agenda?”
Kate states, “Well, I am almost done with my new client’s assessment which is due in a
couple of days. Apart from that, everything else has been going well.”
Tiffani states, “Okay, well I have a few things to cover with you today. First, the
assessment form is changing soon. I haven’t been able to take a look at it yet, but if you notice
something different about it in the process of completing future assessments on the electronic
health record, let me know and we can review those together.”
Tiffani proceeds to inform Kate of other updates and reminders for the remainder of their
meeting. At the end of their meeting, they collaboratively schedule another time to meet to make
up the remaining 20 minutes.

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Appendix E
Unit One Lesson Plan and Associated Materials-
What is Effective Clinical Supervision?

Unit Duration: 90 minutes

Introduction: This is the first unit of this eight-unit course which will lay the foundation for an effective clinical
supervision practice. The purpose of this course it to teach you what effective clinical supervision is and what are
the attitudes that supervisors should possess in their practice in order to be considered effective clinical supervisors.

Learning Objective(s)
Terminal Objective:
● Given the four primary factors that represent a supervisor’s commitment to effective clinical supervision
(i.e. integrity-in-relationship, value-based practice, appreciations of diversity, and science informed-
evidence based practice), learners will explain how an example represents the four factors by identifying
two areas for each factor per the rubric.
● Given the definition of the four primary factors that represent a supervisor's commitment to effective
clinical supervision (i.e. integrity-in-relationship, value-based practice, appreciation of diversity, and
science informed-evidence based practice), learners will reflect how their idea of clinical supervision aligns
to the four factors by writing a four-sentence paragraph of their thoughts and sharing it with one peer.
● Given the components of effective clinical supervision based on competency-based supervision, learners
will assess their level of competency regarding effective clinical supervision components using Falender et
al.’s (2016) Supervisor Competency Self-Assessment.

Enabling Objective(s):
● Basic knowledge of what clinical supervision is.
● Know what clinical supervision practices they have engaged in.
● Ability to work in a small group with peers.
● Ability to compose a short paragraph response to a prompt.
● Ability to assess abilities.
● Ability to navigate an assessment tool with a 10-point rating scale.

Lesson Materials
● Unit One presentation slides
● Table of Effective Clinical Supervision Components
● Primary Factors Worksheet
● Clinical Supervision Self-Assessment
● Blank writing paper

Learner Characteristic Accommodations
This course will be taken live with an instructor present.

Facilitator’s Notes
This is a live, in-person course. The instructor should ensure that learners are provided with practice and timely
feedback. See the table below for specific Instructor Action/Decision (Supplantive events of instruction).

Instructional Activities
Instructional
Sequence
Time
(mins)
Description of the
Learning Activity
Instructor
Action/Decision
(Supplantive)
Learner
Action/
Decision
(Generative)
Gain
Attention
1 Prompt on the board which states:
“Recall all of your experiences being
supervised by a clinical supervisor.
Think about experiences that you
Instructor to guide
learners to read prompt
and reflect in their minds.

Learners will
reflect on their
prior
experiences
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

considered good and those you
considered bad. Reflect on what made
those experiences good or bad.” Use
prompt to gain learners’ attention and
to begin thinking about clinical
supervision.
Bringing learners back to
whole group, ask a few of
the learners to share
reflections with the other
participants. Ask if others
have also observed or
experienced those
situations of good or bad
supervision.

Ask learners to set
personal goal for this
unit.
receiving
supervision.

Learners to set a
personal goal for
this unit and to
think about how
it will help them
achieve their
personal course
goal established
during the
course overview
lesson.
Learning
Objectives
1 Learning objectives are presented
visually on PowerPoint slide.

Instructor visually shares
learning objectives with
learners and answers
questions if asked.
Learners to read
learning
objectives from
projected
PowerPoint
slide and ask
any question if
they arise.
Reasons for
Learning
- Benefits
- Risks
1 Benefits: learning and engaging in
effective clinical supervision skills
enhances clinical supervision practice,
enhances the learning of supervisees,
and helps the supervisor avoid harmful
supervision practices.

Risks: not knowing or learning
effective clinical supervision practices
could lead to harmful clinical
supervision practices, ineffective
supervisee learning, and could
negatively impact client care.
Instructor verbally
communicates both
benefits and risks of
learning and using
effective clinical
supervision.

Visual images will be
used to illustrate risk and
benefits on a PowerPoint
slide.
Learners view
images of risk
and benefits.
Furthermore,
they will listen
to the instructor
explaining risk
and benefits
Overview
- Prior
Knowledge
- New
Knowledge
- Learning
Strategies

(What you
already
know...what
you are going
to learn...and
how you are
going to learn
it.)
3 The previous lesson was the overview
of the course. Effective and ineffective
clinical supervision was illustrated in
two vignettes.
Four primary factors that represent a
supervisor’s commitment to effective
clinical supervision and components
of effective clinical supervision to be
covered via verbal presentation
accompanied with PowerPoint slides.

Instructor to draw
connections between two
scenarios explored during
Overview of Course
lesson and four primary
factors and effective
clinical supervision.

Instructor explains
learning activities
including lecture,
participation in small
group activity, and
individual activity in
which learners will work
collaboratively with
instructor will complete
clinical supervision
components table.
Learning activities are
summarized in a few
Learners to
listen to
instructor draw
connections
between
previous lesson
and current
lesson.

Learners to
follow along on
PowerPoint
slide and
instructor during
explanation of
learning
activities.

Learner will
gain access to
necessary
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

bullet points on
PowerPoint slide.

Instructor to use guiding
questions such as: “What
are the values and
attitudes that clinical
supervisors should
possess?”; “What
components or clinical
supervision can be
considered ‘effective’?”
materials for
required during
lesson.
Learners to
answer guiding
questions.
Prerequisite
Knowledge
3 Definition of clinical supervision
explored.
Assess prior knowledge including
prior training in clinical supervision,
knowledge about values and attitudes
clinical supervisors should possess,
and knowledge about components of
clinical supervision.

Assess ability and understanding of
what a reflection is.
Instructor to ask learners
to provide definitions of
the concept of clinical
supervision and to
facilitate a discussion
about what clinical
supervision is and what is
it is not.
Instructor to ask learners
about their knowledge
relating the four primary
factors associated to
effective clinical
supervision and about
what they believe
effective clinical
supervision looks like.
Learners to
provide
definitions of
the concept of
clinical
supervision,
what clinical
supervision is,
and what
clinical
supervision is
not.
Learners to
discuss their
knowledge
about the four
primary factors
and effective
clinical
supervision
components.
Learning
Guidance
- Lecture
- Demo.
15 Provide direct instruction of four
primary factors representing a
commitment to effective clinical
supervision and components of
effective clinical supervision using
PowerPoint slides enhanced to help
learners balance visual and auditory
channels, decreasing cognitive load
during the presentation.

Personal reflection of how one’s
attitudes align with four primary
factors.

Through PowerPoint
slides incorporating
appropriate audio and
visual representations of
information, instructor to
provide direct instruction
of the four primary
factors representing a
commitment to effective
clinical supervision and
the various components
of effective clinical
supervision according to
research and the
literature.

During instruction on
components of effective
clinical supervision,
instructor to guide
learners in completing
advanced organizer.

Learners to
listen intently to
instruction about
four primary
factors and
components of
effective clinical
supervision.

During
instruction of
components of
effective clinical
supervision,
learners to take
notes and
complete table
helping them
organize
components in a
fashion that
learners will be
able to reference
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Instructor to verbally
model a reflection about
how one’s attitudes align
with the four primary
factors. Instructor will
then ask learners to
engage in their own
personal reflection and
share if they feel
comfortable.
back.

Learners to
observer
instructor
modeling
reflection.
Practice and
Feedback
45 After providing written vignette
exemplifying the four primary factors,
learners to form small groups and to
develop an explanation of how the
examples demonstrate the four factors
using an instructor provided
worksheet.

Instructor to explain
activity and vignette
provided.
Instruct learners to
analyze one vignette
Instructor to provide
immediate feedback
during whole group
discussion. Instructor to
provide corrective
feedback to incorrect
answers and allow
learners to develop
another explanation.

Additional practice at
analysis and explanation
will be given if learners
continue to develop
incorrect responses.
Learners will
participate in the
analysis and
development of
explanation of
how vignette
presented align
to four primary
factors.

Learners to
participate in
whole group
discussion in
which they will
present
explanations
about how
vignettes align
to four primary
factors.

Learners will
acknowledge
feedback and
provided by
instructor and
will develop
new
explanations if
initial
explanations are
incorrect.
Authentic
Assessment
10 Opportunity for reflection about how
learners’ attitudes and values align
with four superordinate factors
discussed in this unit.

Completion of a written reflection
(minimum of four sentences long)
based on prompt.

Completion of Supervisor
Competency Self-Assessment
Instructor to provide
explanation about
assessment and will direct
learners to complete
written reflection in
written format on paper.

Instructor to provide
explanation about the
Supervisor Self-
Assessment and to
provide time for
Learners to
compose and
write short
reflection
answering
prompt.

Learners to
listen to
instructor
explain
Supervisor Self-
Assessment.
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

completion of self-
assessment.

Learners to
complete
Supervisor
Competency
Self-
Assessment.
Retention
and Transfer
5 Opportunities for retention and
transfer of information to be provided
in order to reinforce learning.
Sharing of reflection associated to four
primary factors and self-assessment
result will be facilitated.
Instructor to ask each
learner to share a quick
summary of their
reflection and to make
connection between what
they wrote in reflection to
the personal goals they
established during Course
Overview lesson.
Instructor to also ask
learners to provide verbal
reflection about the
findings from the
Supervisor Competency
Self-Assessment.
Instructor can use the
following question to
start sharing: “What is
something that surprised
you about your self-
assessment results?”
Learners to
share a quick
summary of
their reflection
and to make a
connection
between their
reflection and
their personal
learning goal
established
during the
Course
Overview.

Learners to also
share something
that surprised
them about their
self-assessment
results.
Big Ideas

2 Review and re-motivate: review major
ideas associated to the four primary
factors and components of effective
clinical supervision.
Re-state importance of having and
using knowledge presented.
Instructor to ask learners
to share why they believe
this information is
important to know and to
use in their practice as
clinical supervisors.
Each learner to
discuss one
reason why the
information is
important to
know and use in
their practice as
clinical
supervisors.
Advance
Organizer for
the Next Unit
5 Connect four primary factors and
components of effective clinical
supervision to the importance of
building strong and supportive
supervisorial relationships with
supervisees.
Instructor to provide
short preview of next
lesson on building a
strong and supportive
supervisorial relationship
with supervisees. Small
amount of bullet points
on PowerPoint slides will
be used to present this
information.
Instructor asks learners:
“Why is building a strong
and supportive
supervisorial relationship
with your supervisees
important?”
Learners will
read bullet
points on slide
and will listen to
instructor give
short preview.

Learners to
answer question
posed by
instructor
relating to why
it is important to
build a strong
and supportive
supervisorial
relationship with
supervisees.
Total Time 90
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Slide 1

What is Effective Clinical
Supervision?
Unit One

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Slide 2

Warm‐Up
Recall all of your experiences being
supervised by a clinical supervisor.
Think about experiences that you
considered good and those you
considered bad. Reflect on what
made those experiences good or
bad.
Warm up your brain (n.d)

Say: Read the prompt on the slide and write a short reflection answering it.

Discussion:
Ask learners to share reflection

Ask: Have others also observed or experienced situations being described by peers?

Say: Set a personal learning goal of what you would like to learn or have more knowledge of by
the end of this unit relating to effective clinical supervision.

Warm up your brain [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/childrens-
responsive-ichef-live/r/720/1x/cbbc/SSG_Warm_Your_Brain_Intro_Image.png.

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Slide 3

Learning Objectives
At the end of this unit, you will be able to demonstrate your ability in:
Explaining how
an example
represents the
four factors
Reflecting how
their idea of
clinical
supervision aligns
to the four
factors
Assessing their
level of
competency
regarding effective
clinical supervision
components

Say: We will be exploring the four factors that represent a supervisor’s commitment to effective
clinical supervision.

By the end of this unit, you will be able to demonstrate your ability in:
Animation 1: Explaining how an example represents the four factors by identifying two areas for
each factor per the rubric.
Animation 2: Reflecting how their idea of clinical supervision aligns to the four factors by
writing a four-sentence paragraph of their thoughts and sharing it with one peer.
Animation 3: Assessing their level of competency regarding effective clinical supervision
components using Falender et al.’s (2016) Supervisor Competency Self-Assessment.

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Slide 4

Benefits and Risks
Training (n.d)
Stressed (n.d)

There are many benefits of learning about effective clinical supervision practices

Animation 1- Benefits: learning and engaging in effective clinical supervision skills enhances
clinical supervision practice, enhances the learning of supervisees, and helps the supervisor avoid
harmful supervision practices.

Animation 2-Risks: not knowing or learning effective clinical supervision practices could lead to
harmful clinical supervision practices, ineffective supervisee learning, and could negatively
impact client care.

Training [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.smmcoc.org/wp-
content/uploads/2015/06/training.png.

Stressed [online image] (n.d.) Retrieved from
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02580/stressed_2580348b.jpg.

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Slide 5

Learning Activities
Meeting (n.d.) Group discussion (n.d.)
Training (n.d.)

Say: Our previous lesson was the course overview. Recall back to the two vignettes we reviewed
at the beginning of that lesson. One represented some skills that could be considered effective
and the other vignette illustrated a supervisor who lacked the skill to guide her supervisee. One
can say that the “bad” vignette demonstrated a supervisor who did not align with the four factors
that represent a commitment to effective clinical supervision.
We will be reviewing more about these four factors in this lesson.

Some of the learning activities we will engage in are:

Direct instruction covering the content for today, whole group and small group discussions, and a
group activity.

Before transitioning, ask:
“What are the values and attitudes that clinical supervisors should possess?”
“What components or clinical supervision can be considered ‘effective’?”

Training [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.trainingmagazine.ae/wp-
content/uploads/2015/03/training1.jpg

Meeting [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/593d37031b631b4d312c4452/t/59dd09aebce176985870ecc
9/1501731927567/.

Group discussion [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://cdn.htcampus.com/cmsmedia/uploads/files/top-10-steps-successful-group-discussion-gd-
1174/GDDDD.jpg

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Slide 6

Knowledge Review
Clinical supervision is: Clinical supervision is not:
• Aimed at developing the
supervisee
• Counseling for supervisee
• Associated to client protection • Counseling for the supervisor
• A practice that uses evidence to
determine competence
• Simple consultation
• A practice that encourages self‐
reflection
• Harmful to the wellbeing of the
supervisee
• A practice concerned with the
development of skill
• Harmful to the wellbeing of the
client

Before animation, ask: what is clinical supervision?

These are the things that supervision is and can be and what it is not and should not be.

This list I not exhaustive in nature but illustrates a few examples of what we believe clinical
supervision is.

Before this course, had you heard about the four factors that represent a supervisor’s
commitment to effective clinical supervision?

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Slide 7

Four
Superordinate
Factors
Integrity‐in‐
Relationship
Responsibilities
addressed
Holds boundaries
and free of
violations
Ethical, Value‐
Based Practice
Ethics and values
demonstrated
Appreciation for
Diversity
Inclusivity and
respect
Science‐Informed,
Evidenced‐Based
Practice
Use and teaching
of EBPs

Say: According to Falender and Shafranske, two experts in the area of clinical supervision, there
are four superordinate factors that represent the attitudes and values that align with effective
clinical supervision.
Animation: Integrity in relationship is twofold in that it identifies the supervisorial relationship
as one in which responsibilities are address (e.g., meeting with the supervisee regularly and for
the allotted time) and one that exemplifies appropriate boundaries (i.e. not harmful to the
supervisee)
Animation: Ethical, value-based practice in clinical supervision represents a relationship in
which the supervisor teaches and models ethical behavior and promotes values aligned with
guidelines, policies, and procedures
Animation: Appreciation for diversity is one in which the relationship demonstrates inclusivity
and respect towards all individuals, regardless of their background, values, and beliefs
Animation: science informed, evidence-based practice in clinical supervision means that the
supervisor is teaching and promoting practices that have empirical standing within research and
that are appropriate for clients being treated.

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Slide 8

Components of Effective Clinical Supervision
Metacompetence
Self‐Assessment
Reflection
Logic (n.d.)
Self‐Assessment (n.d.) Reflecting on reflection (n.d.)

Say: Now that we have talked about the superordinate factors that align with effective clinical
supervision, it is also important to discuss what the components of effective clinical supervision
are. As we discuss these components of effective clinical supervision practice, begin writing the
definitions of these concepts and other important notes on the Table of Effective Clinical
Supervision Components handout.

The first component is the grouping of matacompetence, self-assessment, and reflection. Clinical
supervision should include all of these components through the practice.
Metacompetence is an important concept which means that one is aware of what they do not
know (i.e. knowledge of the competencies we do not possess). Why would this be an important
quality to have?
Self-assessment refers to the ability to evaluate oneself and one’s abilities. This is connected to
metacompetence because through self-assessment, we are able to find out what we do not know.
Self-reflection is an important component for the supervisor and the supervisee. It allows for an
opportunity to think of one’s abilities and further areas of growth.

Logic [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.equalcourses.net/equal_moodle/pluginfile.php/159/course/overviewfiles/Logic2.png.

Self-assessment [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55d1f168e4b06ab7f697594c/t/577d81ff15d5db8cacf9a98c/
1467843076548/?format=500w.

Reflecting on reflecting [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.edutopia.org/sites/default/files/styles/share_image/public/cover_media/heick-
reflecting-on-reflection-460x345.png?itok=rZgEfSPZ.

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Slide 9

Components of Effective Clinical Supervision
• Working alliance
• Setting clear expectations
• Consideration of power differential
• Identifying and repairing strains
• Supervision contract
• Agreement between both parties
Working together (n.d.)

This is a topic that will be covered in the next unit but we will quickly discuss here.
The working alliance or the supervisorial relationship is an important component of effective
clinical supervision because it is through the working relationship that outcomes on a variety of
levels are produced.
Within the working alliance, the supervisor sets expectations of what will occur in the clinical
supervision process and what is expected of the supervisee. The supervisee should also hold
some expectations of the supervisor, such as having some level of competence and experience to
provide supervision to them.
The supervisor should also be considerate of the power differential between the supervisor and
supervisee as issues associated to this can contribute to strains in the relationship. In these
sensitive situations, the supervisor must be able to identify the strain and be able to repair it.

Supervision contracts are also important to establish in a working alliance. Contracts are usually
documents in which expectations of both parties are specified. We will discuss supervision
contracts in later units.

Working together [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://comarochronicle.co.za/wp-
content/uploads/sites/37/2016/03/Working-together.jpg.

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Slide 10

Components
of Effective
Clinical
Supervision
Performance
Supervisee performs
psychological service
Supervisee Self‐
assessment
Observation
Direct Observation
(live supervision
and/or review of
recorded sessions
Review of client
feedback
Reflection
Supervisor and
supervisee
individually and
together reflect on
observations
Feedback/Evaluation
Supervisor encourages
supervisee self‐
assessment and provides
formative evaluation/
feedback and summative
evaluation factoring in
client outcome
assessment
Planning
Identifies
interventions/proced
ures to be performed
Instruction and
experiential learning
activities
Falender and Shafranske (2017)

Say: This is the learning cycle which we will cover in more detail at in a later unit. For now,
simply read the components associated to the learning cycle

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Slide 11

Components of Effective Clinical Supervision
Inclusion and diversity (n.d.)

Say: Considerations for the diversity of our supervisees and the clients we serve should be
infused in all the work we do.
It is the task of the supervisor to continually challenge their assumptions surrounding others,
including their supervisee, and to continually work towards a higher level of competence in the
area of multiculturalism and diversity.

As supervisors, we can never believe that we are fully competent in this aspect of our work.
However, approaching situations with curiosity and respect often helps us to gain more
knowledge in the experience of others.

Due to the higher level of work experience we may have as compared to our supervisees, it may
be good approach to disclose this to our supervisee in an effort to open up a discussion about the
differences in experiences and to gain a better understanding of how they view different
situations.

Inclusion and diversity [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/images/2016/06/Diversity-Inclusion-
nz.jpg/jcr:content/renditions/cq5dam.web.512.99999.jpg.

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Slide 12

Components of Effective Clinical Supervision
Untitled (n.d.) Feedback loop (n.d.)

Say: Evaluation and feedback are also essential components of clinical supervision which will be
discussed in more detail in a later unit.
Evaluation and feedback is important within the learning process and for the development of the
supervisee. During the process of evaluating a supervisee, a supervisor should observe the
supervisee and also gather evidence from other sources to determine if a they have reach a level
of competence within the domain being evaluated.
After we evaluate, it is important to then provide feedback based on our evaluation. There are
various steps that one should consider when giving feedback, which we will cover in a later unit.

Untitled [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://smallbiztrends.com/wp-
content/uploads/2009/11/iStock_000007217639XSmall.jpg

Feedback loop [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://clickthruconsulting.com/wp-
content/uploads/2016/03/f-loop.png.

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Slide 13

Components of Effective Clinical Supervision
Self love (n.d.)

Say: Supervisors should not only be encouraging their supervisees to engage in self-care, but
they should be modeling it, as well.
Self-care is increasing important as providers have to balance the demands of their personal
lives, their workload, and the demands of working in organizations associated to managed care.
Burnout and compassion fatigue are also high-risk factors for those who do not engage in self-
care practices. We will be discussing in future units the effects of burnout and compassion
fatigue, as well as how supervisors can provide adequate support to their supervisees.

Supervisors should also assist their supervisees in managing and becoming aware of personal
factors that may get in the way of the treatment of their clients. Often, personal factors are
referred to as countertransference. However, personal factors involve other factors, in addition to
countertransference, that may impede a provider from providing sound or effective treatment to
clients.
End of lecture

Begin activity.

Self-love [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.83toinfinity.com/wp-
content/uploads/2013/01/selflove.jpg.

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Slide 14

Activity
• Primary Factors Worksheet
• Read vignette
• Analyze
• Find evidence of four factors
• Get into groups of 3
• Discuss evidence discovered
Meeting (n.d.)

Learners will participate in the analysis and development of explanation of how vignette
presented align to four primary factors.

Learners to participate in whole group discussion in which they will present explanations about
how vignette align to four primary factors.

Meeting [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/593d37031b631b4d312c4452/t/59dd09aebce176985870ecc
9/1501731927567/.

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Slide 15

Reflection
How do your attitudes and
values align with four
superordinate factors
discussed in today’s lesson?

Unit assessment

Instruct learners to read prompt and compose written reflection.

After learners compose reflection, ask each learner to share part of their reflection and how it’s
connected to their learning goal.

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Slide 16

Supervisor
Competency
Self‐Assessment

Say: Complete the self-assessment provided. Then, reflect to yourself about what the findings tell
you.

We will be taking this self-assessment at the end our training series and seeing how our results
have changed.

Ask: What is something that surprised you about your self-assessment results?

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Slide 17

Review
• Four superordinate factors
• Effective clinical supervision components
• Importance of knowing and using new knowledge

Say: In today’s lesson we covered the four superordinate factors that are associated to effective
clinical supervision. These factors are the attitudes that supervisors should strive for in their
practice as clinical supervisors.
We also discussed various components of effective clinical supervision. What are some of those
components?

This lesson provided the basics of clinical supervision. It is important to know the basics of
clinical supervision in order to then build and explore specific components. Learning the basics
helps to open the door to further acquisition knowledge and practice of new skills.

What are some of the reasons why you believe this is important information to know and use in
your practice as a supervisor?

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Slide 18

Next Unit
Clinical supervision (n.d.)

Say: As we learned in today’s lesson, one of the superordinate factors associated to clinical
supervision is integrity-in-relationship. A supervisor must be able to maintain integrity within
any working alliance with a supervisee. The working alliance is also an important component of
effective clinical supervision. After all, it is through this working alliance that most of the
therapeutic work is organized and planned for clients. We will be discussing the supervisorial
alliance/relationship in the next unit. This unit will also touch upon what to do when we need to
repair strains that have occurred within this relationship.

Clinical Supervision [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.drstreich.com/CMS/userfiles/images/Clinical-Supervision.jpg

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Slide 19

Question mark (n.d.)

Are there any questions about anything discussed thus far or anything that will be coming up in
the next unit?

Question mark [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://moziru.com/images/question-mark-
clipart-fancy-11.jpg

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Slide 20

References
• Falender . C. A. & Shafranske, E. P . (2017). Supervision essentials for the
practice of competency‐based supervision. Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association.
• Falender, C. A., & Shafranske, E. P . (2004). Clinical supervision: A
competency‐based approach. Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.

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Table of Effective Clinical Supervision Components
Metacompetence
Self-Assessment
Reflection

Relationship
Alliance

Supervision Contract

Learning Cycle

Multiculturalism
Diversity

Evaluation
Feedback

Self-Care

Personal Factors

Legal/Ethical
Standards

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Primary Factors Worksheet

Brad, a clinical supervisor at the local wellness center, recently established a training program
for marriage and family therapy trainees (i.e. graduate students) in an effort to provide much
needed mental health services access to their clients, some of whom suffered from mental illness.
During the planning phase of his training program, he establishes a regular supervision schedule
for all four trainees hired on. He ensures that he has brushed up on all regulations pertaining to
providing supervision to trainees, and he begins to arrange a basic schedule of when they will see
clients. He decides that it is also important to provide trainees with a binder of references to the
organization’s policies, procedures, professional law and ethical guidelines, and licensing
guidelines.
He realizes while preparing for other things relating to the training program that he must ensure
that the all practices the supervisees in this program will use align with HIPPA compliance. He
makes arrangements to meet with his organization’s quality assurance manager to review
necessary steps required to maintain compliance with HIPPA and ensure that all forms of
documentation and communication with clients follow suit.
During the hiring process, Brad reflected upon the diversity of the clients served at the wellness
center. He felt that trainees hired on should have knowledge about multicultural and diversity
issues. Furthermore, he decided to create a short training to further help them understand the
importance of diversity in their practice.
Brad recognized that it is important to also think about the interventions that will be most
effective with the wellness center’s clientele and the measuring of progress to determine
intervention effectiveness, while also ensuring sensitivity to diversity issues. Therefore, he
decides to teach his trainees various evidence-based practices and to help them use outcome
measures to monitor client treatment.

Superordinate Factor Evidence from Vignette
Integrity-in-Relationship

Ethical, Value-Based Practice

Appreciation of Diversity

Science-Informed, Evidence-Based Practice

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Instructor Answer Reference

Superordinate Factor Evidence from Vignette
Integrity-in-Relationship Supervision schedule
Gains knowledge about supervision
regulations
Arranges basic schedule for supervisees

Ethical, Value-Based Practice Creates binders with valuable information
Meets with QA manager
Mindful of HIPPA
Mindful of communication and documentation
practices

Appreciation of Diversity Creates diversity training
Considers diversity of clientele

Science-Informed, Evidence-Based Practice Will provide training on EB practices
Progress measuring with outcome measures

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Supervisor Competency Self-Assessment
This supervisor competency roadmap is intended to help you to identify both your strengths as a
supervisor as well as those areas in which you can develop greater supervisor competence
through continued professional learning and practice. Please rate each item using the scale
below.
How characteristic of your own behavior is this competency description?
Not at all/slightly Somewhat Moderately Mostly Very
0 1 2 3 4
Domain A – Supervisor competence
1. I’m competent in the areas of clinical practice that I supervise. When I
supervise a case outside my area of expertise, I work to develop my
own knowledge, skills, and attitudes in this new area.
K/S/A
2. I’m committed to learning more and getting better at providing supervision. K/S/A
3. I communicate and coordinate with colleagues who are also involved in the
training of my supervisee.
S
4. I learn about the diversity of populations and settings that my supervisees
encounter.
K
5. When (if) I employ technology in the supervisions that I conduct, I’m
competent in its use
K/S
Domain B – Diversity
6. I pay attention to my own diversity competence, strive to keep my knowledge,
skills, and attitudes up in this area of practice, and serve as a good role model
of a self-aware psychologist vis-à-vis diversity issues.
K/S/A
7. I make efforts to be sensitive to individual differences and diversity in the
interest of establishing positive relationships with all of my supervisees,
inclusive of their background or individual characteristics.
K/S/A
8. I pursue learning opportunities that increase my competence in diversity. K
9. I ‘m knowledgeable about the effects of bias, prejudice, stereotyping, and other
forms of institutional or structural discrimination that may impact my
supervisees and/or their clients/patients.
K
10. I’m familiar with the literature regarding the impact of diversity in
supervision, including the importance of navigating conflicts between personal
values and professional practice in the supervision of supervisees (e.g.,
assisting a client/patient with an issue that conflicts with one’s religious
beliefs).
K/S
Domain C – Supervisory relationship
11. I create and maintain a collaborative relationship with my supervisees. K/S/A
12. At the outset of a new supervisory relationship with a supervisee, I discuss the
responsibilities and expectations for each of us.
S
13. I regularly revisit the progress of supervision with my supervisee, the
effectiveness of our relationship, and address characteristic interpersonal
styles that may affect the supervisory relationship and process.
S
Domain D – Professionalism
14. I’m professional in my interactions with supervisees, and help them learn how
to similarly conduct themselves as professionals.
S
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

15. I provide my supervisees with on-going (e.g., formative) as well as summative
feedback about their progress in developing professional behavior.
S
Domain E – Providing assessment, evaluation & feedback
16. I am straightforward and sensitive in providing feedback that is linked to the
supervisee’s learning goals.
S
17. I’m careful to observe and monitor my supervisee’s clinical performance, so
that my evaluation is based on accurate information.
S
18. My feedback is clear, direct and timely. It is behaviorally-anchored so that my
supervisees know explicitly what they do well and how they could improve. I
monitor the impact of my feedback on our relationship.
S
19. I help my own supervisees to get better at accurate self-assessment and
incorporate their self-assessment in my evaluation of them.
S
20. I seek feedback from my supervisees about the quality of supervision I
provide to them and use it to improve my own competence as a supervisor.
K/S
21. When dealing with supervisee performance problems, I address them directly
and in accordance with relevant policies and procedures of my setting,
institution and jurisdiction.
S
Domain F – Managing professional competence problems
22. If I see a performance problem, I identify and address it promptly with my
supervisee, so that they have reasonable time to improve.
S
23. I am able to develop and implement a formal remediation plan to address
performance problems.
S
24. I understand that supervisors have an obligation to protect the public from
harmful actions by supervisees, and take seriously my role as a gatekeeper to
the profession
.
K/S/A

Domain G – Ethics, legal and regulatory considerations
25. I serve as a positive role model to my supervisees by conducting myself in
accordance with professional standards, ethics and laws related to the practice
of psychology.
K/S/A
26. My primary obligation as a supervisor is to protect the welfare of my
supervisee’s clients. This remains at the forefront of my supervision.
K/A
27. I provide clear information to my supervisees about what is expected of them
in supervision.
K/S
28. I maintain timely and accurate documentation of my supervisee’s
performance.
S
Note. K = knowledge, S = skill, A = attitude
Scoring: Now that you’ve completed this self-assessment, please take a quick scan at the lowest-rated
items. These are areas in which you can focus (and model) your own competency development. If you
find that low rated items cluster in any particular domain, you might consider directed reading, peer
consultation and/or continuing education in this area.
Source: Falender, C. A., Grus, C., McCutcheon, S., D., Goodyear, R., Ellis, M. V., Doll, B., Miville, M., Rey-
Casserly, C., & Kaslow, N. (2016). Guidelines for clinical supervision in health service psychology: Evidence and
implementation strategies. Psychotherapy Bulletin, 51(3), 6-18.

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Appendix F
Unit Two Lesson Plan and Associated Materials-
How do you Build a Strong and Supportive Supervisorial Relationship with Your
Supervisees?

Unit Duration: 90 minutes

Introduction: This is the second unit of this eight-unit course which will enhance learners’ knowledge about the
importance of a strong supervisorial relationship. The purpose of this unit is to teach you how to build a strong and
supportive clinical supervisorial relationship with your supervisees.

Learning Objective(s)
Terminal Objectives:
● Given components associated to alliance formation, learners will demonstrate their ability to engage in a
conversation with a supervisee that reflects the use of all the alliance formation components by receiving at
least a 70% on the self and instructor feedback rating scale.
● Given the steps to repair a strain the supervisorial alliance, learners will demonstrate their ability to execute
the steps during a role play by obtaining at least a 70% on the self and instructor feedback rating scale.
● Given the explanation of the power differential in clinical supervision, learners will reflect upon how their
position of authority impacts the establishment and the maintenance of clinical supervisorial relationship by
writing a paragraph identifying two ways in which this occurs in their clinical supervisor relationships.

Enabling Objective(s):
● Knowledge of effective clinical supervision.
● Ability to work with peers in small group.
● Ability to form short statements or conversations in writing.
● Ability to role play a conversation with a peer.
● Ability to provide feedback to a peer using a rating scale.
● Know what a strained supervisorial relationship is.
● Ability to engage in whole class activity.
● Ability to reflect by writing short paragraph answering a prompt.
● Know of what Google Classroom is and how to access it.

Lesson Materials
● Unit Two presentation slides
● Google Classroom Guide
● Feedback Forms
● Alliance Formation Worksheet
● Blank writing paper

Learner Characteristic Accommodations
This course will be taken live with an instructor present. The last written reflection will be completed on Google
Classroom. Learners to be provided with guide on how to access this portal.

Facilitator’s Notes
This is a live, in-person course which includes the requirement to access the Google Classroom portal after session
time. The instructor should ensure that learners are provided with practice and timely feedback. See the table below
for specific Instructor Action/Decision (Supplantive events of instruction).

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Instructional Activities
Instructional
Sequence
Time
(mins)
Description of the
Learning Activity
Instructor
Action/Decision
(Supplantive)
Learner
Action/
Decision
(Generative)
Gain
Attention
2 Prompt on the board which states:
Think back to a positive experience of
being supervised by a clinical
supervisor. Reflect upon how
important the working relationship
you had with this professional was to
you and your professional growth at
that point in your career. Use prompt
to gain learners’ attention and to begin
thinking about supervisorial
relationships.
Instructor to guide
learners to read prompt
and reflect in their minds.

Ask learners to share
reflection with the person
next to them.

After, initiate whole
group discussion and ask
learners to share themes
that emerged within their
discussions.

Ask learners to set
personal learning goal for
this unit.
Learners will
reflect upon the
importance of
supervisory
relationships
experienced
earlier in their
career.

Learners to set
a personal goal
for this unit and
to think about
how it will help
them achieve
their personal
course goal
established
during the
course
overview
lesson.
Learning
Objectives
1 Learning objectives are presented
visually on PowerPoint slide.
Instructor visually shares
learning objective with
learners and answers
questions if asked.
Learners to read
learning
objectives from
projected
PowerPoint
slide and ask
any questions if
they arise.
Reasons for
Learning
- Benefits
- Risks
1 Benefits: learning about and being
able to form strong and supportive
supervisorial relationships with
supervisees and to repair strained
relationships is an essential component
to effective clinical supervision.

Risks: not knowing or learning about
how to form strong and supportive
supervisorial relationships can impact
the effectiveness of the supervision
that clinical supervisors provide which
in turn, will influence supervisees’
clinical practice and client care.
Instructor verbally
communicates both
benefits and risks of
learning and developing
the ability to form strong
and supportive
supervisorial relationships
and repair strained
supervisorial
relationships.

Visual images will be
used to illustrate risk and
benefits on a PowerPoint
slide.
Learners view
images of risk
and benefits.
Furthermore,
they will listen
to the instructor
explaining risk
and benefits.
Overview
- Prior
Knowledge
- New
Knowledge
2 Previous lesson covered material
about the four primary factors
representing a commitment to
effective clinical supervision in
addition to the components of
effective clinical supervision.
Instructor to verbalize
connection between
knowledge to be gained
from this lesson and
components of effective
clinical supervision.
Learners to
listen to
instructor draw
connections
between
previous lesson
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

- Learning
Strategies

(What you
already
know...what
you are going
to learn...and
how you are
going to learn
it.)

Instructor explains
learning activities
including lecture, small
group activities, role
plays, and the opportunity
to provide and receive
feedback.

Learning activities will be
briefly summarized on
PowerPoint slide.

Instructor to use guiding
question: “What makes a
supervisorial relationship
good and effective?”
and current
lesson.

Learners to
follow along on
PowerPoint
slide and
instructor
during
explanation of
learning
activities.

Learners to
answer guiding
questions
verbally.
Prerequisite
Knowledge
4 Briefly define what a clinical
supervisorial relationship is.

Assess prior knowledge about the
components of alliance formation
within supervision, ways to repair a
strained supervisorial relationship and
power differential between supervisors
and supervisees.

Assess prior knowledge regarding use
of Google Classroom.

Instructor to ask learners
to briefly explain
components of alliance
formation, repairing
strained supervisorial
relationships, and power
differential between
supervisors and
supervisees and to
facilitate discussion
surrounding these topics.

Instructor to explain to
learners that Google
Classroom will be used as
a portal to post completed
reflections at the end of
each unit.

Instructor to provide
learners with a guide on
how to access and use
Google Classroom where
the will post reflections
for this and all remaining
units.
Learners to
engage with
instructor in
discussion
about
components of
alliance
formation and
repairing
strained
supervisorial
relationships.

Learners to
briefly and
independently
review guide on
how to access
Google
Classroom and
ask instructors
questions as
needed.
Learning
Guidance
- Lecture
- Demo.
15 Provide direct instruction on the major
components of alliance formation,
power differential factors in clinical
supervision, and the steps to repair a
strained supervisorial relationship
using PowerPoint slides.

Modeling of the incorporation of
alliance formation components and
steps to repair strained supervisorial
relationships.

Explanation of Feedback From.
Through PowerPoint
slides incorporating audio
and visual representations
of information, instructor
to provide direct
instruction on the major
components of alliance
formation, power
differential factors in
clinical supervision, and
the steps to repair a
strained supervisorial
relationship.
Learners to
listen intently to
instruction
about the major
components of
alliance
formation,
power
differential
factors in
clinical
supervision, and
the steps to
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Instructor to model a
conversation with a
supervisee which
incorporates components
associated to alliance
formation.

Instructor to model the
use of the steps to repair a
strained supervisorial
relationship.

Instructor to model
reflection of his/her
performance after each
role play.

repair a strained
supervisorial
relationship.

Learners to take
notes and ask
questions
relating to
material as
needed.

Learners to
observe
instructor
modeling
conversation
with supervisee
that
incorporates
components
associated to
alliance
formation, steps
to repair a
strained
supervisorial
relationship,
and the use of
feedback rating
scale.
Practice and
Feedback
50 Prompt asking learners to create and
write down statements or small
conversations they would use with
supervisees, incorporating alliance
formation components using Alliance
Formation Worksheet.

Role play of conversation with
supervisee exemplifying alliance
formation.

Role plays of steps to repair strains in
supervisorial relationship will also be
conducted.

Instructor to explain all
activities that will be used
for practice including the
formulation and role play
of conversation with
supervisee exemplifying
alliance formation and
role play of steps to repair
strained supervisorial
relationship.

Instructor ask each learner
to briefly reflect on how
role play went and to
provide feedback verbally
and on paper rating scale
for each role play that is
practiced.

Additional practice and
explanation will be given
if learner’s role plays do
not exemplify content
covered in lesson.
Learners to
engage in both
role plays with
a peer in front
of group.

Learners to
briefly reflect
on their
performance by
completing self-
rating scale.

Learners to
observe other
learners’ role
play.
Learners will
acknowledge
feedback
provided by
instructor and
other students
and will re-
engage in role
playing
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

components
that require
correction.
Authentic
Assessment
5 Prompt: Reflect on how the role plays
went and what areas you feel you will
need to improve upon. Assess your
learning against the goal you
established at the beginning of the
unit.

Instructor to provide
explanation about
assessment and will direct
learners to journal
reflection.
Learners to
compose and
write short one-
paragraph
reflection
answering
prompt.
Retention
and Transfer
5 Opportunities for retention and
transfer of information to be provided
in order to reinforce learning.

Sharing of reflection associated to
engaging in the process of role playing
components of alliance formation and
steps to repair strained supervisorial
relationship, reflecting on areas they
may need to improve upon, as well as
reflecting on goal established at the
beginning of unit.

Instructor to ask each
learner to share a quick
summary of their
reflection and to make
connections between what
they journaled to the
personal learning goal
established at the
beginning of this unit and
at the beginning of the
course.
Learners to
share a quick
summary of
their reflection
and to make a
connection
between their
reflection and
their personal
learning goal
established at
the beginning of
unit and during
the Course
Overview.
Big Ideas

2 Review and re-motivate: review major
ideas associated to components of
alliance formation, power differential,
and steps to repair strained
supervisorial relationship.

Re-state importance of having and
using knowledge presented.
Instructor to provide brief
review of information
covered in this lesson
using a PowerPoint slide
highlighting the big ideas.

Instructor to ask learners
to share why they believe
this information is
important to know and
use in their practice as
clinical supervisors.
Learners to
listen to
instructor
provide brief
review.

Each learner to
discuss one
reason why the
information is
important to
know and use in
their practice as
clinical
supervisors.
Advance
Organizer for
the Next Unit
3 Connect components of alliance
formation and steps to repairing
strained supervisorial relationship to
establishing a clinical supervisor
contract: Supervisorial contracts are a
major component of forming a
supervisorial alliance that maintains
clear expectations of both supervisor
and supervisee.

Provide the following reflection
prompt to be answered in Google
Classroom outside of instruction time
between Unit 2 and Unit 3: How does
your position of authority impact the
Instructor to provide short
preview of next lesson on
establishing a
supervisorial contract.
Small amount of bullet
points on PowerPoint
slides will be used to
present this information.

Instructor to explain
prompt to learners and ask
learners to reference
Google Classroom guide
in order to understand
where to post reflection.
Learners will
read bullet
points on slide
and will listen
to instructor
give short
preview.

Learners to
access Google
Classroom
outside of
session and
answer prompt
provided.
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establishment and maintenance of
your clinical supervisorial
relationship with supervisees?
Total Time 90

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Slide 1

How do you Build a Strong
Supervisorial Relationship with your
Supervisee?
Unit Two

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Slide 2

Warm‐Up
Think back to a positive experience
of being supervised by a clinical
supervisor. Reflect upon how
important the working relationship
you had with this professional was
to you and your professional
growth at that point in your
career.
Warm up your brain (n.d)

Say: Read the prompt on the slide and write a short reflection answering it.

Ask learners to get into small groups and discuss reflection

Bring back whole group and ask:
What were some of the major themes that emerged from reflections shared in the group?

Say: Set a personal learning goal of what you would like to learn or have more knowledge of by
the end of this unit relating to effective clinical supervision.

Warm up your brain [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/childrens-
responsive-ichef-live/r/720/1x/cbbc/SSG_Warm_Your_Brain_Intro_Image.png.

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Slide 3

Learning Objectives
At the end of this unit, you will be able to demonstrate your ability in:
Engaging in
alliance
formation
conversation
Executing steps
to repair strain in
supervisorial
relationship
Reflecting on how
your position of
authority impacts
supervisorial
relationship

Say: This lesson will primarily focus on the supervisorial relationship and alliance

By the end of this unit, you will be able to demonstrate your ability in:
Animation 1: Demonstrating your ability to engage in a conversation with a supervisee that
reflects the use of alliance formation components.
Animation 2: Executing the steps to repair a strain in the supervisorial relationship
Animation 3: Reflecting on how your position of authority impacts the establishment and
maintenance of the supervisorial relationship.

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Slide 4

Benefits and Risks
Working together (n.d.)
Angry man pointing at colleague (n.d.)

There are many benefits of learning about effective clinical supervision practices

Animation 1- Benefits: learning about and being able to form strong and supportive supervisorial
relationships with your supervisees and to repair strained relationships is an essential component
to effective clinical supervision.

Animation 2-Risks: not knowing or learning about how to form strong and supportive
supervisorial relationships can impact the effectiveness of the supervision that clinical
supervisors provide which in turn, will influence supervisees’ clinical practice and client care.

Working together [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://comarochronicle.co.za/wp-
content/uploads/sites/37/2016/03/Working-together.jpg

Angry man pointing at colleague [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved at
https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Angry-man-pointing-at-his-
colleague.jpg

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Slide 5

Learning Activities
Meeting (n.d.) Training (n.d.)
Role plays (n.d.)

Say: Our previous lesson covered the four superordinate factors in of clinical supervision and
various components of effective clinical supervision. This lesson will be exploring the
supervisorial relationship or alliance which is an important component associated to the
“integrity-in-relationship” factor and which is also an important component of effective clinical
supervision.

Say: Some of the learning activities we will engage in are: Direct instruction covering the
content for today, a small group activity, and the opportunity to role play all surrounding the
topic of the clinical supervisorial alliance.

Before transitioning, ask: What makes a supervisorial relationship good and effective?

Training [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.trainingmagazine.ae/wp-
content/uploads/2015/03/training1.jpg

Meeting [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/593d37031b631b4d312c4452/t/59dd09aebce176985870ecc
9/1501731927567/.

Role plays [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://improaustralia.com.au/wp-
content/uploads/2016/06/role-play-image-aqua.jpg

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Slide 6

Knowledge Review
• What should a supervisorial relationship look like?
• What do you do when the supervisorial relationship is
strained?
• What about the power differential?

Say: Many, if not all of us have been previously supervised by a supervisor in a counseling
setting. However, I’m wondering when we think about the concept of a supervisorial
relationship, what should that relationship look like? What does it consist of?
What do we do when something bad has happened in the working relationship?
How do we consider the difference in power between us and our supervisee?

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Slide 7

Google
Classroom

Say: Before we move on to our lesson, I would like to discuss an important component of our
course. Reflection is a big component of our learning. We have already started to engage in
reflection from the beginning of this course. However, I also want to ensure that you are all
thinking about these essential topics of supervision when we are outside of the trainings. This is
why I will be asking you to complete a written reflection at the end of each unit from now until
our course is complete. You will be submitting your reflections through Google Classrooms.

Review Google Classroom Guide

Say: Please reference the guide if you run into trouble accessing and finding the prompts.

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Slide 8

Supervision
Alliance
Supervision
Alliance
Integrative
Variable
Directly
Impacts
Supervision
Calls Upon CS
Interpersonal
Strengths

Say: We will begin by discussing the supervision alliance. The supervision working alliance or
relationship is an essential component of clinical supervision. It serves as an (animation) integral
variable that is essential to take into consideration at the beginning of a working relationship.
This element of clinical supervision (animation)directly impacts the process and outcomes of
clinical supervision (animation) calls upon the abilities and strengths of the clinical supervisor
who should lead the way in establishing the relationship.

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Slide 9

Alliance
Formation
Components
Warmth
Empathy
Expertise
Setting Clear Expectations

Say: The supervisor must call upon the knowledge, strengths, and skills they possess to form a
relationship with others. When we establish a working alliance with a client, we use also similar
components.

In a similar fashion, we should demonstrate warmth and interest to our supervisee when we are
initiating an alliance. We should empathize with them at all times on top of when they experience
situations that are difficult early in their careers. In addition, we should use our expertise in the
field to teach them skills and concepts that are essential to their practice.
Lastly, it is important that within the setup of a working alliance, a supervisor must also clearly
explain expectations of each roles. This is often done through a supervisorial contract, which will
be covered in more detail in the following unit.

What other components are important to the working alliance?

Instructor to model statements reflecting each of the four components

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Slide 10

Power Differential
• Balance of PD and
establishment of alliance
• Supervisor privilege
• Multicultural
considerations
• Demonstrate curiosity,
reflection, openness
Navigating the power differential (n.d.)

Say: When forming a supervisorial alliance, the supervisor must remember to balance the power
differential between them and the supervisee. We must be mindful that being in the position of
supervisor means that you may also be in a position of privilege by having more experience,
perhaps more education. This is why it’s important to consider the multicultural aspects of each
person in the relationship. By multicultural, I’m referring to the roles each possess such as being
a supervisor, being a supervisee, being a new therapist, being an experienced or unexperienced
professional, being male or female, etc.

Falender and Shafranske recommend that supervisors approach the power differential issues in
the relationship with curiosity, a lot of reflection, and openness to learn about your supervisee’s
experience.

Navigating the power differential [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.apa.org/Images/2016-01-power_tcm7-195745.jpg.

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Slide 11

Relationship Strains
Putting the pieces together(n.d.)

Say: At some point in our careers as supervisors, we may face strains in the supervisorial
relationship with our supervisees. These strains may come as a result of many reasons including
disagreements on goals, disagreements on approaches to treatment, poor interpersonal skills, a
lack of consideration for issues of diversity and multiculturalism. In the worst-case scenarios,
strains erupt due to unethical behavior or the crossing of boundaries.

Supervisees often do not communicate to the supervisor that there is something wrong in the
relationship. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the supervisor to be continually mindful of
changes in the relationship and to attempt to repair the strain before it’s too late.

Putting the pieces together [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-
kWqPBXMeTxA/UZAAS-aopaI/AAAAAAAACPM/fHs24GTTQo0/s1600/iPuzzle-pieces.jpg

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Slide 12

Repairing Strains in Supervisorial Relationships
Wait for
strain to self
repair
Reflect on
contribution
Acknowledge
contributions
Encourage
exploration
Reflect on
behavior
change

Say: These are the steps that can help you to repair a strained working alliance with a supervisee.
At the beginning of a strain or rapture, (animation) the supervisor should allow the problem to
repair itself. A lot of the time, the supervisee develops another perspective on the situation or is
able to confront the supervisor with the issue. However, if the problem does not resolve itself,
(animation) the supervisor should self-reflect on how they have contributed to the strain and
should acknowledge their contribution to the supervisee. (animation)The supervisor should then
encourage a healthy level of expiration of the strain. However, often, the supervisee may not
wish to acknowledge a problem in the relationship. If this occurs, (animation) the supervisor
should then reflect on the change they have observed within the relationship.
This process should be reflective in nature. The supervisee should not be pushed to engage in this
process if they are uncomfortable as this may cause a bigger strain in the relationship.

Instructor to model these steps with a volunteer (who will pay supervisee). Supervisee to act like
they do not want to talk about strain.

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Slide 13

Feedback

Say: As part of some of our practice activities, you will be reflecting on your performance of the
skill using a self-feedback rating scale.

Explain Feedback Form to learners.

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Slide 14

Activity
• Complete Alliance Formation
Worksheet
• Create statements for each
component
• Role play alliance formation
• Use statements you created
• Role play repairing strain in
relationship
• Use steps outlined in previous
slide
Meeting (n.d.)

Say: Before we move on to our role plays, I would like you to think about and write out some
statements you would use to form a supervisorial relationship that reflect the four components
previously discussed. Look at the Alliance Formation Worksheet and write in your statements
there.
After you have all individually finished this worksheet and briefly discussed it with a partner,
you will each get the opportunity to role play the alliance formation with a supervisee using the
statements you created and also how to repair a strain in the relationship using the steps we
talked about earlier.

I will be proving you with feedback along with your peers.

Meeting [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/593d37031b631b4d312c4452/t/59dd09aebce176985870ecc
9/1501731927567/.

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Slide 15

Reflection
Reflect on how your role plays
went and what areas you feel you
will need to improve upon. Assess
your learning against the goal
you established at the beginning
of the unit.

Unit assessment

Instruct learners to read prompt and compose written reflection.

After learners compose reflection, ask each learner to share part of their reflection and how it’s
connected to their learning goal.

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Slide 16

Review
Alliance
Formation
Power
Differential
Repairing
Strains

Say: Today we covered components of alliance formation, issues associated to the power
differential between a supervisor and supervisee, and how to repair relationship strains. The
formation of a working alliance with a supervisee is an essential component of clinical
supervision because it is through this alliance that a lot of work is done. Supervisors would be
mindful of the differences is status and power in the relationship. Often, a lack of awareness of
the differences leads to strains in the relationship. It is important to attempt to repair those
strains, but not push or make our supervisees uncomfortable in the process.

What are some of the reasons why you believe these are important components to know and use
in your practice as a supervisor?

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Slide 17

Next Unit
Contract (n.d.)

Say: Our next unit will cover supervisorial contracts. We briefly mentioned this in today’s
lesson, but our next lesson will help you to dive deeper and gain more understanding of what
these contracts are and what components they should incorporate. Contracts heavily tied to the
working alliance, as it is often through the contract that a supervisor is able to concretely identify
the expectations of each role in the relationship.

Contract [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://commettelaw.com/wp-
content/uploads/2017/04/Contract-Law-Ft-Lauderdale-Florida.jpg.

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Slide 18

Reflection Homework
How does your position of
authority impact the the
establishment and maintenance of
your clinical supervisorial
relationship with supervisees?

Say: Log on to Google Classroom and complete reflection. This reflection should be at least four
sentences in length but can be longer if desired. Please reference the Google Classroom Guide if
you have any questions about accessing the assignment.

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Slide 19

Question mark (n.d.)

Are there any questions about anything discussed thus far or anything that will be coming up in
the next unit?

Question mark [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://moziru.com/images/question-mark-
clipart-fancy-11.jpg

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Slide 20

References
• Falender . C. A. & Shafranske, E. P . (2017). Supervision essentials for the
practice of competency‐based supervision. Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association.
• Falender, C. A., & Shafranske, E. P . (2004). Clinical supervision: A
competency‐based approach. Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.

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Google Classroom Guide
Introduction
Google Classrooms is the online portal which will be used for this course. Google Classroom
allows you to communicate with your instructor and to view assigned reflection prompts posted
after the completion of each unit. Please follow the following steps to access Google Classroom
and to learn how to create and submit your written reflection.

Step One
Go to classrooms.google.com
The first time you log into the site, you will be asked your role. Choose the student option as
your role.

Step Two
Once you are logged in and you have selected student as your role, click the plus sign on the top
right hand-side and select Join Class.

Step Three
You will be prompted to provide a class code. Type in the code found below and press Join.

yv12zqn
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Step Four
Once you type in the code to join a class, you will be able to view the Stream page which serves
as the home page of our class. This is also where you will see the unit reflections assigned to
you.
In order to complete an assigned reflection, select Open next to the reflection assignment posted.

Step Five
You will be taken to the assignment page. Click on Create and select Docs to open a Google
Doc.

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Step Six
A Google Doc should open in a separate screen. If this does not occur, click on document that
has attached itself to the page

Step Seven
Once the Google Doc has opened in another screen, compose your reflection as instructed by the
prompt.

Step Eight
Once you have completed your written reflection, close your Google Doc and return to the
Google Classroom assignment page.

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Step Nine
Once you have returned to the assignment page in Google Classroom, click on Turn In.

You will be prompted to select Turn two times.

Step Ten
Verify that you have your assignment is marked as Done. Close window.

You are done with the assignment.

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Feedback Form (Instructor)

Unit Number: Date:

Primary Leaner’s Name:

Rate the following using the rating scale below:
Not at all Somewhat Extremely Well
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Learner demonstrated the ability to produce a
role play that reflected the scope of the
prompt

Not at all Extremely well

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Learner demonstrated ability to follow all
steps of concept outlined in the prompt

Not at all Extremely well

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Learner demonstrated ability to adapt to
unexpected challenges that may have arose in
role play

Not at all Extremely well

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comments:

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Feedback Form (Learner)

Unit Number: Date:

Leaner’s Name:

Rate the following using the rating scale below:
Not at all Somewhat Extremely Well
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

How well do you believe you were able to
produce a role play that reflected the scope of
the prompt?

Not at all Extremely well

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

How well do you believe you were able to
follow all steps of concept outlined in the
prompt?

Not at all Extremely well

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
How well do you believe you were able to
adapt to unexpected challenges that may have
arose in role play?

Not at all Extremely well

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comments:

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Alliance Formation Worksheet
Using a past experience or a scenario of choice, develop statements or short conversations
relating to each alliance formation component.
Scenario:

Alliance Formation Component Statement
Warmth

Empathy

Expertise

Setting Expectations

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Worked Example
Scenario: New counselor joins team. Has experience working with clients with mental illness
and intellectual disabilities
Alliance Formation Component Statement
Warmth
“Based on your previous experiences working
with clients, I believe you will be able to help
our clients here too. I would love to hear
about your experiences treating clients with
intellectual disabilities. It takes a lot strength
to work with client’s experiencing mental
illness and intellectual disability combined.
You will be a great asset to our team”
Empathy
“I have worked with client similar to the ones
you are describing. I can imagine that you
have experience gratification from working
with such a tough population. Often, it is
unnerving not seeing faster progress in our
clients with co-morbid disabilities. However,
I know that you have the capabilities to be
patient and continue working hard with your
clients.”
Expertise
“I believe that I may be able to assist you with
your clients as I too have worked with this
population over the span of my career and
have found some specific interventions to be
helpful.”
Setting Expectations
“Since we are beginning to work with each
other, this is a great time to discuss what you
can expect from me and what I expect from
you. A major component of the supervision
style that I adhere to is reflection. This is why
I encourage a lot of reflection about your
work during our supervision meetings.”

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Appendix G
Unit Three Lesson Plan and Associated Materials-
Establishing a Clinical Supervision Contract

Unit Duration: 90 minutes

Introduction: This is the third unit of this eight-unit course which will add to learners’ knowledge about
supervisorial contracts. The purpose of this unit is to teach you the purpose of and essential components of a
supervisorial contract.

Learning Objective(s)
Terminal Objective:
● When given two examples of clinical supervision contracts, learners will identify the contract that
incorporates the most important components according to best practice with 100% accuracy.
● Given an example of a clinical supervisor contract, learners will demonstrate their ability in communicating
the purpose and information contained in the contract in a role play with a peer by receiving at least a 70%
on the self and instructor feedback rating scale.
● Given an explanation of the importance of establishing a clinical supervision contract with a supervisee,
learners will reflect on their experience using a contract and their level of motivation to use one in clinical
supervision in a written paragraph at least four sentences long.
Enabling Objective(s):
● Know what a clinical supervision contract is.
● Ability to read and critique a clinical supervision contract.
● Ability to role play with a peer.
● Ability to provide feedback to a peer using a rating scale.
● Ability to reflect by writing short paragraph answering a prompt.
● Ability to use a computer and access the internet.
● Ability to follow step by step directions using a job aid.
● Know what Google Classroom is and how to access it.

Lesson Materials
● Presentation slides
● Google Classroom Guide-As needed
● Supervisor Contract Handouts-Part One and Two
● Feedback Form-see Unit Two materials
● Blank writing paper

Learner Characteristic Accommodations
This course will be taken live with an instructor present. The last written reflection will be completed on Google
Classroom. Learners to be provided with guide on how to access this portal.

Facilitator’s Notes
This is a live, in-person course which includes the requirement to access the Google Classroom portal after session
time. The instructor should ensure that learners are provided with practice and timely feedback. See the table below
for specific Instructor Action/Decision (Supplantive events of instruction).

Instructional Activities
Instructional
Sequence
Time
(mins)
Description of the
Learning Activity
Instructor
Action/Decision
(Supplantive)
Learner
Action/
Decision
(Generative)
Gain
Attention
2 Prompt on the board stating:
Think back to your experiences
participating in clinical supervision.
Did your supervisors establish a
Instructor to guide
learners to read prompt
and reflect in their minds.

Learners will
reflect upon
their previous
experiences of
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

supervisorial contract with you and if
so, what did this process consist of?
Use prompt to gain learners’ attention
and to begin thinking about
supervisorial relationships.
Ask learners to share past
experiences with a
partner.

Facilitate whole group
discussion by asking
learners to share themes
that emerged within their
conversations.

Ask learners to set
personal learning goal for
this unit.

supervisors
using
supervisorial
contracts (from
here on referred
to as contracts).

Learners to set a
personal goal
for this unit and
to think about
how it will help
them achieve
their personal
course goal
established
during the
course overview
lesson.
Learning
Objectives
1 Learning objectives are presented
visually on PowerPoint slide.
Instructor visually shares
learning objective with
learners and answers
questions if asked.

Learners to read
learning
objectives from
projected
PowerPoint
slide and ask
any questions if
they arise.
Reasons for
Learning
- Benefits
- Risks
1 Benefits: learning about and being
able to establish a contract with a
supervisee helps support a
supervisorial relationship in which
both supervisor and supervisee
understand the expectations placed on
each in the working relationship.

Risk: not knowing or learning about
the best practices in contracts and how
to establish one with a supervisee
allows for the creation of a working
relationship that lacks clarity about
expectations and roles.
Instructor verbally
communicates both
benefits of and risks of
not learning about and
establishing a contract
with a supervisee.

Visual images will be
used to illustrate risk and
benefits on a PowerPoint
slide.

Learners view
images of risk
and benefits.
Furthermore,
they will listen
to the instructor
explaining risk
and benefits
Overview
- Prior
Knowledge
- New
Knowledge
- Learning
Strategies

(What you
already
know...what
you are going
to learn...and
how you are
2 Previous lesson covered how to
establish and support a supervisorial
relationship and how to repair a
strained supervisorial relationship,
along with the consideration of the
power differential represented in a
supervisory relationship. Contracts
help supervisors to formalize a
working alliance with a supervisee.
Instructor to verbalize
connection between
strong and supportive
supervisory relationships
and establishing a
contract with a
supervisee.

Instructor explains
learning activities
including lecture, small
group activities, role
plays, the opportunity to
provide and receive
feedback.
Learners to
listen to
instructor draw
connections
between
previous lesson
and current
lesson.

Learners to
follow along on
PowerPoint
slide and
instructor
during
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

going to learn
it.)

Learning activities will be
briefly summarized on
PowerPoint slide.

Instructor to use guiding
question: “How does
establishing a contract
with a supervisee
strengthen the working
relationship?”
explanation of
learning
activities.

Prerequisite
Knowledge
4 Brief explanation of what a contract is.

Assess prior knowledge about
contracts and contract usage by
learners.

Assess for issues learners may have
experienced in accessing Google
Classroom.

Instructor to briefly ask
learners to explain their
current understanding of
what a contract is.

Instructor to reference
guide explains how to
access and use Google
Classroom if learners
continue to experience
difficulties with online
portal.
Learners to
engage in
discussion with
instructor about
contracts.

Learners to
reference
Google
Classroom
guide if needed.
Learning
Guidance
- Lecture
- Demo.
15 Provide direct instruction on the major
components of best practices in
contracts and how to establish a
contract with a supervisee using
PowerPoint slides enhanced to help
learners balance visual and auditory
channels, decreasing cognitive load
during the presentation.
Through PowerPoint
slides incorporating audio
and visual representations
of information, instructor
to provide direct
instruction on best
practices in supervisorial
contracts and the
importance of establishing
a contract with a
supervisee.

Instructor to model a
conversation with a
supervisee which
demonstrates how to
discuss the establishment
of a contract.

Learners to
listen intently to
instruction
about best
practices in
contracts and
the importance
of establishing a
contract with a
supervisee.

Learners to take
notes and ask
questions
relating to
material as
needed.

Learners to
observe
instructor
modeling
conversation
with supervisee
that
demonstrates
how to discuss
the
establishment of
a contract.
Practice and
Feedback
50 Prompt to engage learners in activity
in which they are shown two examples
Instructor to explain all
activities that will be used
for practice including
Learners to
receive
Supervisor
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

of contracts which will be critiqued
and analyzed for essential content.

Role play of conversation with a
supervisee about establishing and
explaining a contract.

analysis and critique of
contracts and the
formulation and role play
of conversation with
supervisee about
establishing and
explaining a contract.
Instructor provides
Supervisor Contract
Handout.

After learners are given
opportunity to analyze
and critique contracts,
Instructor facilitates
whole group discussion
about the activity.

Instructor asks learners to
engage in a role play with
a peer in which they
collaboratively establish a
contract with a
supervisee.

Instructor to provide
feedback verbally and on
feedback form for each
role play that is practiced.

Additional practice and
explanation will be given
if learners role plays do
not exemplify content
covered in lesson.

Contract
Handout and
will analyze two
contracts within
handout,
making notes
within the
contract itself.

Learners will
engage in
discussion with
instructor about
both contracts.

After analysis,
learners to
engage in role
play with a peer
of a
conversation
with a
supervisee
explaining and
establishing a
contract.

Learners to
reflect on
performance
and to self-rate
selves using
feedback form.

Learners will
acknowledge
feedback
provided by
instructor and
will re-engage
in role playing
components that
require
correction.
Authentic
Assessment
5 Opportunity for reflection about
process of analyzing contract,
establishing contracts, and role playing
a conversation with a supervisee.
Learners to also reflect upon the
learning goal established at the
beginning of unit.
Instructor to provide
explanation about
assessment and will direct
learners to journal
reflection.
Learners to
compose and
write short
reflection
answering
prompt.
Retention
and Transfer
5 Opportunities for retention and
transfer of information to be provided
in order to reinforce learning. Sharing
reflection associated to analyzing
contracts and role-playing
Instructor to ask each
learner to share a quick
summary of their
reflection and to make
connections between what
Learners to
share a quick
summary of
their reflection
and to make a
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conversation with supervisee about
establishing a contract, as well as
reflection on goal established at the
beginning of unit.
they journaled to the
personal learning goal
established at the
beginning of this unit and
at the beginning of the
course.
connection
between their
reflection and
their personal
learning goal
established at
the beginning of
unit and during
the Course
Overview.
Big Ideas

2 Review and re-motivate: review major
ideas associated to establishing a
supervisorial contract with
supervisees.

Re-state importance of having and
using knowledge presented.
Instructor to provide brief
review of information
covered in this lesson
using a PowerPoint slide
highlighting the big ideas.

Instructor to ask learners
to share why they believe
this information is
important to know and
use in their practice as
clinical supervisors.
Each learner to
discuss one
reason why the
information is
important to
know and use in
their practice as
clinical
supervisors.
Advance
Organizer for
the Next Unit
3 Connect content about supervisorial
contracts and importance to
supervisorial relationship to assessing
supervisee’s clinical practice and
clinical ability based upon
competencies.

All concepts discuss thus far are
considered concepts of competency
based clinical supervision and
effective clinical supervision
strategies.

Provide the following reflection
prompt to be answered in Google
Classroom outside of instruction time
between Unit 3 and Unit 4: Describe
your level of motivation to establish
contracts with supervisees in the
future.
Instructor to provide short
preview of next lesson
assessing supervisees’
clinical practice and
ability based on
competencies.
Small amount of bullet
points on PowerPoint
slides will be used to
present this information.

Instructor to explain
prompt to learners and ask
learners to reference
Google Classroom guide
in order to understand
where to post reflection.
Learners will
read bullet
points on slide
and will listen
to instructor
give short
preview.

Learners to
access Google
Classroom
outside of
session and
answer prompt
provided.
Total Time 90

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Slide 1

Establishing a Clinical
Supervision Contract
Unit Three

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Slide 2

Warm‐Up
Think back to your experiences
participating in clinical supervision.
Did your supervisors establish a
supervision contract with you and if
so, what did this process consist of?
Warm up your brain (n.d)

Say: Read the prompt on the slide and write a short reflection answering it.

Ask learners to get into small groups and discuss reflection

Bring back whole group and ask:
What were some of the major themes that emerged from reflections shared in the group?

Say: Set a personal learning goal of what you would like to learn or have more knowledge of by
the end of this unit relating to effective clinical supervision.

Warm up your brain [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/childrens-
responsive-ichef-live/r/720/1x/cbbc/SSG_Warm_Your_Brain_Intro_Image.png.

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Slide 3

Learning Objectives
At the end of this unit, you will be able to demonstrate your ability in:
Identifying the
contract that
incorporates the most
important components
according to best
practice
Demonstrating ability
in communicating the
purpose and
information contained
in the contract
Reflecting on
experience using a
contract and their
level of motivation to
use one

Say: This lesson will primarily focus on the supervisorial relationship and alliance

By the end of this unit, you will be able to demonstrate your ability in:
Animation 1: Identifying the contract that incorporates the most important components according
to best practice with 100% accuracy.
Animation 2: Communicating the purpose and information contained in the contract in a role
play with a peer by receiving
Animation 3: Reflecting on their experience using a contract and their level of motivation to use
one in clinical supervision

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Slide 4

Benefits and Risks
Expectations (n.d.)
Confused (n.d.)

Say: (animation 1) There are many benefits to learning the information from this unit. One of
them is that learning about and being able to establish a contract with a supervisee helps support
a supervisorial relationship in which both supervisor and supervisee understand the expectations
placed on each in the working relationship.

Say: (animation 2) In contrast, not knowing or learning about the best practices in contracts and
how to establish one with a supervisee allows for the creation of a working relationship that lacks
clarity about expectations and roles.

Expectations [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://agreatdayswork.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/10/expectations.jpg.

Confused [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://reclaimthemenopause.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/confused-and-young-
30426e87f307615e5b571ae50591e15b.jpg.

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Slide 5

Learning Activities
Meeting (n.d.)
Training (n.d.)
Role plays (n.d.)

Say: In our previous lesson, we explored how to establish a working alliance/relationship with
supervisees. A major component of building that working alliance is the establishment of a
contract, which we will be exploring more of in this unit.

Say: Some of the learning activities we will engage in are: Direct instruction covering the
content for today, a and interactive activity in which we will analyze contracts, and the
opportunity to role play all surrounding the topic of establishing a contract with a supervisee.

Before transitioning, ask: “How does establishing a contract with a supervisee strengthen the
working relationship?”

Training [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.trainingmagazine.ae/wp-
content/uploads/2015/03/training1.jpg

Meeting [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/593d37031b631b4d312c4452/t/59dd09aebce176985870ecc
9/1501731927567/.

Role plays [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://improaustralia.com.au/wp-
content/uploads/2016/06/role-play-image-aqua.jpg

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Slide 6

Knowledge Review
• Have you used a supervisorial contract with a
supervisee before?
• What were major components of a contract?

Instructor to ask questions above.

Ask: Did anybody have trouble accessing Google Classroom?

If answer is affirmative, answer questions and reference back to Google Classroom Guide.

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Slide 7

Supervision Contract
Agreement (n.d.)

Falender and Shafranske (2017) call the supervisorial contract the “heart of supervision. Even
though many have tried to define what components should be included within the document, the
contract should be a document that changes over time spanning the supervisorial relationship. It
contains agreements about what the supervisee will work on (goals) and the competencies that
will drive the learning process and development of the supervisee.

Agreement [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://arr5n8wn3e-flywheel.netdna-
ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Agreement-scrum-planning.jpg.

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Slide 8

Supervision
Contract
Supervision
Contract
Goals
Structure
and
parameters
Expectations
of the
supervisee
Means to
achieve
goal
Expectation
of the
supervisor

Supervision contracts incorporate various essential components.
Say: (Animation 1) Goals are important to establish with a supervisee as they are the basis from
which competencies can be captured and measured. Goals should be measurable and should be
reviewed during supervision sessions. Even though goals are part of the establishment of
supervision contract, they may be written out in a separate document which will allow for
flexibility in modifications.
(Animation 2) The supervisor must help the supervisee not only establish a few goals to work on
at a time, but should also identify the ways the supervisee will be reaching the goal. This may be
through self-evaluation, practice, feedback, etc. The means to achieve the goals should
accompany the goals that have been established.
(Animation 3) The structure of supervision is specified and the parameters surrounding
supervision and clinical practice are discussed. This may include the limits of confidentiality
within supervision (e.g., the supervisor may need to disclose information to graduate school or
other entity) as well as limits of confidentiality regarding client issues. It is important to also
specify the responsibility supervisors have to uphold best standards in clinical practice, to protect
the client wellbeing and to gate keep for the profession.
(Animation 4) The supervisor should outline the working expectations of the supervisee
regarding their performance, the care they give to clients, and other tasks such upkeep of
documentation of their work and the maintenance of the client’s record. The supervisor should
clearly explain the level of preparation that is expected of the supervisee during each supervision
session and the boundaries that exist in the working alliance (i.e., supervision is not
psychotherapy)
(Animation 5) The supervisor also needs to discuss what the supervisee can expect from them.
The supervisor should be upfront about their approach to supervision, how the supervisee will be
observed by the supervisor, and specifically how the supervisee will be evaluated and how they
will receive feedback.

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Slide 9

What to say…

Say: One of the biggest challenges in the use of the supervisor contract is the introduction and
discussion about its purpose. Most supervisees may not have experienced supervision contracts
before coming to work with you, despite it being a best practice in clinical supervision.
Therefore, it’s important to explain some things to your supervisee.

(Animation 1) First, we want to explain what a supervision contract is.
(Animation 2) Second, we want to explain the purpose of why we are using a supervision
contract.
(Animation 3) Third, we want to explain how we will be using it

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Slide 10

What is it?
“A supervision contract is a document that
will evolve as we work together. This contract
is like an agreement which will help both you
and I specify the goals you will be working
on, some of the expectations in the work we
do, and some ground rules about how
supervision will look.”

Instructor to model” what is it?” portion of conversation

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Slide 11

Why use it?
“It is important that we establish this
supervision contract so that both you
and I have a good understanding and a
solid agreement about how the
supervision process will progress.”

Instructor to model” Why use it?” portion of conversation

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Slide 12

How will you use it?
“We will be reviewing some portions of the
contract during each supervision session.
Specifically, we will be talking about your
goals so that we can determine if you have
gained the necessary knowledge and
practice to perform the skills.”

Instructor to model” How will you use it?” portion of conversation

After modeling, proceed to explain to learners that they will be analyzing two contracts.

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Slide 13

Practice
• Analyze two contracts
• Make notes within contract
• Discuss what was good and what might have been missing
• Role play:

Say: first, I will be providing you with two contracts to analyze and make notes on. In both
contracts, identify what what’s good and what needs more work according to the components we
have discussed in today’s lesson

Once we are done with our analysis, we will come back and discuss what we found

After our discussion, you will each role play the three important steps we should discuss with our
supervisees when bringing a contract into our supervisions.

You will each evaluate yourself and you will receive feedback from me.

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Slide 14

Reflection
Reflect on the analysis of the
contract (what did you learn?)
and how your role play went.
Assess your learning against the
goal you established at the
beginning of the unit.

Unit assessment

Instruct learners to read prompt and compose written reflection.

After learners compose reflection, ask each learner to share part of their reflection and how it’s
connected to their learning goal.

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Slide 15

Review
Contract (n.d.)

Say: Even though the contracts we discussed today are not like the tradition contracts we think
about when we buy a car, we may find that they are essential to the supervisorial relationship
between you and supervisees.
We learned today that the contract is fluid in nature and that it should change over time as the
supervisee learns new skills and concepts and improves their clinical practice.

It is important to establish a contract with our supervisees in order to maintain clarity about
expectations and outline important goals leading to the supervisee’s growth.

What are some of the reasons why you believe these are important components to know and use
in your practice as a supervisor?

Contract [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://commettelaw.com/wp-
content/uploads/2017/04/Contract-Law-Ft-Lauderdale-Florida.jpg.

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Slide 16

Next Unit
Evaluation (n.d.)

Say: our next unit will cover how to assess and evaluate our supervisee’s clinical ability using
competencies. The topic of contracts ties well with next unit’s materials as the evaluation process
should be outlined in the contract so that the supervisee understands how they will be evaluated
and how they will be able to reach competencies.

Evaluation [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-
Rt1y6EEnhwM/VuXG2N6WgVI/AAAAAAAAACs/aoiz4A_njwoIEmeGUwfP1ERS9YLdyHF
yA/s1600/evaluation.gif.

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Slide 17

Reflection Homework
Describe your level of
motivation to establish
contracts with supervisees in
the future.

Say: Log on to Google Classroom and complete reflection. This reflection should be at least four
sentences in length but can be longer if desired. Please reference the Google Classroom Guide if
you have any questions about accessing the assignment.

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Slide 18

Question mark (n.d.)

Are there any questions about anything discussed thus far or anything that will be coming up in
the next unit?

Question mark [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://moziru.com/images/question-mark-
clipart-fancy-11.jpg

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Slide 19

References
• Falender . C. A. & Shafranske, E. P . (2017). Supervision essentials for the
practice of competency‐based supervision. Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association.
• Falender, C. A., & Shafranske, E. P . (2004). Clinical supervision: A
competency‐based approach. Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.

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Supervision Contract Handout Part One
Sample Supervision Contract
Carol Falender, Ph.D.

Introduction to Supervision Contract
This document is intended to establish parameters of supervision, assist in supervisee
professional development (whether licensure, post-licensure, or developmental supervision),
provide clarity in supervisor responsibilities including the responsibility of the supervisor to
protect the client.
This contract between _______________________(supervisor) and
______________________(supervisee) at ________________________________ (site of
supervision), signed on _______________(date) serves to verify supervision and establish its
parameters.
I. Competencies Expectations
A. It is expected that supervision will occur in a competency-based framework. B.
Supervisees will self-assess clinical competencies (knowledge, skills, and
values/attitudes)
C. Supervisors will compare supervisee self-assessments with their own assessments
based on observation and report of clinical work, supervision, and competency-
instruments.
II. Context of Supervision
A. _____hour(s) of individual supervision per week.
B. _____hour(s) of group supervision per week
C. Review of videotapes and/or audio tapes is part of supervision process
D. Treatment notes complete for all sessions for the past week and available in the
supervision session for review
E. Supervision will consist of multiple modalities including review of tapes, progress
notes, discussion of live observation, instruction, modeling, mutual problem-solving,
and role-play.
III. Evaluation
A. Feedback will be provided in each supervision session. Feedback will be related to
competency documents.
B. Summative evaluation will occur at ___(number) intervals per year:
_________________________(specify dates)
C. Forms used in summative evaluation are or available at _________.
D. Supervisor notes may be shared with the supervisee at the supervisor’s discretion and
at the request of the supervisee.
E. In order to successfully complete the sequence, the supervisee must attain a rating of
____ (on the evaluation Likert scales).
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F. If the supervisee does not meet criteria for successful completion, the supervisee will
be informed at the first indication of this, and supportive and remedial steps will be
implemented to assist the supervisee.
G. If the supervisee continues not to meet criteria for successful completion, the steps in
place and procedures laid out will be followed.
IV. Duties and Responsibilities of Supervisor
A. Oversees and monitors all aspects of client case conceptualization and treatment
planning
B. Reviews video/audio tapes outside of supervision session
C. Develops supervisory relationship and establish emotional tone
D. Assists in development of goals and tasks to achieve in supervision specific to
assessed competencies
E. Challenges and problem solves with supervisee
F. Provides interventions with clients and directives for clients at risk
G. Identifies theoretical orientation(s) used in supervision and in therapy and takes
responsibility for integrating theory in supervision process, assessing supervisee
theoretical understanding/training/orientation(s)
H. Identifies and builds upon supervisee strengths as defined in competency assessment
I. Introduces and models use of personal factors including belief structures, worldview,
values, culture, transference, countertransference, parallel process, and isomorphism
in therapy and supervision
J. Ensures a high level of professionalism in all interactions
K. Identifies and addresses strains or ruptures in the supervisory relationship
L. Establishes informed consent for all aspects of supervision
M. Signs off on all supervisee case notes
N. The supervisor distinguishes administrative supervision from clinical supervision and
ensures the supervisee receives adequate clinical supervision O. Clearly
distinguishes and maintains the line between supervision and therapy. P. Discusses
and ensures understanding of all aspects of the supervisory process in this document
and the underlying legal and ethical standards from the onset of supervision
V. Duties and Responsibilities of the Supervisee
A. Upholds and adheres to APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of
Conduct
B. Reviews client video/audio tapes before supervision
C. Comes prepared to discuss client cases with files, completed case notes and prepared
with conceptualization, questions, and literature on relevant evidence-based practices
D. Is prepared to present integrated case conceptualization that is culturally competent
E. Brings to supervision personal factors, transference, countertransference, and parallel
process, and is open to discussion of these.
F. Identifies goals and tasks to achieve in supervision to attain specific competencies
G. Identifies specific needs relative to supervisor input
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

H. Identifies strengths and areas of future development
I. Understands the liability (direct and vicarious) of the supervisor with respect to
supervisee practice and behavior
J. Identifies to clients his/her status as supervisee, the supervisory structure (including
supervisor access to all aspects of case documentation and records), and name of the
clinical supervisor
K. Discloses errors, concerns, and clinical issues as they arise
L. Raised issues or disagreements that arise in supervision process to move towards
resolution
M. Provides feedback weekly to supervisor on supervision process
N. Responds nondefensively to supervisor feedback
O. Consults with supervisor or delegated supervisor in all cases of emergency
P. Implements supervisor directives in subsequent sessions or before as indicated.
Procedural Aspects
A. Although only the information which relates to the client is strictly confidential in
supervision, the supervisor will treat supervisee disclosures with discretion.
B. There are limits of confidentiality for supervisee disclosures. These include ethical
and legal violations, indication of harm to self and others (and others as specific to the
setting).
C. Progress reports will be submitted to __________ describing your development,
strengths and areas of concern.
D. If the supervisor or the supervisee must cancel or miss a supervision session, the
session will be rescheduled.
E. The supervisee may contact the supervisor at (contact #) ________ or on-call
supervisor at ________________. The supervisor must be contacted for all
emergency situations.
Supervisor’s Scope of Competence:
Include supervisor’s training, licensure including number and state(s), areas of specialty and
special expertise, previous supervision training and experience, and areas in which he/she has
previously supervised. The contract may be revised at the request of supervisee or supervisor.
The contract will be formally reviewed at quarterly intervals and more frequently as indicated.
Revisions will be made only with consent of supervisee and approval of supervisor. We,
______________(supervisee) and ____________________(supervisor) to follow the directives
laid out in this supervision contract and to conduct ourselves in keeping with our Ethical
Principles and Code of Conduct, laws, and regulations.
Source:
Falender, C. (n.d.). Sample supervision contract. Retrieved from
http://cfalender.com/Supervision%20Contract.pdf.

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Supervision Handout Part Two
Sample Supervision Contract

Goals of Supervision
A. Monitor and ensure welfare and protection of patients of the Supervisee
B. Gate keep for the profession to ensure competent professionals enter
C. Promote development of Supervisee's professional identity and competence
D. Provide evaluative feedback to the Supervisee
Structure of Supervision
A. The primary supervisor during this training period will be __________________,
who will provide _____ hours of supervision per week. The delegated supervisor(s)
during this training period will be ______________________________, who will
provide _____ hours of supervision per week.
B. Structure of the supervision session: supervisor and supervisee preparation for
supervision, in session structure and processes, live or video observation ___times per
___ (time period)
C. Limits of confidentiality exist for supervisee disclosures in supervision. (e.g.,
supervisor normative reporting to graduate programs, licensing boards, training
teams, program directors, upholding legal and ethical standards).
Duties and Responsibilities of Supervisor
A. Assumes legal liability and responsibility for services offered by the supervisee.
B. Oversees and monitors all aspects of patient case conceptualization and treatment
planning, assessment, and intervention including emergent circumstances, duty to
warn and protect, legal, ethical, and regulatory standards, diversity factors,
management of supervisee reactivity or countertransference to patient, strains to the
supervisory relationship, and is available when the supervisee is providing patient
services.
C. Reviews and signs off on all reports, case notes, and communications
D. Develops and maintains a respectful and collaborative supervisory relationship
within the power differential.
E. Practices effective supervision that includes describing supervisor’s theoretical
orientations for supervision and therapy and maintaining a distinction between
supervision and psychotherapy.
F. Assists the supervisee in setting and attaining goals
G. Provides feedback anchored in supervisee training goals, objectives and
competencies H. Provides ongoing formative and end of supervisory relationship
summative evaluation on forms available at _________(website or training manual).
I. Informs supervisee when the supervisee is not meeting competence criteria for
successful completion of the training experience and implements remedial steps to
assist the supervisee’s development. Guidelines for processes that may be
implemented should competencies not be achieved are available at (website or
training manual).
J. Discloses training, licensure including number and state(s), areas of specialty and
special expertise, previous supervision training and experience, and areas in which
he/she has previously supervised.
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

K. Reschedules to adhere to the legal standard and the requirements of this contract if the
supervisor must cancel or miss a supervision session
L. Maintains documentation of the clinical supervision and services provided.
M. If the supervisor determines that a case is beyond the supervisee’s competence,
the supervisor may join the supervisee as co-therapist or may transfer a case to
another therapist, as determined by the supervisor to be in the best interest of the
patient.
Duties and Responsibilities of the Supervisee
A. Understands the liability (direct and vicarious) and responsibility of the supervisor for
all supervisee professional practice and behavior,
B. Implements supervisor directives, and discloses clinical issues, concerns, and errors
as they arise.
C. Identifies to patients his/her status as supervisee, the name of the clinical supervisor,
and describes the supervisory structure (including supervisor access to all aspects of
case documentation and records) obtaining patient’s informed consent to discuss all
aspects of the clinical work with the supervisor.
D. Attends supervision prepared to discuss patient cases with completed case notes and
case conceptualization, patient progress, clinical and ethics questions, and
literature on relevant evidence-based practices
E. Informs supervisor of clinically relevant information from patient including patient
progress, risk situations, self-exploration, supervisee emotional reactivity or
countertransference to patient(s) F. Integrates supervisor feedback into practice and
provides feedback weekly to supervisor on patient and supervision process
G. Seeks out and receives immediate supervision on emergent situations. Supervisor
contact information: ____________________________________
H. If the supervisee must cancel or miss a supervision session, the supervisee will
reschedule the session to ensure adherence to the legal standard and this contract.

A formal review of this contract will be conducted on:_____________ when a review of the
specific goals (described below) will be made.

We, ______________(supervisee) and ____________________(supervisor) agree to follow the
parameters described in this supervision contract and to conduct ourselves in keeping with the
American Psychological Association Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct or the Canadian
Psychological Association Code of Ethical Conduct.

Supervisor Date

Supervisee Date
Dates Contract is in effect: Start date: ___________End date: ___________________

Source: Falender, C. (n.d.). Sample supervision contract. Retrieved from
http://www.cfalender.com/Final-Supervision-Contract.pdf
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Appendix H
Unit Four Lesson Plan and Associated Materials-
How do you Assess Supervisees’ Clinical Practice and Clinical Ability Using
Competencies?

Unit Duration: 90 minutes

Introduction: This is the fourth unit of this eight-unit course which will add to learners’ knowledge about assessing
supervisee competencies. The purpose of this unit is to teach you how to assess supervisee competencies with
various forms of data and communicating competencies to supervisees.

Learning Objective(s)
Terminal Objective:
● Given a pre- selected number of competencies, learners will demonstrate their ability to gather data to assist
in the evaluation of supervisee competence by identify at least two forms of evidence for each competency
that can be used when assessing whether a supervisee has met required growth for their level.
● Given an example of a communication of competencies to a supervisee, learners will demonstrate their
ability to formulate a conversation surrounding the establishment of goals with a supervisee by obtaining at
least a 70% on a self and instructor feedback rating scale.
● Given the explanation of the importance of communicating competencies and formulating goals with
supervisees, learners will reflect on their ability to incorporate this skill into their clinical supervision
practice in a paragraph at least four sentences
long.
Enabling Objective(s):
● Knowledge of about what a competency is.
● Knowledge of general assessment procedures.
● Knowledge of general provider professional development.
● Ability to work and collaborate in small groups.
● Ability to role play with a peer.
● Ability to provide feedback to a peer using a rating scale.
● Ability to reflect by writing short paragraph answering a prompt.
● Know of what Google Classroom is and how to access it.

Lesson Materials
● Unit Four presentation slides
● Google Classroom Guide-As needed
● Competency Evidence Worksheet
● Competency Benchmarks in Professional Psychology
● Feedback Form-See Unit Two materials

Learner Characteristic Accommodations
This course will be taken live with an instructor present. The last written reflection will be completed on Google
Classroom. Learners to be provided with guide on how to access this portal.

Facilitator’s Notes
This is a live, in-person course which includes the requirement to access the Google Classroom portal after session
time. The instructor should ensure that learners are provided with practice and timely feedback. See the table below
for specific Instructor Action/Decision (Supplantive events of instruction).

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Instructional Activities
Instructional
Sequence
Time
(mins)
Description of the
Learning Activity
Instructor
Action/Decision
(Supplantive)
Learner
Action/
Decision
(Generative)
Gain
Attention
2 Prompt on the board which states:
Think back to your experiences
participating in clinical supervision.
Did your former supervisors ever
discuss professional competencies
with you? If so, discuss an example.

Use prompt to gain learners’ attention.
Instructor to guide
learners to read prompt
and reflect in their minds.

Ask learners to share past
experiences with a
partner.

Facilitate brief discussion
by asking learners to
share themes that emerged
within their smaller
discussions.

Ask learners to set
personal learning goal for
this unit.

Learners will
reflect upon
their previous
experiences of
supervisors
discussing
competencies
with them.

Learners to set a
personal goal
for this unit and
to think about
how it will help
them achieve
their personal
course goal
established
during the
course overview
lesson.
Learning
Objectives
1 Learning objectives are presented
visually on PowerPoint slide.
Instructor visually shares
learning objective with
learners and answers
questions if asked.
Learners to read
learning
objectives from
projected
PowerPoint
slide and ask
any questions if
they arise.
Reasons for
Learning
- Benefits
- Risks
1 Benefits: learning about and being
able to use competencies to assess a
supervisee’s clinical practice and
abilities helps both supervisors and
supervisees understand the
benchmarks that should be reached at
different professional developmental
levels.

Risks: not knowing or learning about
the use of competencies to assess a
supervisee’s clinical practice and
abilities leads to confusion about
appropriate professional
developmental milestones that should
be reached.
Instructor verbally
communicates both
benefits of and risks of
not knowing or learning
about the use of
competencies to assess a
supervisee’s clinical
practice and abilities.

Visual images will be
used to illustrate risk and
benefits on a PowerPoint
slide.

Learners view
images of risk
and benefits.
Furthermore,
they will listen
to the instructor
explaining risk
and benefits.

Overview
- Prior
Knowledge
- New
Knowledge
2 Previous lesson covered how to
establish supervisorial contracts. A
supervisorial contract may be a place
where competencies are explained.

Instructor to verbalize
connection between
establishing supervisorial
contracts and assessing
supervisees’ ability and
practice by using
Learners to
listen to
instructor draw
connections
between
previous lesson
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- Learning
Strategies

(What you
already
know...what
you are going
to learn...and
how you are
going to learn
it.)
Understanding components of client
assessment can assist learners in
understanding how to assess a
supervisee’s ability using
competencies.

competencies.
Also verbalize connection
of the skill of assessing a
client to the skill of
assessing a supervisee’s
ability using
competencies (i.e., asking
questions, exploring
evidence, using a variety
of informants or sources
of information).

Instructor explains
learning activities
including lecture, small
group activities, role
plays, the opportunity to
provide and receive
feedback.

Learning activities will be
briefly summarized on
PowerPoint slide.

Instructor to use guiding
question: “What are some
of the competencies that a
brand new mental health
provider should have after
finishing their graduate
degree?”
and current
lesson.

Learners to
follow along on
PowerPoint
slide and
instructor
during
explanation of
learning
activities.

Prerequisite
Knowledge
4 Definition of what a competency is
and an explanation that different
professions have different professional
competencies that have been
established by overseeing
organizations.

Assess prior knowledge about using
competencies to assess a supervisee’s
abilities.

Assess for issues learners may have
experienced in accessing Google
Classroom.

Instructor to briefly ask
learners to explain their
current understanding of
how to assess a
supervisee’s abilities and
practice using
competencies.

Instructor to reference
guide explains how to
access and use Google
Classroom.

Learners to
engage in
discussion with
instructor about
using
competencies to
assess a
supervisee's
abilities and
practice.

Learners to
reference
Google
Classroom
guide if needed.
Learning
Guidance
- Lecture
- Demo.
15 Direct instruction on how to use
competencies to assess a supervisee’s
abilities and clinical practice.
PowerPoint slides enhanced to help
learners balance visual and auditory
channels, decreasing cognitive load
during the presentation.

Instructor to provide
direct instruction about
how to use competencies
to assess a supervisee’s
abilities and clinical
practice.

Instructor to explain
activity using supervisee
Learners to
listen intently to
instruction
about using
competencies to
assess a
supervisee’s
ability and
clinical practice.
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Competence Evidence
Worksheet and
Competency Benchmarks
in Professional
Psychology.

Instructor to model a
conversation with a
supervisee in which
competencies are
discussed and goals are
developed based upon
those competencies.

Learners to take
notes and ask
questions
relating to
material as
needed.

Learners to
listen to
instructor
explain activity.

Learners to
observe
instructor
modeling
conversation
with supervisee
in which
competencies
are discussed
and goals are
developed based
upon those
competencies.
Practice and
Feedback
50 Learners engaged in activity in which
they form small group of 3-4 learners,
analyze competency benchmarks and
identify behavioral indicators that can
be observed as evidence for having
reached that competency.

Opportunity to engage in a role play of
a conversation with supervisee in
which competencies are discussed and
goals are set.

Instructor to explain all
activities that will be used
for practice including
analysis and discussion of
evidence that can be
gathered to determine if a
supervisee has reached
competency as well as
role play of conversation
with a supervisee in
which competencies are
discussed and goals are
set. Instructor to assign
section of competencies
to groups.

Instructor to direct
learners to role play
conversation with
supervisee in which a
competency is discussed
and goals are set.

Instructor to provide
feedback verbally and on
feedback form.

Additional practice and
explanation will be given
if learner’s role plays do
Learners to
receive list of
competencies
and competency
evidence sheet.
Learners to
develop
behavioral
indicators for
competencies in
assigned section

After analysis,
learners to
engage in role
play with a peer
of a
conversation
with supervisee
in which
competencies
are discussed
and goals are
set.

Learners to self-
rate
performance
using self-
feedback form.
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not exemplify content
covered in lesson.

Learners will
acknowledge
feedback
provided by
instructor and
will re-engage
in role playing
components that
require
correction.
Authentic
Assessment
5 Opportunity for reflection about
process using competencies to assess a
supervisee’s abilities and clinical
practice as well as process of holding
conversations with supervisees about
competencies and setting goals.
Instructor to provide
explanation about
assessment and will direct
learners to journal
reflection.
Learners to
compose and
write short
reflection
answering
prompt.
Retention
and Transfer
5 Opportunities for retention and
transfer of information to be provided
in order to reinforce learning. Sharing
reflection associated to using
competencies to assess a supervisee’s
abilities and clinical practice as well as
process of holding conversations with
supervisees about competencies and
setting goals in addition to a reflection
on goal established at the beginning of
unit.
Instructor to ask each
learner to share a quick
summary of their
reflection and to make
connections between what
they journaled to the
personal learning goal
established at the
beginning of this unit and
at the beginning of the
course.
Learners to
share a quick
summary of
their reflection
and to make a
connection
between their
reflection and
their personal
learning goal
established at
the beginning of
unit and during
the Course
Overview.
Big Ideas

2 Review and re-motivate: review major
ideas associated to using competencies
to assess a supervisee’s ability and
clinical practice.

Re-state importance of having and
using knowledge presented.

Instructor to provide brief
review of information
covered in this lesson
using a PowerPoint slide
highlighting the big ideas.

Instructor to ask learners
to share why they believe
this information is
important to know and
use in their practice as
clinical supervisors.
Each learner to
discuss one
reason why the
information is
important to
know and use in
their practice as
clinical
supervisors.

Advance
Organizer for
the Next Unit
3 Connect content about using
competencies in clinical supervision to
evaluation and feedback.

Provide the following reflection
prompt to be answered in Google
Classroom outside of instruction time
between Unit 4 and Unit 5: How will
you incorporate the use of
competencies in your clinical
supervision practice?

Instructor to provide short
preview of next lesson
discussing evaluation and
providing feedback in
clinical supervision.

Small amount of bullet
points on PowerPoint
slides will be used to
present this information.

Learners will
read bullet
points on slide
and will listen
to instructor
give short
preview.

Learners to
access Google
Classroom
outside of
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Instructor to explain
prompt to learners and ask
learners to reference
Google Classroom guide
in order to understand
where to post reflection if
needed.
session and
answer prompt
provided.

Total Time 90

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Slide 1

How do you Assess Supervisees’
Clinical Practice and Clinical
Ability Using Competencies?
Unit Four

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Slide 2

Warm‐Up
Think back to your experiences
participating in clinical supervision.
Did your former supervisors ever
discuss professional competencies
with you. If so, discuss an example.
Warm up your brain (n.d)

Say: Read the prompt on the slide and write a short reflection answering it.

Ask learners to get into small groups and discuss reflection

Bring back whole group and ask:
What were some of the major themes that emerged from reflections shared in the group?

Say: Set a personal learning goal of what you would like to learn or have more knowledge of by
the end of this unit relating to effective clinical supervision.

Warm up your brain [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/childrens-
responsive-ichef-live/r/720/1x/cbbc/SSG_Warm_Your_Brain_Intro_Image.png.

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Slide 3

Learning Objectives
At the end of this unit, you will be able to demonstrate your ability in:
Gathering data to
assist in the
evaluation of a
supervisee’s
competence.
Formulating
conversation
surrounding the
establishment of
goals.
Reflecting on their
ability to
incorporate
communication of
competencies into
practice.

Say: This lesson will primarily focus on the supervisorial relationship and alliance

By the end of this unit, you will be able to demonstrate your ability in:
Animation 1: Gathering data to assist in the evaluation of supervisee competence by identify at
least two forms of evidence for each competency that can be used when assessing whether a
supervisee has met required growth for their level
Animation 2: Formulating a conversation surrounding the establishment of goals with a
supervised by obtaining at least a 70% on a peer and instructor feedback rating scale.
Animation 3: Incorporating this skill into their clinical supervision practice in a paragraph at
least four sentences
long.

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Slide 4

Benefits and Risks
Shaking hands (n.d.)
Confusion (n.d.)

Say: (animation 1) There are many benefits to learning the information from this unit. For one,
learning about and being able to use competencies to assess a supervisee’s clinical practice and
abilities helps both supervisors and supervisees understand the benchmarks that should be
reached at different professional developmental levels.

Say: (animation 2) In contrast, not knowing or learning about the use of competencies to assess a
supervisee’s clinical practice and abilities leads to confusion about appropriate professional
developmental milestones that should be reached.

Shacking hands [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://nzmaths.co.nz/sites/default/files/images/uploads/users/3/hands.PNG

Confusion [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://indiafellow.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/confusion.jpg

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Slide 5

Learning Activities
Meeting (n.d.)
Training (n.d.) Role plays (n.d.)

Say: In our previous lesson, we explored how to establish a supervision contract. A supervision
contract if often the place where competencies are explained and goals are established for a
supervisee. A supervisor’s role is not only to help a supervisee establish goals based upon
competencies, but also to look out for the evidence of when the supervisee has reached a
competency. This is, in a way, similar to when you assess a client and are trying to find evidence
of a diagnosis. You may look for some behavioral indicators to help you determine that a
diagnosis is present. Similarly, you may observe your supervisee to see if they have met the
competency they are trying to reach.

Say: Some of the learning activities we will engage in are: Direct instruction covering the
content for today, a and interactive activity in which we will analyze contracts, and the
opportunity to role play all surrounding the topic of establishing a contract with a supervisee.

Before transitioning, ask: “What are some of the competencies that a brand-new MH provider
should have?”

Training [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.trainingmagazine.ae/wp-
content/uploads/2015/03/training1.jpg

Meeting [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/593d37031b631b4d312c4452/t/59dd09aebce176985870ecc
9/1501731927567/.

Role plays [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://improaustralia.com.au/wp-
content/uploads/2016/06/role-play-image-aqua.jpg

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Slide 6

Knowledge Review
•What is a competency?
•How do you currently assess a supervisee’s
abilities and practice?
• Have you ever used competencies in your practice?

Instructor to ask questions above.

Ask: Did anybody have trouble accessing Google Classroom?

If answer is affirmative, answer questions and reference back to Google Classroom Guide.

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Slide 7

Evaluation
Process
Identify Competency
Establish Goal
Provide Observation
Evaluative Feedback
Supervisee Self‐Assessment
Metacompetency and Reflection

Say: Falender and Shafranske (2017) believe the evaluation process incorporates these
components. We will be touching up on only the first three. Evaluation and feedback, supervisee
self-assessment and metacompetence and reflection will be covered in the next unit (animation
1).

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Slide 8

Identify
Competency
Step
One

Say: This is where it all begins. We want to identify the types of skill or knowledge that we want
our supervisee to learn. There are a variety of different places we can find examples of
competencies. For this lesson, we will take a look at the American Psychological Association
“Competency Benchmarks in Professional Psychology.”

Instruct learners to briefly read through competency benchmarks.
Allow learners to ask questions if needed.

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Slide 9

Establish Goal
Step
Two

Say: After a competency has been identified by you, your supervisee, or collaboratively, it is
important to set up a goal that the supervisee will work on. These goals should not be
complicated ones, but should be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic/relevant, and
time bound.
SMART goals are used in a variety of different settings, including mental health. Since
supervisors and supervisees already write SMART goals for their client’s treatment, one should
take a similar approach to writing SMART goals in regards to our competencies.

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Slide 10

Goals Based on Competencies
Ability to
effectively assess
adults
Supervisee will
correctly diagnose
two adult clients
with 100% accuracy
over the next two
months
Written Dx and
justification on
assessments
align with DSM
criteria
Identify
competency and
purpose for
learning it
Develop a SMART
goal
Specify the
behaviors that will
need to be
performed to meet
goal.

Say: Let’s take this as an example. (animation 1) A supervisor wants her supervisee to be able to
correctly assess adult clients who request services from their clinic. This supervisor and
supervisee believe this is an important competency since the client’s they serve are often court
mandated whose records are often requested by parole officers. Therefore, the supervisor
suggests that the competency that this supervisee should attempt to reach is to have the ability to
effectively assess individuals. One component of doing this is providing a proper diagnosis.
Therefore, (animation 2) collaboratively, supervisor and supervisee establish the following goal:
Supervisee will correctly diagnose two adult clients with 100% accuracy over the next two
months. Furthermore, (animation 3) both supervisor and supervisee review how the supervisee
will demonstrate that they have reached the goal. They determine that the supervisee should
ensure the provided diagnoses align with DSM criteria. The supervisor will determine that the
goal was met if she also sees an alignment of the diagnosis and the DSM criteria after analyzing
the supervisees written assessments.

Using steps outlined in this slide and competency, goal, and behaviors identified, instructor to
model conversation with supervisee that illustrates steps.

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Slide 11

Observation
Step
Three

Say: Before the observation process can take place, a supervisor must clearly communicate the
competencies that will be attempted and the behavioral indicators that will help the supervisor
determine if the supervisee has reached the goal.
Once that happens, the most effective way a supervisor can determine if a competency was
reached is by observations. This requires, not only that the supervisor be observant and
intentionally set time for observation, but also that the supervisor have the level of expertise to
be able to observe the behavior being performed.
The supervisee’s performance should demonstrate certain behaviors that align with the
competency

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Slide 12

Example
Ability to
effectively assess
adults
Selects both
open and closed
ended questions
Observation
Appears to listen
intently to
respondent
Observation
Gathers sufficient
info to determine
Dx
Analysis of
written
assessment
Information
gathered justifies
Dx provided
Analysis of
written
assessment
Correctly diagnose
two adult clients
with 100% accuracy
over the next 2
months

Say: To further illustrate this process, we want to start with a competency and a goal (same one
as in previous slides). From the competency and goal, we need to specify what behaviors the
supervisee has to perform to accomplish that goal. (animation 1) These are a few examples of
some of those behavior indicators. Are there other behaviors that a supervisee could perform to
meet the goal?

Allow for responses

Say: There are also various methods that we should be able to employ to observe the behavior.
We can directly observe the supervisee in the assessment process. We can also observer their
work by analyzing their written assessments.

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Slide 13

Practice
• Develop behavior indicators and evidence on
Competency Evidence Worksheet
• Work in groups of 3
• Role play conversation
• Follow steps:
Identify
competency and
purpose for
learning it
Develop a
SMART goal
Specify the
behaviors that
will need to be
performed to
meet goal.

Say: You will be given a competency and some benchmarks from which you will be asked to
identify behavior indicators that a supervisee should perform to meet the competency. We will
note goals but think more broadly of what behaviors should be demonstrated to say as
definitively as possible that a competency was reached. Also indicate the source of data
collection you could use to help you determine that the benchmark was met.

We will then convene in a short discussion about some of these behavior indicators.

After our discussion, you will each role play the three important steps we will want to employ in
a conversation with a supervisee relating to discussing competencies, developing goals, and
specifying behaviors. You can use competencies from the worksheet or identify one that you
know is important in clinical practice.

You will each evaluate your peers and you will receive both feedback from peers and from me.

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Slide 14

Reflection
Reflect upon the process of using
competencies to assess supervisees’
abilities/clinical practice and the
process of holding conversations with
supervisees about competencies and
setting goals.

Unit assessment

Instruct learners to read prompt and compose written reflection.

After learners compose reflection, ask each learner to share part of their reflection and how it’s
connected to their learning goal.

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Slide 15

Review
Identify Competency
Establish Goal
Provide Observation

Say: The three first components of the evaluation process help us to engage in the use of specific
competencies and to further enhance our evaluation process by developing goals that are clear
and identifying behavior indicators that will make it possible for the supervisee to know exactly
how to achieve the goal.

What are some of the reasons why you believe it is important to know and use these skills in our
practice as supervisor?

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Slide 16

Next Unit
Evaluative Feedback
Supervisee Self‐Assessment
Metacompetency and Reflection

Say: our next unit will cover how to assess and evaluate our supervisee’s clinical ability using
competencies. The topic of contracts ties well with next unit’s materials as the evaluation process
should be outlined in the contract so that the supervisee understands how they will be evaluated
and how they will be able to reach competencies.

.

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Slide 17

Reflection Homework
How will you incorporate the
use of competencies in your
clinical supervision practice?

Say: Log on to Google Classroom and complete reflection. This reflection should be at least four
sentences in length but can be longer if desired. Please reference the Google Classroom Guide if
you have any questions about accessing the assignment.

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Slide 18

Question mark (n.d.)

Are there any questions about anything discussed thus far or anything that will be coming up in
the next unit?

Question mark [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://moziru.com/images/question-mark-
clipart-fancy-11.jpg

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Slide 19

References
• Falender . C. A. & Shafranske, E. P . (2017). Supervision essentials for the
practice of competency‐based supervision. Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association.
• Falender, C. A., & Shafranske, E. P . (2004). Clinical supervision: A
competency‐based approach. Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.

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Competency Evidence Worksheet

Instructions: Below, you will find an assessment related competency and benchmarks that are
associated to that competency. In the blank boxes provided, identify behavior indicators that
should be performed by the supervisee to determine if the benchmark is reached and the method
of data collection that a supervisor can employ to gather data to determine benchmark was
achieved.

Assessment Competency: Assessment and diagnosis of problems, capabilities and issues
associated with individuals, groups, and/or organizations.

Benchmarks
Knowledge of measurements and
psychometrics
Behavior Indicator:

Method of data collection:

Knowledge of assessments
methods
Behavior Indicator:

Method of data collection:

Knowledge of diagnosis
Behavior Indicator:

Method of data collection:

Source: American Psychological Association (2011). Competency Benchmarks in
Professional Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/competency.aspx.

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Worked Example

Assessment Competency: Assessment and diagnosis of problems, capabilities and issues associated
with individuals, groups, and/or organizations.

Benchmarks
Knowledge of measurements
and psychometrics
Behavior indicator: Supervisee explains
use of specific measures and
psychometric considerations in the
administration of method

Method of data collection: Data can be
obtained by supervisor interview

Knowledge of assessments
methods
Behavior indicator: Supervisee employs
a variety of different questions and
communication skills (clarification,
paraphrasing) in the assessment process.

Method of data collection: Data can be
obtained by observation of supervisee

Knowledge of diagnosis Behavior indicator: Supervisee correctly
diagnosis client’s after assessment is
complete.

Method of data collection: Data can be
obtained by supervisor interview or
supervisor analysis of supervisee
assessment reports.

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Competency Benchmarks in Professional Psychology

I. PROFESSIONALISM

1. Professional Values and Attitudes: as evidenced in behavior and comportment that reflect the values and
attitudes of psychology.
READINESS FOR PRACTICUM READINESS FOR INTERNSHIP READINESS FOR
ENTRY TO PRACTICE
1A. Integrity - Honesty, personal responsibility and adherence to professional values
Understands professional values;
honest, responsible
Adherence to professional values
infuses work as psychologist-in-
training; recognizes situations that
challenge adherence to professional
values
Monitors and
independently resolves
situations that challenge
professional values and
integrity
1B. Deportment
Understands how to conduct oneself
in a professional manner
Communication and physical conduct
(including attire) is professionally
appropriate, across different settings
Conducts self in a
professional manner
across settings and
situations
1C. Accountability
Accountable and reliable Accepts responsibility for own actions Independently accepts
personal responsibility
across settings and
contexts
1D. Concern for the welfare of others
Demonstrates awareness of the need
to uphold and protect the welfare of
others
Acts to understand and safeguard the
welfare of others
Independently acts to
safeguard the welfare of
others
1E. Professional Identity
Demonstrates beginning
understanding of self as
professional: “thinking like a
psychologist”
Displays emerging professional
identity as psychologist; uses
resources (e.g., supervision, literature)
for professional development
Displays consolidation of
professional identity as a
psychologist;
demonstrates knowledge
about issues central to the
field; integrates science
and practice

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CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

2. Individual and Cultural Diversity: Awareness, sensitivity and skills in working professionally with diverse
individuals, groups and communities who represent various cultural and personal background and
characteristics defined broadly and consistent with APA policy.
READINESS FOR PRACTICUM READINESS FOR INTERNSHIP READINESS FOR
ENTRY TO PRACTICE
2A. Self as Shaped by Individual and Cultural Diversity (e.g., cultural, individual, and role differences,
including those based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual
orientation, disability, language, and socioeconomic status ) and Context
Demonstrates knowledge, awareness,
and understanding of one’s own
dimensions of diversity and attitudes
towards diverse others
Monitors and applies knowledge of
self as a cultural being in assessment,
treatment, and consultation
Independently monitors
and applies knowledge of
self as a cultural being in
assessment, treatment,
and consultation
2B. Others as Shaped by Individual and Cultural Diversity and Context
Demonstrates knowledge, awareness,
and understanding of other
individuals as cultural beings
Applies knowledge of others as
cultural beings in assessment,
treatment, and consultation
Independently monitors
and applies knowledge of
others as cultural beings
in assessment, treatment,
and consultation
2C. Interaction of Self and Others as Shaped by Individual and Cultural Diversity and Context
Demonstrates knowledge, awareness,
and understanding of interactions
between self and diverse others
Applies knowledge of the role of
culture in interactions in assessment,
treatment, and consultation of diverse
others
Independently monitors
and applies knowledge of
diversity in others as
cultural beings in
assessment, treatment,
and consultation
2D. Applications based on Individual and Cultural Context
Demonstrates basic knowledge of and
sensitivity to the scientific,
theoretical, and contextual issues
related to ICD (as defined by APA
policy) as they apply to professional
psychology. Understands the need to
consider ICD issues in all aspects of
professional psychology work (e.g.,
assessment, treatment, research,
relationships with colleagues)
Applies knowledge, sensitivity, and
understanding regarding ICD issues
to work effectively with diverse others
in assessment, treatment, and
consultation
Applies knowledge, skills,
and attitudes regarding
dimensions of diversity to
professional work
242
CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

3. Ethical Legal Standards and Policy: Application of ethical concepts and awareness of legal issues regarding
professional activities with individuals, groups, and organizations.
READINESS FOR PRACTICUM READINESS FOR INTERNSHIP READINESS FOR
ENTRY TO PRACTICE
3A. Knowledge of ethical, legal and professional standards and guidelines
Demonstrates basic knowledge of the
principles of the APA Ethical
Principles and Code of Conduct
[ethical practice and basic skills in
ethical decision making]; demonstrates
beginning level knowledge of legal and
regulatory issues in the practice of
psychology that apply to practice while
placed at practicum setting
Demonstrates intermediate level
knowledge and understanding of the
APA Ethical Principles and Code of
Conduct and other relevant
ethical/professional codes, standards
and guidelines, laws, statutes, rules,
and regulations
Demonstrates advanced
knowledge and
application of the APA
Ethical Principles and
Code of Conduct and
other relevant ethical,
legal and professional
standards and guidelines
3B. Awareness and Application of Ethical Decision Making
Demonstrates awareness of the
importance of applying an ethical
decision model to practice
Demonstrates knowledge and
application of an ethical decision-
making model; applies relevant
elements of ethical decision making
to a dilemma
Independently utilizes an
ethical decision-making
model in professional
work
3C. Ethical Conduct
Displays ethical attitudes and values Integrates own moral
principles/ethical values in
professional conduct
Independently integrates
ethical and legal
standards with all
competencies

243
CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

4. Reflective Practice/Self-Assessment/Self-Care: Practice conducted with personal and professional self-
awareness and reflection; with awareness of competencies; with appropriate self-care.
4A. Reflective Practice
Displays basic mindfulness and self-
awareness; engages in reflection
regarding professional practice
Displays broadened self-awareness;
utilizes self- monitoring; engages in
reflection regarding professional
practice; uses resources to enhance
reflectivity
Demonstrates
reflectivity both during
and after professional
activity; acts upon
reflection; uses self as a
therapeutic tool
4B. Self-Assessment
Demonstrates knowledge of core
competencies; engages in initial self-
assessment re: competencies
Demonstrates broad, accurate self-
assessment of competence;
consistently monitors and evaluates
practice activities; works to
recognize limits of knowledge/skills,
and to seek means to enhance
knowledge/skills
Accurately self-assesses
competence in all
competency domains;
integrates self-
assessment in practice;
recognizes limits of
knowledge/skills and
acts to address them;
has extended plan to
enhance
knowledge/skills
4C. Self-Care (attention to personal health and well-being to assure effective professional functioning)
Understands the importance of self-care
in effective practice; demonstrates
knowledge of self-care methods; attends
to self-care
Monitors issues related to self-care
with supervisor; understands the
central role of self-care to effective
practice
Self-monitors issues
related to self-care and
promptly intervenes
when disruptions occur
4D. Participation in Supervision Process
Demonstrates straightforward, truthful,
and respectful communication in
supervisory relationship
Effectively participates in
supervision
Independently seeks
supervision when
needed

244
CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

II. RELATIONAL

5. Relationships: Relate effectively and meaningfully with individuals, groups, and/or communities.
READINESS FOR PRACTICUM READINESS FOR INTERNSHIP READINESS FOR
ENTRY TO
PRACTICE
5A. Interpersonal Relationships
Displays interpersonal skills Forms and maintains productive and
respectful relationships with clients,
peers/colleagues, supervisors and
professionals from other disciplines
Develops and
maintains effective
relationships with a
wide range of clients,
colleagues,
organizations and
communities
5B. Affective Skills
Displays affective skills Negotiates differences and handles
conflict satisfactorily; provides
effective feedback to others and
receives feedback nondefensively
Manages difficult
communication;
possesses advanced
interpersonal skills

5C. Expressive Skills
Communicates ideas, feelings, and
information clearly using verbal,
nonverbal, and written skills

Communicates clearly using verbal,
nonverbal, and written skills in a
professional context; demonstrates
clear understanding and use of
professional language
Verbal, nonverbal,
and written
communications are
informative,
articulate, succinct,
sophisticated, and
well-integrated;
demonstrate thorough
grasp of professional
language and concepts

245
CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

III. SCIENCE

6. Scientific Knowledge and Methods: Understanding of research, research methodology, techniques of data
collection and analysis, biological bases of behavior, cognitive-affective bases of behavior, and
development across the lifespan. Respect for scientifically derived knowledge.
READINESS FOR PRACTICUM READINESS FOR INTERNSHIP READINESS FOR
ENTRY TO
PRACTICE
6A. Scientific Mindedness
Displays critical scientific thinking Values and applies scientific
methods to professional practice
Independently applies
scientific methods to
practice
6B. Scientific Foundation of Psychology
Demonstrates understanding of
psychology as a science
Demonstrates intermediate level
knowledge of core science (i.e.,
scientific bases of behavior)

Demonstrates advanced
level knowledge of core
science (i.e., scientific
bases of behavior)
6C. Scientific Foundation of Professional Practice
Understands the scientific foundation of
professional practice
Demonstrates knowledge,
understanding, and application of
the concept of evidence-based
practice
Independently applies
knowledge and
understanding of
scientific foundations
independently applied
to practice

7. Research/Evaluation: Generating research that contributes to the professional knowledge base and/or
evaluates the effectiveness of various professional activities
7A. Scientific Approach to Knowledge Generation
Participates effectively in scientific
endeavors when available
Demonstrates development of skills
and habits in seeking, applying, and
evaluating theoretical and research
knowledge relevant to the practice of
psychology
Generates knowledge
7B. Application of Scientific Method to Practice
No expectation at this level

Demonstrates knowledge of
application of scientific methods to
evaluating practices, interventions,
and programs
Applies scientific methods
of evaluating practices,
interventions, and
programs

246
CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

IV. APPLICATION

8. Evidence-Based Practice: Integration of research and clinical expertise in the context of patient factors.
READINESS FOR PRACTICUM READINESS FOR INTERNSHIP READINESS FOR
ENTRY TO PRACTICE
8A. Knowledge and Application of Evidence-Based Practice
Demonstrates basic knowledge of
scientific, theoretical, and contextual
bases of assessment, intervention and
other psychological applications;
demonstrates basic knowledge of the
value of evidence-based practice and
its role in scientific psychology
Applies knowledge of evidence-based
practice, including empirical bases of
assessment, intervention, and other
psychological applications, clinical
expertise, and client preferences
Independently applies
knowledge of evidence-
based practice, including
empirical bases of
assessment, intervention,
and other psychological
applications, clinical
expertise, and client
preferences
247
CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

9. Assessment: Assessment and diagnosis of problems, capabilities and issues associated with individuals,
groups, and/or organizations.
READINESS FOR PRACTICUM READINESS FOR INTERNSHIP READINESS FOR
ENTRY TO PRACTICE
9A. Knowledge of Measurement and Psychometrics
Demonstrates basic knowledge of the
scientific, theoretical, and contextual
basis of test construction and
interviewing
Selects assessment measures with
attention to issues of reliability and
validity
Independently selects and
implements multiple
methods and means of
evaluation in ways that
are responsive to and
respectful of diverse
individuals, couples,
families, and groups and
context
9B. Knowledge of Assessment Methods
Demonstrates basic knowledge of
administration and scoring of
traditional assessment measures,
models and techniques, including
clinical interviewing and mental
status exam
Demonstrates awareness of the
strengths and limitations of
administration, scoring and
interpretation of traditional
assessment measures as well as
related technological advances
Independently
understands the strengths
and limitations of
diagnostic approaches
and interpretation of
results from multiple
measures for diagnosis
and treatment planning
9C. Application of Assessment Methods
Demonstrates knowledge of
measurement across domains of
functioning and practice settings
Selects appropriate assessment
measures to answer diagnostic
question
Independently selects and
administers a variety of
assessment tools and
integrates results to
accurately evaluate
presenting question
appropriate to the
practice site and broad
area of practice
9D. Diagnosis
Demonstrates basic knowledge
regarding the range of normal and
abnormal behavior in the context of
stages of human development and
diversity
Applies concepts of normal/abnormal
behavior to case formulation and
diagnosis in the context of stages of
human development and diversity
Utilizes case formulation
and diagnosis for
intervention planning in
the context of stages of
human development and
diversity
248
CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

Assessment continued
READINESS FOR PRACTICUM READINESS FOR INTERNSHIP READINESS FOR
ENTRY TO PRACTICE
9E. Conceptualization and Recommendations
Demonstrates basic knowledge of
formulating diagnosis and case
conceptualization
Utilizes systematic approaches of
gathering data to inform clinical
decision-making
Independently and
accurately conceptualizes
the multiple dimensions
of the case based on the
results of assessment
9F. Communication of Assessment Findings
Demonstrates awareness of models
of report writing and progress notes
Writes assessment reports and
progress notes and communicates
assessment findings verbally to client
Communicates results in
written and verbal form
clearly, constructively,
and accurately in a
conceptually appropriate
manner

249
CLINICAL SUPERVISION COMPETENCE

10. Intervention: Interventions designed to alleviate suffering and to promote health and well-being of
individuals, groups, and/or organizations.
10A. Intervention planning
Displays basic understanding of
the relationship between
assessment and intervention
Formulates and conceptualizes
cases and plans interventions
utilizing at least one consistent
theoretical orientation
Independently plans
interventions; case
conceptualizations and
intervention plans are specific
to case and context
10B. Skills
Displays basic helping skills Displays clinical skills Displays clinical skills with a
wide variety of clients and uses
good judgment even in
unexpected or difficult
situations
10C. Intervention Implementation
Demonstrates basic knowledge of
intervention strategies
Implements evidence-based
interventions
Implements interventions with
fidelity to empirical models and
flexibility to adapt where
appropriate
10D. Progress Evaluation
Demonstrates basic knowledge of
the assessment of intervention
progress and outcome
Evaluates treatment progress and
modifies treatment planning as
indicated, utilizing established
outcome measures
Independently evaluates
treatment progress and
modifies planning as indicated,
even in the absence of
established outcome measures

249

11. Consultation: The ability to provide expert guidance or professional assistance in response to a client’s
needs or goals.
READINESS FOR PRACTICUM READINESS FOR INTERNSHIP READINESS FOR ENTRY
TO PRACTICE
11A. Role of Consultant
No expectation at this level

Demonstrates knowledge of the
consultant’s role and its unique
features as distinguished from other
professional roles (such as therapist,
supervisor, teacher)
Determines situations that
require different role
functions and shifts roles
accordingly to meet referral
needs
11B. Addressing Referral Question
No expectation at this level

Demonstrates knowledge of and
ability to select appropriate means
of assessment to answer referral
questions
Demonstrates knowledge of
and ability to select
appropriate and contextually
sensitive means of
assessment/data gathering
that answers consultation
referral question
11C. Communication of Consultation Findings
No expectation at this level

Identifies literature and knowledge
about process of informing
consultee of assessment findings
Applies knowledge to provide
effective assessment feedback
and to articulate appropriate
recommendations
11D. Application of Consultation Methods
No expectation at this level

Identifies literature relevant to
consultation methods (assessment
and intervention) within systems,
clients, or settings
Applies literature to provide
effective consultative services
(assessment and intervention)
in most routine and some
complex cases

Source:
American Psychological Association (2011). Competency Benchmarks in Professional Psychology. Retrieved from
http://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/competency.aspx

250

Appendix I
Unit Five Lesson Plan and Associated Materials-
How do you Provide Evaluation and Feedback in Clinical Supervision?

Unit Duration: 90 minutes

Introduction: This is the fifth unit of this eight-unit course which will add to learners’ knowledge evaluating and
providing feedback to supervisees in clinical supervision. The purpose of this unit is to teach you about the learning
cycle in clinical supervision and the steps of giving effective feedback to a supervisee.

Learning Objective(s)
Terminal Objective:
● Given the clinical supervision learning cycle diagram with explanations of components of the cycle,
learners will be able to identify components they find challenging to execute in their practice as supervisor
in a short paragraph answering a prompt.
● Given a list of steps for giving feedback, learners will demonstrate their ability to facilitate a feedback
conversation by obtaining at least an 80% on the self and instructor feedback rating scale.
● Given a list of steps for giving feedback, learners will reflect upon their ability to give feedback to a
supervisee in the future by writing a four-sentence paragraph.
Enabling Objective(s):
● Knowledge about evaluation and feedback.
● Ability to reflect on current practices.
● Ability to engage in role play with a peer.
● Ability to provide feedback to a peer.
● Ability to reflect by writing short paragraph answering a prompt.
● Know of what Google Classroom is and how to access it.

Lesson Materials
● Unit Five Presentation slides
● Google Classroom Guide-As needed
● Guide to Giving Feedback
● Feedback Form-See Unit Two materials

Learner Characteristic Accommodations
This course will be taken live with an instructor present. The last written reflection will be completed on Google
Classroom. Learners to be provided with guide on how to access this portal.

Facilitator’s Notes
This is a live, in-person course which includes the requirement to access the Google Classroom portal after session
time. The instructor should ensure that learners are provided with practice and timely feedback. See the table below
for specific Instructor Action/Decision (Supplantive events of instruction).

Instructional Activities
Instructional
Sequence
Time
(mins)
Description of the
Learning Activity
Instructor
Action/Decision
(Supplantive)
Learner
Action/
Decision
(Generative)
Gain
Attention
2 Prompt on the board stating:
Think back to your experiences
participating in clinical supervision.
In what way/format did you receive
Instructor to guide
learners to read prompt
and reflect in their minds.

Learners will
reflect upon
their previous
experiences
receiving

251

feedback from your clinical
supervisors?

Ask learners to share past
experiences of receiving
feedback with a partner.

Facilitate whole group
discussion by asking
learners to share themes
that emerged within their
discussions.

Ask learners to set
personal learning goal for
this unit.

feedback from
supervisors.

Learners to set a
personal goal
for this unit and
to think about
how it will help
them achieve
their personal
course goal
established
during the
course overview
lesson.
Learning
Objectives
1 Learning objectives are presented
visually on PowerPoint slide.
Instructor visually shares
learning objective with
learners and answers
questions if asked.
Learners to read
learning
objectives from
projected
PowerPoint
slide and ask
any questions if
they arise.
Reasons for
Learning
- Benefits
- Risks
1 Benefits: learning about the learning
cycle and providing effective feedback
to supervisees helps supervisors
promote learning and growth in their
supervisees in addition to enhancing
supervisees’ clinical practice and
client care.

Risks: not knowing or learning about
the learning cycle and providing
feedback negatively impacts a
supervisor's ability to teach a
supervisee effective clinical practice
and client care.
Instructor verbally
communicates both
benefits of and risks of
not knowing or learning
about the learning cycle
and providing effective
feedback to a supervisee.

Visual images will be
used to illustrate risk and
benefits on a PowerPoint
slide.

Learners view
images of risk
and benefits.
Furthermore,
they will listen
to the instructor
explaining risk
and benefits.

Overview
- Prior
Knowledge
- New
Knowledge
- Learning
Strategies

(What you
already
know...what
you are going
to learn...and
how you are
going to learn
it.)
2 Previous lesson covered how to assess
a supervisee’s clinical practice and
clinical ability using competencies.

Prior knowledge of assessing clinical
practice and clinical ability using
competencies can be used to further
understand the learning cycle. The
learning cycle is based upon the
learning, performance, and
observation of competencies.
Instructor to verbalize
connection between
assessing a supervisee’s
clinical practice and
clinical ability using
competencies with the
learning cycle and
providing feedback.

Instructor explains
learning activities
including lecture, small
group activities, role
plays, the opportunity to
provide and receive
feedback.
Learners to
listen to
instructor draw
connections
between
previous lesson
and current
lesson.

Learners to
follow along on
PowerPoint
slide and
instructor
during
explanation of

252

Learning activities will be
briefly summarized on
PowerPoint slide.

Instructor to use guiding
question: “Why is
feedback important to a
supervisee’s learning
process?”
learning
activities.

Prerequisite
Knowledge
4 Briefly define what a learning cycle
refers to and explain what feedback
refers to in the context of this lesson.

Assess prior knowledge about the
learning process of supervisee’s and
their past experience providing
feedback.

Assess for issues learners may have
experienced in accessing Google
Classroom.

Instructor to briefly define
what a learning cycle
refers to and explain the
context in which the
concept of feedback will
be used.

Instructor to ask learners
to discuss their beliefs
about how supervisees
learn and their ability to
provide feedback.

Instructor to reference
guide explaining how to
access and use Google
Classroom.

Learners to
listen to
instructor
briefly define
what a learning
cycle refers to
and explain the
context in
which the
concept of
feedback will be
used.

Learners to
engage in
discussion with
instructor about
supervisee
learning and
their ability to
provide
feedback.

Learners to
reference
Google
Classroom
guide if needed.
Learning
Guidance
- Lecture
- Demo.
15 Provide direct instruction on the
learning cycle and the steps to
providing effective feedback to a
supervisee.
Through PowerPoint
slides incorporating audio
and visual representations
of information, instructor
to provide direct
instruction on the learning
cycle and how to provide
effective feedback to
supervisees.

Instructor to review guide
to giving feedback.

Instructor to model a
conversation with a
supervisee in which
Learners to
listen intently to
instruction
about the
learning cycle
and the steps to
providing
effective
feedback to a
supervisee.

Learners to take
notes and ask
questions
relating to

253

feedback is provided
based on guide to giving
feedback.

material as
needed.

Learners to
observe
instructor
modeling
conversation
with supervisee
in which
feedback is
provided.
Practice and
Feedback
50 Prompt to engage learners in activity
in which after being provided with a
vignette, they will identify
components of the learning cycle.

Opportunity to engage in a role play of
a conversation with supervisee in
feedback is provided.

Instructor to explain all
activities that will be used
for practice formulation of
feedback conversation
and role play of
conversation with
supervisee in which
feedback is provided.

Instructor to provide
feedback verbally and on
feedback form for each
role play that is practiced.

Additional practice and
explanation will be given
if learner’s role plays do
not exemplify content
covered in lesson.
Learners
formulate
conversation
with supervisee
regarding giving
feedback and to
practice steps to
giving feedback
by engaging in
role play with a
peer depicting a
conversation
with a
supervisee using
the steps to
providing
feedback.

Learner to self-
rate
performance
using self-
feedback form.

Learners will
acknowledge
feedback
provided by
instructor and
will re-engage
in role playing
components that
require
correction.
Authentic
Assessment
5 Opportunity for reflection about
components of the learning cycle they
find challenging to execute in their
practice as supervisor.

Instructor to provide
explanation about
assessment and will direct
learners to journal
reflection.
Learners to
compose and
write short
reflection
answering
prompt.

254

Retention
and Transfer
5 Opportunities for retention and
transfer of information to be provided
in order to reinforce learning. Sharing
reflection associated to the
components of the learning cycle they
find challenging to execute in their
practice as supervisor.
Instructor to ask each
learner to share a quick
summary of their
reflection and to make
connections between what
they journaled to the
personal learning goal
established at the
beginning of this unit and
at the beginning of the
course.
Learners to
share a quick
summary of
their reflection
and to make a
connection
between their
reflection and
their personal
learning goal
established at
the beginning of
unit and during
the Course
Overview.
Big Ideas

2 Review and re-motivate: review major
ideas associated to the learning cycle
and steps to giving feedback

Re-state importance of having and
using knowledge presented.

Instructor to provide brief
review of information
covered in this lesson
using a PowerPoint slide
highlighting the big ideas.

Instructor to ask learners
to share why they believe
this information is
important to know and
use in their practice as
clinical supervisors.
Each learner to
discuss one
reason why the
information is
important to
know and use in
their practice as
clinical
supervisors.

Advance
Organizer for
the Next Unit
3 Connect content about the learning
cycle and providing feedback to
encouraging metacompetence and self-
reflection in clinical supervision.

Provide the following reflection
prompt to be answered in Google
Classroom outside of instruction time
between Unit 5 and Unit 6: How do
you plan to modify or add to your
practice of providing feedback to your
supervisees?

Instructor to provide short
preview of next lesson
discussing the
encouragement of
metacompetence and self-
reflection in supervisees.

Small amount of bullet
points on PowerPoint
slides will be used to
present this information.

Instructor to explain
prompt to learners and ask
learners to reference
Google Classroom guide
in order to understand
where to post reflection.
Learners will
read bullet
points on slide
and will listen
to instructor
give short
preview.

Learners to
access Google
Classroom
outside of
session and
answer prompt
provided.

Total Time 90

255

Slide 1

How to Provide Evaluation and
Feedback in Clinical Supervision
Unit Five

256

Slide 2

Warm‐Up
Think back to your experiences
participating in clinical supervision.
In what way/format did you receive
feedback from your clinical
supervisors?
Warm up your brain (n.d)

Say: Read the prompt on the slide and write a short reflection answering it.

Ask learners to get into small groups and discuss reflection

Bring back whole group and ask:
What were some of the major themes that emerged from reflections shared in the group?

Say: Set a personal learning goal of what you would like to learn or have more knowledge of by
the end of this unit relating to effective clinical supervision.

Warm up your brain [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/childrens-
responsive-ichef-live/r/720/1x/cbbc/SSG_Warm_Your_Brain_Intro_Image.png.

257

Slide 3

Learning Objectives
At the end of this unit, you will be able to demonstrate their ability in:
Identifying
components they
find challenging to
execute in their
practice as
supervisor
Facilitating a
feedback
conversation
Reflecting upon
their ability to give
feedback to a
supervisee

Say: This lesson will primarily focus on the supervisorial relationship and alliance

By the end of this unit, you will be able to demonstrate your ability in:
Animation 1: Identifying components they find challenging to execute in their practice as
supervisor in a short paragraph answering a prompt.
Animation 2: Facilitating a feedback conversation by obtaining at least an 80% on the peer and
instructor feedback rating scale.
Animation 3: Reflecting upon their ability to give feedback to a supervisee in the future by
writing a four-sentence paragraph.

258

Slide 4

Benefits and Risks
Psychotherapy (n.d.)

Say: (animation 1) There are many benefits to learning the information from this unit. One of
them is that learning about the learning cycle and providing effective feedback to supervisees
helps supervisors promote learning and growth in their supervisees in addition to enhancing
supervisees’ clinical practice and client care.

Say: (animation 2) In contrast, not knowing or learning about the learning cycle and providing
feedback negatively impacts a supervisor's ability to teach a supervisee effective clinical practice
and client care.

Psychotherapy [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://renaissancelifetherapies.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/03/psychotherapy-4.png

Confused [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://reclaimthemenopause.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/confused-and-young-
30426e87f307615e5b571ae50591e15b.jpg.

259

Slide 5

Learning Activities
Training (n.d.)
Role plays (n.d.)

Say: In our previous lesson, we explored how to assess a supervisee’s clinical practice and
clinical ability using competencies. Assessing a supervisee’s ability and clinical practice are
aligned with today’s lesson of providing feedback since it we should be providing feedback after
evaluating our employees.

Say: Some of the learning activities we will engage in are: Direct instruction surrounding the
learning cycle and providing feedback, small group activity, an opportunity to role play, and
opportunity to provide feedback to your peers.

Before transitioning, ask: “Why is feedback important to a supervisee’s learning process?”

Training [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.trainingmagazine.ae/wp-
content/uploads/2015/03/training1.jpg

Role plays [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://improaustralia.com.au/wp-
content/uploads/2016/06/role-play-image-aqua.jpg

260

Slide 6

Knowledge Review
• How do supervisee’s learn?
• How do you provide feedback to your supervisees?

Instructor to ask questions above and discuss.

Ask: Did anybody have trouble accessing Google Classroom?

If answer is affirmative, answer questions and reference back to Google Classroom Guide.

261

Slide 7

Evaluative Feedback
Supervisee Self‐Assessment
Metacompetency and Reflection

Say: In our previous unit, we explored the process of selecting competencies, establishing goals,
and the selection of ways we would gather data to determine if competencies were met. Those
three components were part of the evaluation process. Today, we will be exploring these three
components of the evaluation process. What I will demonstrate is that supervisee self-assessment
and metacompetence and self-reflection are embedded in the process of communicating feedback
to the supervisee. Today, we will be following a feedback model outlined in Falender and
Shafranske (2017). Before we begin discussing the process of giving feedback, I want to review
the learning cycle, which was a concept we briefly discussed in our first unit.

262

Slide 8

Learning
Cycle
Falender and Shafranske (2017)
Performance
Supervisee performs
psychological service
Supervisee Self‐
assessment
Observation
Direct Observation
(live supervision
and/or review of
recorded sessions
Review of client
feedback
Reflection
Supervisor and
supervisee
individually and
together reflect on
observations
Feedback/Evaluation
Supervisor encourages
supervisee self‐
assessment and provides
formative evaluation/
feedback and summative
evaluation factoring in
client outcome
assessment
Planning
Identifies
interventions/procedures
to be performed
Instruction and
experiential learning
activities

Say: This is the learning cycle. As you may remember, we briefly covered this cycle in the first
unit. The learning cycle can start at any point, however, for the sake of learning this process, we
will begin with the “planning” component.
Planning is important because this is, perhaps, where we can identify a skill that either we wish
our supervisee to learn or they identify themselves. During the planning process, we want to
provide not only instruction, but also activities (e.g., modeling, practice, targeted feedback after
performance) that we guide so that the supervisee can engage in the skill.
(animation1) Following the planning phase, we ask that the supervisee perform the skill during
the services. This will provide the supervisee further practice in real life settings. The
performance phase should include the component of supervisee self-assessments. This is when
we ask the supervisee to tell us how they think they performed. This provides the supervisor with
insight into the supervisee’s perceptions of their performance. This can also help the supervisee
in the metacognitive process. Metacognition is the process of knowing what we do not know.
(animation2) The “performance” phase should be followed by “observation.” This consists of the
supervisor observing the supervisee engaging in the skill. A lot of the time, this is done through
audio or visual recordings. Sometimes, this may also be a live observation of the supervisee in
co-therapy sessions. Client feedback can also be included in the “observation” phase.
(animation 3) We will follow this with the “reflection” phase in which the supervisor reflects on
the observations collaboratively and independently. Self-reflection is a skill that further enhances
metacompetence.
(animation 4) We conclude with the “feedback/evaluation” phase in which the supervisor asks
the supervisee to self-assess again followed by the supervisor providing feedback about the
performance (animation 5-blanks all)

263

Slide 9

Feedback/Evaluation
Supervisor encourages
supervisee self‐assessment
and provides formative
evaluation/ feedback and
summative evaluation
factoring in client outcome
assessment

Say: Feedback/evaluation is an important phase of the learning cycle. Therefore, the rest of this
lesson will focus on this phase primarily. I will be providing you a guide to providing feedback.

Facilitate short discussion about each step associated to giving feedback. Explain that there are
many frameworks for giving feedback and that this one is a basic framework incorporating a
discussion about competencies.

264

Slide 10

Practice
• Review steps for giving feedback
• Formulate a conversation using steps
• Write conversation points in Guide to Giving Feedback
• Role‐play conversation with peer

Say: Since we now know that engaging in the performance of a skill is important to our
supervisee’s learning of knowledge, we too, will also engage in practice. First, even though we
have already reviewed some steps to giving feedback, please briefly review them for yourself.
Then, develop some conversation points of what you would say to a supervisee for each of those
steps. You will be using these steps during your role pay with a peer. Your steps should help you
guide the conversation.
You will each evaluate your peers and you will receive both feedback from peers and from me.

265

Slide 11

Reflection
Reflect on the specific
phases/components of the
Learning Cycle you believe may be
challenges in your work as a
clinical supervisor.

Unit assessment

Instruct learners to read prompt and compose written reflection.

After learners compose reflection, ask each learner to share part of their reflection and how it’s
connected to their learning goal.

266

Slide 12

Review
Performance
Observation
Reflection
Feedback/
Evaluation
Planning

Say: The learning cycle provides us with a framework in the evaluation of a supervisee. Within
this framework, we provide feedback, which is essential to a supervisee’s learning process.
Feedback helps a supervisee know how well they performed, which areas they excel at, and
which areas they need further work.

What are some of the reasons why you believe these are important components to know and use
in your practice as a supervisor?

Contract [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://commettelaw.com/wp-
content/uploads/2017/04/Contract-Law-Ft-Lauderdale-Florida.jpg.

267

Slide 13

Next Unit
Knowledge gap (n.d.)

Say: We briefly touched upon metacompetence and self-reflection in the last unit and in this unit.
However, we will be focusing more on these concepts in the following unit. From what we
learned thus far, both metacompetence and self-reflection enhance our supervisee’s learning and
understanding of areas of further growth.

Knowledge gap [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://talkroute.com/wp-
content/uploads/2016/06/knowledge-gap.jpg.

268

Slide 14

Reflection Homework
How do you plan to modify or
add to your practice of
providing feedback to your
supervisees?

Say: Log on to Google Classroom and complete reflection. This reflection should be at least four
sentences in length but can be longer if desired. Please reference the Google Classroom Guide if
you have any questions about accessing the assignment.

269

Slide 15

Question mark (n.d.)

Are there any questions about anything discussed thus far or anything that will be coming up in
the next unit?

Question mark [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://moziru.com/images/question-mark-
clipart-fancy-11.jpg

270

Slide 16

References
• Falender . C. A. & Shafranske, E. P . (2017). Supervision essentials for the
practice of competency‐based supervision. Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association.
• Falender, C. A., & Shafranske, E. P . (2004). Clinical supervision: A
competency‐based approach. Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.

271

Guide to Giving Feedback

Steps Example
Ask supervisee to self-reflect on their skill
performance and to self-assess their abilities
after the performance.

Supervisor to draw connection between
observation of supervisee’s performance and
specific competency

Supervisor to communicate their assessment
of the performance (i.e., meets expectation,
exceeds expectation, below expectation).
Outline strengths and areas needing further
growth.

Ask supervisee for opinion on areas needing
more work and to make any further
statements.

272

Sample
Instructor Modeling Example

Steps Example
Ask supervisee to self-reflect on their skill
performance and to self-assess their abilities
after the performance.
“John, how did your assessment with client
Smith go? How do you think you did during
the assessment and in the write up of your
assessment to this client?”
Supervisor to draw connection between
observation of supervisee’s performance and
specific competency
“As you may remember, we had outlined a
goal for you to work on specific to effectively
assessing clients at our clinic. As part of
helping you build this very important
competency in your clinical practice, I would
be evaluating you in various ways. This is
why I sat in on your assessment with client
Smith and read your final report very
carefully.”
Supervisor to communicate their assessment
of the performance (i.e., meets expectation,
exceeds expectation, below expectation).
Outline strengths and areas needing further
growth.
“What I observed during your assessment of
client Smith was very promising. I know that
effectively assessing clients is a big challenge
for new MH providers such as yourself. I
noticed that you were able to use great
clarification statements with the client, you
were able to empathize with Smith when he
communicated some of the difficulties he was
experiencing, and you clearly explained to
him why this assessment was a necessary
process in the therapeutic process. There are a
couple of areas where I believe you can
continue working on. Asking more open-
ended questions is often a challenge for new

273

providers that I also observed you having.
However, I believe that with more practice,
you will be using these types of questions
more frequently. Open ended questions are
important to the assessment process because
they allow for a deeper exploration of the
client’s mental health concern. Another thing
that I believe you should continue working on
is your justification of the client’s diagnosis
within the assessment. Even though you
provided the client with what I also believe is
the correct diagnosis, you will want to also be
very clear how you determined that diagnosis
in your written-up report.”
Ask supervisee for opinion on areas needing
more work and to make any further
statements.
“Do you feel that the areas I outlined as
needing more improvement align with your
perceptions of what you need to work on? Is
there anything else you would like to work
on?”

Content of this guide based upon feedback steps outlined in:
Falender. C. A. & Shafranske, E. P. (2017). Supervision essentials for the practice of competency-
based supervision. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

274

Appendix J
Unit Six Lesson Plan and Associated Materials-
How do you Encourage Metacompetence, Self-Assessment, and Self-Reflection of their
Clinical Abilities and Knowledge?

Unit Duration: 90 minutes

Introduction: This is the sixth unit of this eight-unit course which will add to learners’ knowledge of
metacompetence and self-regulation. The purpose of this unit is to teach you how to encourage metacompetence
and self-reflection in your supervisees for the purpose of growth and professional development.

Learning Objective(s)
Terminal Objective:
● Given a scenario in which a supervisor is encouraging metacompetence, learners will demonstrate their
ability to identify the behaviors that represent metacompetence within a vignette with 80% accuracy.
● Given a list of question stems that lead to open ended responses, learners will demonstrate their ability to
encourage metacompetence and self-reflection in their supervisees by developing at least five open ended
questions they would use with their supervisees.
● Using the list of questions developed to encourage metacompetence and self-reflection in clinical
supervision, learners will demonstrate their ability to facilitate a conversation with a supervisee that
incorporates metacompetence and self-reflection by obtaining an 80% on the self and instructor feedback
rating scale.
● Given an explanation of the benefits of metacompetence in a supervisee’s learning process, learners will
reflect upon their current incorporation of this skill and their plan to use it in their clinical supervision
practice by completing a four-sentence paragraph of this reflection.
Enabling Objective(s):
● Knowledge about reflection.
● Ability to analyze a vignette.
● Knowledge about what an open-ended question is.
● Ability to compose open-ended questions.
● Ability to work and collaborate in small groups.
● Ability to role play with a peer.
● Ability to provide feedback to a peer using a rating scale.
● Ability to reflect by writing short paragraph answering a prompt.
● Know of what Google Classroom is and how to access it.

Lesson Materials
● Unit Six presentation slides
● Google Classroom Guide-As needed
● Metacompetence/Self-Reflection Vignette Worksheet
● Questions Worksheet
● Feedback Form-See Unit Two materials

Learner Characteristic Accommodations
This course will be taken live with an instructor present. The last written reflection will be completed on Google
Classroom. Learners to be provided with guide on how to access this portal.

Facilitator’s Notes
This is a live, in-person course which includes the requirement to access the Google Classroom portal after session
time. The instructor should ensure that learners are provided with practice and timely feedback. See the table below
for specific Instructor Action/Decision (Supplantive events of instruction).

275

Instructional Activities
Instructional
Sequence
Time
(mins)
Description of the
Learning Activity
Instructor
Action/Decision
(Supplantive)
Learner Action/
Decision
(Generative)
Gain
Attention
2 Prompt on the board which states:
Think back to your experiences
participating in clinical supervision.
What do you wish you knew then that
you now?

Instructor to guide
learners to read prompt
and reflect in their minds.

Ask learners to share past
experiences with a
partner.

Facilitate whole group
discussion by asking
learners to share themes
that emerged within their
discussions.

Ask learners to set
personal learning goal for
this unit.
Learners will
reflect upon their
previous self-
reflecting.

Learners to set a
personal goal for
this unit and to
think about how
it will help them
achieve their
personal course
goal established
during the course
overview lesson.
Learning
Objectives
1 Learning objectives are presented
visually on PowerPoint slide.
Instructor visually shares
learning objective with
learners and answers
questions if asked.
Learners to read
learning
objectives from
projected
PowerPoint slide
and ask any
questions if they
arise.
Reasons for
Learning
- Benefits
- Risks
1 Benefits: learning about and helping
supervisees engage in
metacompetence and self-reflection
enhances their learning of clinical
practices and helps supervisors create
awareness of areas of growth and
development for the supervisee.

Risks: not knowing or learning about
metacompetence and self-reflection in
the clinical supervision process may
harm supervisees learning process and
may lead to a lack of awareness in
areas of growth and development for
supervisee.
Instructor verbally
communicates both
benefits of and risks of
not knowing or learning
about metacompetence
and self-awareness
development for
supervisees receiving
clinical supervision.

Visual images will be
used to illustrate risk and
benefits on a PowerPoint
slide.

Learners view
images of risk
and benefits.
Furthermore,
they will listen
to the instructor
explaining risk
and benefits.

Overview
- Prior
Knowledge
- New
Knowledge
- Learning
Strategies

2 Previous lesson covered components
of the learning cycle and giving
feedback to supervisees.

Prior knowledge of the learning cycle
can be connected to metacompetence
and feedback as these are components
embedded within the learning cycle.
Instructor to verbalize
connection between the
learning cycle and giving
feedback to
metacompetence and
self-reflection.
Instructor explains
learning activities
including lecture, small
Learners to listen
to instructor
draw
connections
between
previous lesson
and current
lesson.

276

(What you
already
know...what
you are going
to learn...and
how you are
going to learn
it.)
group activities, role
plays, the opportunity to
provide and receive
feedback.

Learning activities will
be briefly summarized on
PowerPoint slide.

Instructor to use guiding
question: “How do you
use self-reflection in your
practice as clinical
supervisor?”
Learners to
follow along on
PowerPoint slide
and instructor
during
explanation of
learning
activities.
Prerequisite
Knowledge
4 Brief definition of what the concept of
metacompetence is. Explanation of
self-reflection is in the context of this
lesson.

Assess prior knowledge about
metacompetence and the
encouragement of self-reflection in
learners’ practice as clinical
supervisors.

Assess for issues learners may have
experienced in accessing Google
Classroom.

Instructor to briefly
define the concept of
metacompetence and
explain what self-
reflection is in the
context of this lesson.

Instructor to ask learners
to discuss how they
reflect about the things
that they know and do
not know (i.e.,
metacompetence) and if
they encourage their
supervisees in the use of
self-reflection in their
training as mental health
professionals.

Instructor to reference
guide explaining how to
access and use Google
Classroom.

Learners to listen
to instructor
briefly define
metacompetence
and explain self-
reflection in the
clinical
supervision
process.

Learners to
engage in
discussion with
instructor about
their own
metacompetence
and how they
use self-
reflection in their
supervision
practice.

Learners to
reference Google
Classroom guide
if needed.
Learning
Guidance
- Lecture
- Demo.
15 Provide direct instruction on the
concept of metacompetence and self-
reflection in clinical supervision.

Modeling of conversation with
supervisee encouraging
metacompetence and self-reflection.
Through PowerPoint
slides incorporating
audio and visual
representations of
information, instructor to
provide direct instruction
the concepts of
metacompetence and
self-reflection in clinical
supervision with
supervisees.

Learners to listen
intently to
instruction about
metacompetence
and self-
reflection.

Learners to take
notes and ask
questions
relating to
material as
needed.

277

Instructor to model a
conversation with a
supervisee using open
ended questions that
promote metacompetence
and self-reflection.

Learners to
observe
instructor
modeling
conversation
with supervisee
which
demonstrates the
promotion of
metacompetence
and self-
reflection.
Practice and
Feedback
50 Prompt to engage learners in activity
in which they will identify behaviors
aligned with encouraging
metacompetence and self-reflection in
clinical supervision.

Opportunity to engage in a role play of
a conversation with supervisee
promoting metacompetence and self-
reflection.

Instructor to explain all
activities that will be
used for practice
including the
identification of
metacompetence and
self-reflection
components in the
metacompetence/ self-
reflection vignette
worksheet, development
of open ended questions
that promote
metacompetence and
self-reflection using the
questions worksheet, and
role play.

Engage learners in whole
group discussion about
components identified in
metacompetence/self-
reflection vignette
worksheet and ask
learners to grade peer’s
learning cycle activity
worksheet.

Instruct learners to
develop open ended
questions on questions
worksheet and to use
those questions during
role play.

Instructor to provide
feedback verbally and on
feedback from after each
role play that is
practiced.
Learners to
receive
metacompetence
/ self-reflection
vignette
worksheet, read
vignette,
and identify
components of
metacompetence
and self-
reflection.

After
identification of
components,
learners to
engage in
discussion about
components of
metacompetence
and self-
reflection and
grade peer’s
learning cycle
activity
worksheet.

Learners to
develop open
ended questions
using questions
worksheet that
can be used in a
conversation
with a supervisee
to promote self-
reflection and
matacompetence

278

Additional practice and
explanation will be given
if learner’s role plays do
not exemplify content
covered in lesson.
Learners to
engage in role
play with a peer
depicting a
conversation
with a supervisee
using questions
developed
during previous
activity.

Learner to self-
rate performance
using self-
feedback form.

Learners will
acknowledge
feedback
received by
instructor and
will re-engage in
role playing
components that
require
correction.
Authentic
Assessment
5 Opportunity for reflection about
encouraging metacompetence and self-
reflection in clinical supervision.

Instructor to provide
explanation about
assessment and will
direct learners to journal
reflection.
Learners to
compose and
write short
reflection
answering
prompt.
Retention
and Transfer
5 Opportunities for retention and
transfer of information to be provided
in order to reinforce learning. Sharing
reflection associated to the
encouraging metacompetence and self-
reflection in clinical supervision.
Instructor to ask each
learner to share a quick
summary of their
reflection and to make
connections between
what they journaled to
the personal learning
goal established at the
beginning of this unit and
at the beginning of the
course.
Learners to share
a quick summary
of their
reflection and to
make a
connection
between their
reflection and
their personal
learning goal
established at the
beginning of unit
and during the
Course
Overview.
Big Ideas

2 Review and re-motivate: review major
ideas associated to metacompetence
and self-reflection in clinical
supervision.

Instructor to provide
brief review of
information covered in
this lesson using a
PowerPoint slide
Each learner to
discuss one
reason why the
information is
important to
know and use in

279

Re-state importance of having and
using knowledge presented.

highlighting the big
ideas.

Instructor to ask learners
to share why they believe
this information is
important to know and
use in their practice as
clinical supervisors.
their practice as
clinical
supervisors.

Advance
Organizer for
the Next Unit
3 Connect content about
metacompetence and self-reflection to
issues with burnout (e.g., encouraging
self-reflection can serve as an
exploratory tool for in the prevention
of burnout).

Provide the following reflection
prompt to be answered in Google
Classroom outside of instruction time
between Unit 6 and Unit 7: How do
you currently use metacognition and
self-reflection in your practice as a
clinical supervisor and how do you
plan to enhance this your practice
after this lesson?

Instructor to provide
short preview of next
lesson discussing the
impact of burnout on
supervisees’ wellbeing.

Small amount of bullet
points on PowerPoint
slides will be used to
present this information.

Instructor to explain
prompt to learners and
ask learners to reference
Google Classroom guide
in order to understand
where to post reflection.
Learners will
read bullet points
on slide and will
listen to
instructor give
short preview.

Learners to
access Google
Classroom
outside of
session and
answer prompt
provided.

Total Time 90

280

Slide 1

How to Encourage
Metacompetence, Self‐
Assessment, & Self‐Reflection of
their Clinical Abilities and
Knowledge
Unit Six

281

Slide 2

Warm‐Up
Think back to your experiences
participating in clinical supervision.
What do you wish you knew then as a
newer therapist that you know now?
Warm up your brain (n.d)

Say: Read the prompt on the slide and write a short reflection answering it.

Ask learners to get into small groups and discuss reflection

Bring back whole group and ask:
What were some of the major themes that emerged from reflections shared in the group?

Say: Set a personal learning goal of what you would like to learn or have more knowledge of by
the end of this unit relating to effective clinical supervision.

Warm up your brain [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/childrens-
responsive-ichef-live/r/720/1x/cbbc/SSG_Warm_Your_Brain_Intro_Image.png.

282

Slide 3

Learning Objectives
At the end of this unit, you will be able to demonstrate your ability in:
Demonstrating their
ability to identify
the behaviors that
represent
metacompetence
within a vignette.
Demonstrating their
ability to encourage
metacompetence
and self‐reflection in
their supervisees.
Facilitating a
conversation with a
supervisee that
incorporates
metacompetence
and self‐reflection.
Reflecting upon
their current
incorporation of this
skill and their plan
to use it in their
clinical supervision
practice.

Say: This lesson will primarily focus on the supervisorial relationship and alliance

By the end of this unit, you will be able to demonstrate your ability in:
Animation 1: identifying the behaviors that represent metacompetence within a vignette with
80% accuracy.
Animation 2: encouraging metacompetence and self-reflection in their supervisees by developing
at least five open ended questions they would use with their supervisees.
Animation 3: facilitating a conversation with a supervisee that incorporates metacompetence and
self-reflection by obtaining an 80% on the peer and instructor feedback rating scale.
Animation 4: Reflecting upon their current incorporation of this skill and their plan to use it in
their clinical supervision practice by completing a four-sentence paragraph of this reflection.

283

Slide 4

Benefits and Risks
Awareness (n.d.)

Say: (animation 1) There are many benefits to learning the information from this unit. One of
them is that learning about and helping supervisees engage in metacompetence and self-
reflection enhances their learning of clinical practices and helps supervisors create awareness of
areas of growth and development for the supervisee.
In contrast, not knowing or learning about metacompetence and self-reflection in the clinical
supervision process may harm a supervisee learning process and may lead to a lack of awareness
in areas of growth and development for supervisee.

Awareness [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.thevortex.me/wp-
content/uploads/2014/06/awareness.jpg

284

Slide 5

Learning Activities
Training (n.d.)
Role plays (n.d.)
Meeting (n.d.)

Say: In our previous lesson, we explored the phases/components of the learning cycle and some
steps to giving feedback. Metacompetence and reflection are components embedded in the
learning cycle.

Say: Some of the learning activities we will engage in are: Direct instruction surrounding the
concepts of self-reflection and metacompetence, a short activity that will incorporate group
discussion, and a role play. You will also be providing and receiving feedback from peers.

Before transitioning, ask: “How do you use self-reflection in your practice as clinical
supervisor?”

Training [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.trainingmagazine.ae/wp-
content/uploads/2015/03/training1.jpg

Meeting [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/593d37031b631b4d312c4452/t/59dd09aebce176985870ecc
9/1501731927567/.

Role plays [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://improaustralia.com.au/wp-
content/uploads/2016/06/role-play-image-aqua.jpg

285

Slide 6

Knowledge Review
• How do you currently use self‐reflection and
metacompetence in your clinical supervision practice?

Say: Many of us may have received some training in reflective practices within supervision.
Others may understand what reflection means in general. For the purposes of this lesson, we will
be discussing the practice of asking our supervisees to reflect on their skills and performance. We
will also be asking to think about knowledge they currently do not possess, which we will be
referring to as ‘metacompetence.’ Metacompetence is a major component found in competency
based clinical supervision.

Instructor to ask questions above and discuss.

Ask: Did anybody have trouble accessing Google Classroom?

If answer is affirmative, answer questions and reference back to Google Classroom Guide.

286

Slide 7

Metacompetence
• Difficult to achieve
• Underestimate abilities
• Limits our efficacy
• Overestimate abilities
• Inaccurate assessment of ability

Say: Metacompetence is a metacognitive process that is difficult to achieve and takes constant
practice. As we have previously discussed, metacompetence is our ability, in whatever role we
are in, to understand the areas of knowledge we possess and the areas of knowledge we lack.
Most of the time, supervisors and supervisees alike underestimate their abilities regarding skills.
They do not believe they are performing the skill accurately or to the fullest extent. This often
leads to lack of efficacy and low confidence in performing that skill. In contrast, some
supervisors and supervisees overestimate their abilities in regards to a skill, leading to inaccurate
assessments of their abilities and mistakes in the performance of that skill.

287

Slide 8

Metacompetence
Self‐
Assessment
Development of
competence
Growth in
professional
practice
Reflection

Say: Metacompetence relies on the process of self-assessment. Self-assessment is the process of
an individual (i.e., supervisee) thinking and evaluating their skill performance. The more a
supervisor encourages a supervisee to accurately self-assess, the more metacompetence they will
be able to develop since they may start to become observant of the areas they need further
practice and knowledge in. Self-assessment helps to further enhance the development of
competence in specific skills and is an essential process to professional practice, development,
and growth. Furthermore, reflection is the component that allows self-assessment to occur
(animation1). In the process of self-assessment, we will be asking our supervisees to reflect on
how they performed, what they did well, what they could improve upon. The supervisor will also
reflect upon the supervisee’s ability during the evaluation process.

288

Slide 9

Performance
Observation
Reflection
Feedback/
Evaluation
Planning
Who?
How?
Why?
What?

Say: In effect, we should be able to reflect in each one of the phases of the learning cycle, not
just in the reflection phase. In each phase, we can pose questions to our supervisees or we can
ask them to ask reflection questions to themselves. The questions we ask are ones that should
provoke deeper thinking. We often may use (animation 1) open ended questions with steps such
as who?, what?, why?, how? There are more types of questions that we can ask beyond what
these stems allow for, but these should help to give you an idea as to how to help a supervisee
explore deeper into their abilities.

As supervisors, we can also explore our own abilities as well. We may decide to ask ourselves
questions about what we know, what we don’t know, or even how can better help our supervisees
learn.

Contract [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://commettelaw.com/wp-
content/uploads/2017/04/Contract-Law-Ft-Lauderdale-Florida.jpg.

289

Slide 10

Encouraging Reflection and Metacompetence
In what ways have
you gotten better at
assessing clients in
our clinic?
What did you learn
about yourself after
assessing the first two
clients?
In what ways did your
performance align
with the competency
of assessing clients
effectively?
What will you change
next time you assess
clients?

Say: Here, I will be presenting you with some examples of the types of questions that can help a
supervisee reflect deeper on their abilities. Let’s follow the same scenario we have discussed
previously about having our supervisees learn how to effectively assess clients at a clinic.
(Animation 1) We may choose to start with a question such as this one which provokes back-
looking reflection in which the supervisee thinking about how they have improved already.
(Animation 2) We may also choose to ask a question that provokes an inward-looking reflection
about what they learned about themselves as an assessor. (Animation 3) We may also ask a
question that seeks to move the learner to reflect outwardly so that they can analyze how their
performance measured up against the competency that was previously outlined. (Animation 4)
Or, we may ask a question that helps them reflect about how they will move forward and how
they will change their performance in the future.

Instructor modeling:
Scenario: supervisee has been working on increasing assessment skill set after starting work at
clinic a few month ago.

Using questions above, instructor to model conversation with a supervisee (learner volunteer
needed)

290

Slide 11

Practice
• Analyze vignette
• Use Metacompetence/Self‐Reflection Vignette Worksheet
• Identify reflection and metacompetence components
• Formulate open ended questions
• Use Questions Worksheet
• Role play with peer

Say: We will be practicing some skills today as well. We will first analyze a vignette which
illustrates metacompetence and reflection. Within the vignette, highlight and make note when
you read a section that illustrates either one or both of these concepts. We will get into small
groups afterward and discuss the vignette.
After our short discussion, you will each formulate select a competency (can be any you think of
or from ones we previously read in the APA competency list and develop a set of four open
ended questions. I will be providing you with a worksheet to complete this task.
You will then get into pairs and role play for the class a conversation using those four questions.
You will receive feedback from peers and you will also provide feedback to peers.

291

Slide 12

Reflection
Reflect on the overall process of
encouraging metacompetence
and self‐reflection in clinical
supervision

Unit assessment

Instruct learners to read prompt and compose written reflection.

After learners compose reflection, ask each learner to share part of their reflection and how it’s
connected to their learning goal.

292

Slide 13

Reflection
Metacompetence
Self‐
Assessment
Development of
competence
Growth in
professional
practice

Review

Say: Today, we dove deeper into the processes surrounding metacompetence, self-assessment,
and self-reflection. (Animation 1) Metacompetence involves the process of self-assessment
(animation 2). Self-assessment is not possible without reflection (animation 3). Reflection is such
an essential concept to the survival of both self-assessment and metacompetence. When we ask
our supervisees to reflect in the self-assessment process, we help them to (animation 4) develop
competence and to growth the practice as MH providers.

293

Slide 14

Next Unit
Weathering the storm of job burnout (n.d.)

Say: Over the span of the next three lessons, we will be shifting gears into discussing two major
problems commonly observed in our supervisees. Burnout and compassion fatigue are issues
commonly experienced by our supervisees. As supervisors, we must work together to build
knowledge about these issues and to help them develop a strong plan to help them manage the
symptoms that might arise because of burnout and compassion fatigue. At first glance, reflection
may not seem like a concept that is associated to both burnout and compassion fatigue. However,
you will find that it can actually help in the promotion of wellness.

Weathering the storm of job burnout [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.saratmd.com/files/2013/07/Weathering-the-Storm-of-Job-Burnout-1-C-
1024x1024.jpg.

294

Slide 15

Reflection Homework
How do you currently use
metacognition and self‐
reflection in your practice as a
clinical supervisor and how do
you plan to enhance this your
practice after this lesson?

Say: Log on to Google Classroom and complete reflection. This reflection should be at least four
sentences in length but can be longer if desired. Please reference the Google Classroom Guide if
you have any questions about accessing the assignment.

295

Slide 16

Question mark (n.d.)

Are there any questions about anything discussed thus far or anything that will be coming up in
the next unit?

Question mark [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://moziru.com/images/question-mark-
clipart-fancy-11.jpg

296

Slide 17

References
• Falender . C. A. & Shafranske, E. P . (2017). Supervision essentials for the
practice of competency‐based supervision. Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association.
• Falender, C. A., & Shafranske, E. P . (2004). Clinical supervision: A
competency‐based approach. Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.

297

Metacompetence/Self-Reflection Vignette Worksheet
Clinical supervisor Rachel began working with Tori two months ago after she started
working as a new MH assessor at the agency. Rachel was aware, after reviewing Tori’s resume
during the hiring process that she has some experience working at clinics before and most likely
has experience in assessing client for service necessity and diagnosis.
Tori has been working as a mental health assessor over the span of the last two months
and came to the agency wanting to improve her skills in this area. Rachel and Tori together
agreed that this would be an essential area for Tori to build competency since assessing new
clients would be a major part of her job.
Rachel and Tori met for a schedule supervision session at the end of the day, where they
began discussing how Tori is doing regarding client assessments at the agency.

Rachel: Tori, how’s it going today for you?
Tori: It’s going well. Today, I focused on finishing up my recent assessments of the newest
clients at our agency. I think I’m getting used to the format of assessments here at this clinic.
They were somewhat different where I used to work.
Rachel: Tell me how you feel the assessment formats are similar and different.
Tori: For one, the assessments I am tasked with completing here are more detailed, longer, and
have a bigger focus on gathering information on the client’s developmental stages. The
assessments I used to do at my old clinic focused more so on environmental factors, such as
school issues.
Rachel: I see that you were able to pick up on the differences quickly. Where there aspects of the
assessments you have completed so far which you found easy or difficult to get at?
Tori: I thought it was fairly easy to ask demographic type of questions and to gather information
on factors I used to ask at my old clinic, such as school related issues. However, I found it
difficult to gather significant information relating to the developmental stages of the client. One
of the client’s parents I met with today had a hard time remembering some of the information.
Maybe I wasn’t asking the right questions.

298

Rachel: Sounds like you had a harder time in certain sections of the assessment. Perhaps the
ones you aren’t quite as familiar with. This is normal at this point since you started working with
us a few months ago and you are still getting used to it. I did want to ask you, if you could rate
yourself on a scale from one to ten, ten being you did amazing and one being you struggled
significantly, what would you rate yourself?
Tori: I would say I performed at a 4 today. I struggled, but I was still able to use some skills to
get by.
Rachel: This gives me a better idea of how much you feel you struggled. What aspects of
assessments and evaluations do you feel you would need to work on in order to become better
able to perform your job?

299

Questions Worksheet

Instructions: Identify a competency you will be basing your role play on. Then, develop at least
one question aligned with the reflection types identified below. You will be using these questions
in a role play with your peer.

Competency:

Type of Reflective Question Question
Backward-Looking Reflection

Inward-Looking Reflection

Outward-Looking Reflection

Forward-Looking Reflection

300

Worked Example

Competency:
Assessing and evaluation of clients

Type of Reflective Question Question
Backward-Looking Reflection  How much did you know about
assessing and evaluating clients before
you started to do this?
 In your other work experiences, have
you had to assess and evaluate clients?

Inward-Looking Reflection  How do you feel about assessing and
evaluating clients?
 What did you find easy (or difficult)
about assessing and evaluating
clients?

Outward-Looking Reflection  What did your previous supervisors
tell you about your ability to evaluate
and assess clients?
 If someone else were reading your
written assessments, what would they
say?

Forward-Looking Reflection  What is one way you can improve
your assessment and evaluation of
clients?
 What are some of the aspects of
assessment and evaluation that you
would want more help in?

301

Appendix K
Unit Seven Lesson Plan and Associated Materials-
Understanding the Impact of Burnout and Compassion Fatigue on Supervisee Wellbeing

Unit Duration: 90 minutes

Introduction: This is the seventh unit of this eight-unit course which will add to learners’ knowledge of the impact
of burnout on supervisees’ wellbeing. The purpose of this unit is to teach you the factors that contribute to burnout
in supervisees and how to assess for burnout.

Learning Objective(s)
Terminal Objective:
● Given factors that contribute to burnout and compassion fatigue, learners will demonstrate their ability to
assess burnout or compassion fatigue in a supervised by obtaining at least an 80% in a self and instructor
feedback scale.
● Given a scenario of a supervisee struggling with burnout or compassion fatigue, learners will demonstrate
their ability to collaboratively develop a plan to assist the supervisee manage burnout and compassion
fatigue by identifying one strategy to use with a supervisee during a discussion with the whole group.
● Given the consequences of burnout and compassion fatigue, learners will reflect on the impact burnout and
compassion fatigue have on supervisees’ wellbeing and client care by completing a four sentence.
Enabling Objective(s):
● Knowledge of burnout and compassion fatigue.
● Knowledge about assessment.
● Ability to engage in role play with a peer.
● Ability to provide feedback to instructor.
● Ability to reflect by writing short paragraph answering a prompt.
● Know of what Google Classroom is and how to access it.

Lesson Materials
● Unit Seven presentation slides
● Google Classroom Guide-As needed
● Maslach Burnout Inventory
● Collaborative Wellness Plan
● Feedback Form-See Unit Two materials
● Black writing paper

Learner Characteristic Accommodations
This course will be taken live with an instructor present. The last written reflection will be completed on Google
Classroom. Learners to be provided with guide on how to access this portal.

Facilitator’s Notes
This is a live, in-person course which includes the requirement to access the Google Classroom portal after session
time. The instructor should ensure that learners are provided with practice and timely feedback. See the table below
for specific Instructor Action/Decision (Supplantive events of instruction).

Instructional Activities
Instructional
Sequence
Time
(mins)
Description of the
Learning Activity
Instructor
Action/Decision
(Supplantive)
Learner Action/
Decision
(Generative)
Gain
Attention
1 Prompt on the board stating: Think
back to your experiences participating
in clinical supervision.
Instructor to guide
learners to read prompt
and reflect in their minds.
Learners will
reflect upon
their previous

302

How were the concept of burnout and
compassion fatigue talked about
and/or addressed in your own past
clinical supervision experiences?

Ask learners to share past
experiences with a
partner.

Facilitate whole group
discussion by asking
learners to share themes
that emerged within their
discussions.

Ask learners to set
personal learning goal for
this unit.

experiences
receiving
supervision in
which burnout
and/ or
compassion
fatigue was
talked about and
addressed.

Learners to set a
personal goal for
this unit and to
think about how
it will help them
achieve their
personal course
goal established
during the
course overview
lesson.
Learning
Objectives
1 Learning objectives are presented
visually on PowerPoint slide.
Instructor visually shares
learning objective with
learners and answers
questions if asked.
Learners to read
learning
objectives from
projected
PowerPoint slide
and ask any
questions if they
arise.
Reasons for
Learning
- Benefits
- Risks
1 Benefits: learning about the impact of
burnout and compassion fatigue on
supervisees’ wellbeing can help a
clinical supervisor be a more effective
resource for supervisees experiencing
burnout in their professional lives.

Risks: not knowing or learning about
the impact of burnout and compassion
fatigue on supervisees’ wellbeing can
be a missed opportunity for learners to
not serve as protective factor helping
supervisees combat the negative
effects of burnout.
Instructor verbally
communicates both
benefits of and risks of
not knowing or learning
about the impact of
burnout on supervisees’
wellbeing.

Visual images will be
used to illustrate risk and
benefits on a PowerPoint
slide.
Learners view
images of risk
and benefits.
Furthermore,
they will listen
to the instructor
explaining risk
and benefits.

Overview
- Prior
Knowledge
- New
Knowledge
- Learning
Strategies

(What you
already
3 Previous lesson covered
metacompetence and self-reflection.
Connection can be made between
these components and a supervisee’s
wellbeing (e.g., a supervisee who is
encouraged by their clinical supervisor
to reflect more may be inclined to
become more aware of
burnout/compassion fatigue in the
workplace).
Instructor to verbalize
connection between the
metacompetence, self-
reflection, and impact of
burnout and compassion
fatigue on supervisee
wellbeing. Instructor to
also draw connections
between assessing the
wellbeing of a client and
Learners to
listen to
instructor draw
connections
between
previous lesson
and current
lesson as well as
assessment skills

303

know...what
you are going
to learn...and
how you are
going to learn
it.)

Skills used in the assessment of
client’s wellbeing can also be
employed when assessing a
supervisee’s wellbeing.
assessing burnout in a
supervisee.

Instructor explains
learning activities
including lecture, role
plays, and the
opportunity to provide
and receive feedback.

Learning activities will
be briefly summarized on
PowerPoint slide.

Instructor to use guiding
question: “What impact
can burnout and
compassion fatigue have
on mental health
providers’ wellbeing?”
used with
clients.

Learners to
follow along on
PowerPoint slide
and instructor
during
explanation of
learning
activities.

Prerequisite
Knowledge
3 Briefly define what the concept of
burnout is as it relates to supervisees
in the mental health field.

Assess prior knowledge about the
assessment of supervisee burnout.

Assess for issues learners may have
experienced in accessing Google
Classroom.

Instructor to briefly
facilitate discussion about
what learners believe
burnout and compassion
fatigue is.

Instructor to ask learners
to discuss how they
currently assess for
burnout in their
supervisees.

Instructor to reference
guide explaining how to
access and use Google
Classroom.

Learners to
listen to
instructor briefly
define burnout.

Learners to
engage in
discussion with
instructor about
how they current
assess their
supervisees’
burnout or
compassion
fatigue.

Learners to
reference
Google
Classroom guide
if needed.
Learning
Guidance
- Lecture
- Demo.
15 Provide direct instruction on the
concept burnout, compassion fatigue,
its history as an issue impacting the
workforce, and the factors that best
describe these factors.
Modeling of assessment of burnout
with a supervisee.
Through PowerPoint
slides incorporating audio
and visual representations
of information, instructor
to provide direct
instruction the concepts
of burnout and
compassion fatigue in the
mental health field, their
history, and the factors
that best describe burnout
Learners to
listen intently to
instruction about
the concept
burnout, its
history as an
issue impacting
the workforce,
and the factors
that best
describe
burnout.

304

and compassion fatigue
in today’s workforce.

Introduce Maslach
Burnout Inventory can
aid in the assessment of
burnout in a supervisee.

Instructor to explain
Collaborative Wellness
Plan.

Instructor to model a
conversation with a
supervisee demonstrating
the assessment of
burnout.

Learners to take
notes and ask
questions
relating to
material as
needed.

Learners to
observe
instructor
modeling
conversation
with supervisee
demonstrating
the assessment
of burnout.

Learners to
listen intently at
instructor
explaining
Collaborative
Wellness Plan.
Practice and
Feedback
45 Prompt to engage learners in activity
in which they will read vignette and
identify factors associated to burnout.

Opportunity to engage in a role play of
a conversation with supervisee
assessing for burnout or compassion
fatigue using open ended questions
and a checklist.

Instructor to explain all
activities that will be
used for practice
including role play
depicting an assessment
of burnout or compassion
fatigue with a supervisee.

Instructor to provide
feedback verbally and on
paper rating scale for
each role play that is
practiced.

Engage learners in whole
group discussion about
the use of the
Collaborative Wellness
Plan.

Additional practice and
explanation will be given
if learners role plays do
not exemplify content
covered in lesson.
Learners to
engage in role
play with a peer
using Maslach
Burnout
Inventory in
which they will
ask questions to
assess for
burnout or
compassion
fatigue.

Learners to
acknowledge
feedback
provided by
instructor and
will re-engage in
role playing
components that
require
correction.
Authentic
Assessment
10 Opportunity for reflection about
assessing for burnout in their
supervisees will be provided.

Instructor to provide
explanation about
assessment and will
Learners to
compose and
write short
reflection

305

direct learners to journal
reflection.
answering
prompt.
Retention
and Transfer
5 Opportunities for retention and
transfer of information to be provided
in order to reinforce learning. Sharing
reflection associated to assessing
supervisees’ burnout and compassion
fatigue.
Instructor to ask each
learner to share a quick
summary of their
reflection and to make
connections between
what they journaled to
the personal learning goal
established at the
beginning of this unit and
at the beginning of the
course.
Learners to
share a quick
summary of
their reflection
and to make a
connection
between their
reflection and
their personal
learning goal
established at
the beginning of
unit and during
the Course
Overview.
Big Ideas

2 Review and re-motivate: review major
ideas on the impact of burnout,
compassion fatigue, its history and
factors that contribute to it, in addition
to collaborative wellness plan.

Re-state importance of having and
using knowledge presented.

Instructor to provide brief
review of information
covered in this lesson
using a PowerPoint slide
highlighting the big
ideas.

Instructor to ask learners
to share why they believe
this information is
important to know and
use in their practice as
clinical supervisors.
Each learner to
discuss one
reason why the
information is
important to
know and use in
their practice as
clinical
supervisors.

Advance
Organizer for
the Next Unit
5 Connect content about the impact of
burnout and compassion fatigue to the
future discussion about personal
factors/countertransference.

Provide the following reflection
prompt to be answered in Google
Classroom outside of instruction time
between Unit 7 and Unit 8: Reflect
upon your personal experiences of
burnout and compassion fatigue in
your past work as a mental health
provider and the impact that these
experiences may have in your work as
a supervisor of mental health
providers.

Instructor to provide
short preview of next
lesson discussing the
impact of compassion
fatigue on supervisees’
wellbeing.

Small amount of bullet
points on PowerPoint
slides will be used to
present this information.

Instructor to explain
prompt to learners and
ask learners to reference
Google Classroom guide
in order to understand
where to post reflection.
Learners will
read bullet
points on slide
and will listen to
instructor give
short preview.

Learners to
access Google
Classroom
outside of
session and
answer prompt
provided.

Total Time 90

306

Slide 1

Understanding the Impact of
Burnout and Compassion
Fatigue on Supervisee Wellbeing
Unit Seven

307

Slide 2

Warm‐Up
Think back to your experiences
participating in clinical supervision.
How were the concept of burnout
and compassion fatigue talked about
and/or addressed in your own past
clinical supervision experiences?
Warm up your brain (n.d)

Say: Read the prompt on the slide and write a short reflection answering it.

Ask learners to get into small groups and discuss reflection

Bring back whole group and ask:
What were some of the major themes that emerged from reflections shared in the group?

Say: Set a personal learning goal of what you would like to learn or have more knowledge of by
the end of this unit relating to effective clinical supervision.

Warm up your brain [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/childrens-
responsive-ichef-live/r/720/1x/cbbc/SSG_Warm_Your_Brain_Intro_Image.png.

308

Slide 3

Learning Objectives
At the end of this unit, you will be able to demonstrate your ability in:
Assessing
burnout or
compassion
fatigue in a
supervisee
Reflecting on
their past
experiences
with burnout
and the impact
it may have on
their work as
clinical
supervisors
Collaboratively
developing a
plan to assist
the supervisee
manage
burnout and
compassion
fatigue
Reflecting on
the impact
burnout and
compassion
fatigue have on
supervisees’
wellbeing and
client care

Say: This lesson will primarily focus on the supervisorial relationship and alliance

By the end of this unit, you will be able to demonstrate their ability in:
Animation 1: Assessing burnout or compassion fatigue in a supervisee
Animation 2: Reflecting on their past experiences with burnout and the impact it may have on
their work as clinical supervisors
Animation 3: Collaboratively developing a plan to assist the supervisee manage burnout and
compassion fatigue
Animation 4: Reflecting on the impact burnout and compassion fatigue have on supervisees’
wellbeing and client care

309

Slide 4

Benefits and Risks
Unknown(n.d.) Stressed (n.d.)

Say: (animation 1) Learning about the impact of burnout and compassion fatigue on supervisees’
wellbeing can help a clinical supervisor be a more effective resource for supervisees
experiencing burnout in their professional lives.
Say: (animation 2) In contrast, not knowing or learning about the impact of burnout and
compassion fatigue on supervisees’ wellbeing can be a missed opportunity for learners to not
serve as protective factor helping supervisees combat the negative effects of burnout.

Unknown [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://insights.nationalseminarstraining.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/05/100459020.jpg

Stressed [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://clockit.io/wp-
content/uploads/2016/08/wpid-stress-300x169.jpg.

310

Slide 5

Learning Activities
Training (n.d.)
Role plays (n.d.)
Meeting (n.d.)

Say: In our previous lesson, we explored metacompetence, self-assessment, and self-reflection.
In many ways, these concepts are tied to burnout. If a supervisor encourages self-reflection, for
example, in their supervisee, that supervisee may experience higher levels of awareness when
experiencing burnout or compassion fatigue. This awareness can lead to early intervention.

Say: Some of the learning activities we will engage in are: Direct instruction surrounding the
concept of burnout, compassion fatigue, its history and factors associated to it. We will be
looking at two inventories that can be used to help you identify if a supervisee is experiencing
burnout or compassion fatigue that is impacting the care they are providing to clients. You will
role play assessing burnout or compassion fatigue in a supervisee. This will feed our whole
group discussion about using a collaborative wellness plan.

Before transitioning, ask: “What impact can burnout have on mental health providers’
wellbeing?”

Training [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.trainingmagazine.ae/wp-
content/uploads/2015/03/training1.jpg

Meeting [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/593d37031b631b4d312c4452/t/59dd09aebce176985870ecc
9/1501731927567/.

Role plays [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://improaustralia.com.au/wp-
content/uploads/2016/06/role-play-image-aqua.jpg

311

Slide 6

Knowledge Review
• What is burnout?
• What is compassion fatigue?
• How do you currently assess for these in your
supervisees?

Say: Basing this assumption on my knowledge and experience in the field, I would say that
either we have firsthand experience with burnout and compassion fatigue or we know someone
who did. What would you say burnout is in the mental health field? What is compassion fatigue?

After short discussion, ask: How do you currently asses for supervisee burnout and compassion
fatigue?

Ask: Did anybody have trouble accessing Google Classroom?

If answer is affirmative, answer questions and reference back to Google Classroom Guide.

312

Slide 7

The Problem with Burnout
• Experienced across work cultures
• Expensive to handle
• 21‐67% of mental health staff experience burnout
• Symptoms are maintained if untreated.
• Emotional and physical wellbeing impacted

Say: Burnout is prevalent in many work environments, not only mental health. Teachers,
educators, business employees all have the potential to experience burnout. Burnout is also
costly to organizations since employees who experience burnout have higher probability of
leaving the organization. According to Morse et al. (2012), studies have estimated that 21-67% of
mental health workers have experienced burnout. This is a big problem in the mental health field
since this field in particular strives to improve the lives of others. Burnout is a significant
problem that will persist if not treated or intervened upon. If the symptoms persist, a person will
continue to experience emotional and even physical symptoms.

313

Slide 8

Burnout
Emotional
Exhaustion
Depersonalization
Reduced Personal
Accomplishment

Say: Maslach was one of the first researcher to analyze burnout and all components associated it.
Maslach and her colleagues defined burnout as a concept heavily associated with emotional
exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Emotional exhaustion is a
state of being where the employee is unable to produce to the level previously performed at. This
type of employee perhaps experiences fatigue. Depersonalization refers to the negativity that an
employee may experience towards the client’s they treat. A reduced personal accomplishment
refers to the employee’s negative assessment of their capabilities in their work with clients.

314

Slide 9

Different from Burnout
Anxiety and
Depression
General Stress
Reaction
Job
Dissatisfaction
Secondary /
Vicarious
Trauma
Compassion
Fatigue

Say: (animation 1) Even though there may be individuals who experience burnout may express
symptomology of anxiety or depression, these issues are separate from one another. Anxiety and
depression are solely mental health concerns not necessarily associated to work.
(animation2) General stress reaction is also different from burnout in that usually, general stress
reactions are triggered by an event or situation and are not pervasive in nature.
(Animation 3) Job dissatisfaction only relates to not liking your job. You may experience less
motivation if you are not satisfied with your job. However, burnout still is a more serious
condition which may impact many other areas of the work life.
(Animation 4) Compassion fatigue and secondary/vicarious traumatization are also different
from burnout. Both arise as a result of work related factors. However, compassion fatigue and
vicarious traumatization are due to the frequent exposure of client’s exploration of trauma.

315

Slide 10

Organizational Factors Contributing to
Burnout
Working in the
mental health
field
High Caseloads
Little control
over policies
Low support
from
supervisors or
peers
Poor training

Say: (animation 1) The most obvious factor contributing to burnout is actually working in the
mental health field. MH providers often have to contain clients’ emotions while managing theirs
and express empathy, even when it’s hard to do.
(Animation 2) High caseloads are also contributing factors of burnout. When a MH provider has
too many clients on their caseload, it is often difficult to manage all job duties and
responsibilities.
(Animation 3) Furthermore, MH providers have very little control over the policies and
procedures that directly impact their work. Often, the agency or overseeing entities impose
policies that directly impact the work that MH providers do.
(Animation 4) Some MH providers also experience very little support from peers and
supervisors. This is one of the reason why this training was created. Supervisors have the ability
to intervene appropriately and help their supervisee.
(Animation 5) Finally, poor training can also contribute to burnout. It is difficult to feel confident
in your job when you do not know what to do.

316

Slide 11

Signs of Burnout
Emotionally drained Low energy
Frustrated Difficulties empathizing
Negative attitudes towards work Difficulties regulating emotions
Dread of going to work Low feelings of accomplishment
Thoughts of wanting to avoid work Apathy towards clients
Difficulties sleeping at night Difficulties concentrating in your work
Frequent absenteeism or tardiness Difficulties completing administrative
duties

Say: These are some of the signs of burnout. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but, what
you can observe is that the signs are all over the place and do not necessarily follow a pattern. In
addition, not all providers will demonstrate all of these signs.
All these signs of burnout may appear on their own for other reasons. However, we are referring
to them as work related signs of burnout.
I would like you to take a look at the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Even though this is a
self-test for those experiencing burnout, it helps to give us a concrete idea of what burnout can
start to look like for our supervisees. We can also think of it as a checklist of items which
indicate burnout. This is a tool we can use as a reference or a self-test we can ask our supervisees
to take (with their consent) to help start a discussion about the experience of burnout.

317

Slide 12

Compassion
Fatigue
Sxs of
secondary/vicarious
traumatic stress
Burnout

Say: A basic way to think about the definition of compassion fatigue is to consider two different
factors. Compassion fatigue, in many ways, is the combinations of the symptoms secondary
traumatic stress (this is the traumatic stress symptoms that an individual may experience after
listening to the traumatic experience of another) and burnout, which is the concept that we
covered last week. It is important to note that not all mental health providers who experience
compassion fatigue have been exposed to the reports of traumatic experiences of their clients.

318

Slide 13

Contributors to Compassion Fatigue
Vicarious
Trauma
Secondary
Trauma
Compassion
Fatigue
High
Empathy

Say: Even though compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, and vicarious trauma are often used
interchangeably, the distinctions warrant notice. Despite the slight differences, we must be aware
that both vicarious and secondary trauma contribute to compassion fatigue (animation 1). These
concepts intermingle and play a major role in the wellbeing of a provider. It is important to also
note that not all providers who work with clients will experience vicarious or secondary trauma.
However, they may still experience compassion fatigue. Empathy plays a major role in the
experience of compassion fatigue. Often, providers exert high levels of empathy, which can
ultimately lead to a ware in their ability to care for and treat that client. Compassion fatigue can
be seen as the deterioration of a provider’s emotional state due to caring for another. Compassion
fatigue is often referred to the cost of caring.

319

Slide 14

Factors Contributing to Compassion Fatigue
Pre‐existing
anxiety,
depression
History of abuse
Caseloads with
trauma clients
Dysfunctional
use of coping
skills

Say: There are many factors that can contribute to compassion fatigue. One of the major factors
to compassion fatigue is pre-existing mental health conditions such as anxiety and/or depression
(animation 1). Providers who are susceptible to these conditions are more likely to experiences
compassion fatigue. A history of past abuse (animation 2), such as sexual or physical abuse, also
put providers at risk of experiencing compassion fatigue. If vicarious or secondary trauma can
contribute to compassion fatigue, it is easy to see how a past history can be easily triggered when
hearing clients talk about their own traumatic experiences. This leads to another factor that
contributes to compassion fatigue: (animation 3) high caseload with client's who have
experienced trauma. Exposure to another person’s experience of trauma can lead to vicarious or
secondary trauma, which then, can contribute to compassion fatigue. Finally, when a provider is
not able to engage in effective methods of coping (animation 4) after listening to their client’s
problems or traumatic experiences, they are placing themselves at higher risk for compassion
fatigue. An example of dysfunctional use of coping skills would be a provider who does not
engage in self-care practices despite experiencing anxiety from listening to his/her clients discuss
their traumatic experiences.

320

Slide 15

Organizational Factors Contributing to
Compassion Fatigue
Inadequate
supervision
Low client
resources
Low support
from peers
Organizational
culture

Say: There are also organizational factors that can contribute to compassion fatigue. When
supervisees do not receive adequate supervision (animation 1), they do not have the support of
their supervisor, who has the ability to assist them in managing some of the negative effects of
this issue. A supervisor should be able to assist their supervisee in developing a plan that can help
them plan out ways to engage in wellness tasks, which can ultimately lead to higher levels of
performance as a provider. Some areas of service are also impacted by low client resources
(animation 2) which can lead a provider to have the desire to overcompensate and give more than
they are able to. Furthermore, when a provider does not find much support from their peers
(animation 3), it becomes easy for them to feel isolated in their experience as a provider. The
organization’s culture of acknowledgement (animation 4) of the negative effects of trauma on the
client and on the caring professionals can dictate the level of exposure to compassion fatigue that
is experienced. When organizations acknowledge that compassion fatigue exists and put
resources in place to help providers, providers are less likely to experience compassion fatigue.

321

Slide 16

Signs of Compassion Fatigue
Sxs of depression Somatic symptoms (e.g., headaches,
stomach aches, other illness)
Sxs of trauma (e.g., hypervigilant, easily
startled, intrusive thoughts, etc.)
Substance use/abuse
Low feelings of accomplishment Poor boundaries
Difficulty sleeping Difficulties separating work life from
personal life
Difficulty concentrating Preoccupation with clients
Feelings of emotional numbness Depersonalization of clients

Say: These are some of the signs of compassion fatigue. This is not an exhaustive list of signs of
compassion fatigue. Individuals will experience compassion fatigue in their own unique ways.
Please take a moment to read through this table.

I would like you to take a look at the compassion fatigue self-test. This is a self-test that you or a
supervisee can take to help them determine the presence of compassion fatigue. This self-test can
also serve as a guide of issues that may arise as a result of compassion fatigue. This is why we
will use it as a checklist of sorts in one of our activities later on.

322

Slide 17

Ensure quiet
space
Ask to reflect
Discuss your
observations
Acknowledge,
empathize,
validate
Ask about
establishing
plan
Help establish
plan
Discussing Burnout and Compassion Fatigue

Say: Supervision is not an opportunity for a supervisor to provide psychotherapy to their
supervisee. This would be considered unethical and demonstrates harmful supervision. However,
it is within the boundaries of supervision to monitor our supervisees performance with their
clients and to also help them become aware of how burnout or compassion fatigue may be
impacting their work. This is why I will model a conversation with a supervisee using the steps
above. You will also be given the opportunity to do the same.
You will want to hold this conversation after you have assessed for possible burnout or
compassion fatigue or after it has been reported to you by the supervisee. By assessing, I am not
referring to the way we assess our clients (even though we are still trying to gather evidence of
burnout). I am mostly talking about being able to make note of behavioral changes in the
supervisee.
These are some points to consider when initially addressing burnout with a supervisee:
(Animation 1) Ensure the conversation is held in a quiet and private space. A supervision
meeting may be a time to bring up these issues.
(Animation 2) Ask the supervisee to reflect upon their overall work at the organization.
(Animation 3) If the supervisee brings up issues associated to burnout that you have observed,
tell them that you too have observed them.
If the supervisee does not discuss any issues associated to burnout, discuss behavioral
observations you have made regarding the supervisees performance.
(Animation 4) Acknowledge, empathize, and validate thoughts and feelings expressed by the
supervisee if brought up.
(Animation 5) Ask supervisee if they wish to develop a plan of action to help them manage the
burnout. If they agree them
(Animation 6) Help them establish a plan (this is a step we will discuss in a few more units)
Instructor to model steps. Scenario: supervisee expressed to supervisor that she is tired all the
time.

323

Slide 18

Collaborative
Wellness Plan

Say: Often, if we find that our supervisee is experiencing burnout or compassion fatigue, we may
have to help them establish a plan that will guide them in using positive coping at work and
outside of work. This plan is also meant to help in the establishment of strategies to boost work
performance that is being impacted by the burnout or compassion fatigue.
What are some strategies that we may need to employ to encourage our supervisee to use this
wellness plan?

324

Slide 19

Reflection
Reflect on the process of
assessing for signs of burnout and
compassion fatigue in a
supervisee.

Unit assessment

Instruct learners to read prompt and compose written reflection.

After learners compose reflection, ask each learner to share part of their reflection and how it’s
connected to their learning goal.

325

Slide 20

Review
Burnout
Emotional
Exhaustion
Depersonalization
Reduced Personal
Accomplishment

Say: Today, we learned that burnout is a complex issue that requires us to be observant. We have
the ability, as supervisors, to provide support to our supervisees if we are first able to notice that
there is a problem and second, talk to them about the problem.

326

Slide 21

Contributors to Compassion Fatigue
Vicarious
Trauma
Secondary
Trauma
Compassion
Fatigue
High
Empathy

Say: We also learned about compassion fatigue and its relationship with other stress related
factors. What are some key factors associated to burnout, compassion fatigue, and establishing a
wellness plan?

327

Slide 22

Next Unit
What is compassion fatigue (n.d.)

Say: Next training session, we will be discussing compassion fatigue, which is a concept that is
often used in conjunction with or confused for burnout. We will dive deeper into that concept and
how that looks like in our supervisees.

What is compassion fatigue [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://thecaregiverspace.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/what-is-compassion-fatigue.jpg

328

Slide 23

Reflection Homework
Reflect upon your personal experiences of
burnout and compassion fatigue in your
past work as a mental health provider and
the impact that these experiences may have
in your work as a supervisor of mental
health providers.

Say: Log on to Google Classroom and complete reflection. This reflection should be at least four
sentences in length but can be longer if desired. Please reference the Google Classroom Guide if
you have any questions about accessing the assignment.

329

Slide 24

Question mark (n.d.)

Are there any questions about anything discussed thus far or anything that will be coming up in
the next unit?

Question mark [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://moziru.com/images/question-mark-
clipart-fancy-11.jpg

330

Slide 25

References
• Maslach, C. & Jackson, S. E. (1981). The measurement of experienced
burnout. Journal of Occupational Behaviour, 2, 99‐113.
• Morse, G., Salyers, M. P ., Rollins, A. L., Monroe‐De Vita, M., & Pfahler, C.
(2012). Burnout in mental health services: A review of the problem and its
remediation. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health
Services Research, 39, 341‐352.
• Newel, J. M. & MacNeil, G. A. (2010). Professional burnout, vicarious
trauma, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion fatigue: A review of
theoretical terms, risk factors, and preventive methods for clinicians and
researchers. Best Practices in Mental Health, 6(2), 57‐68.
• Slatten, L. A., Carson, K. D., & Carson, P . P . (2011). Compassion fatigue and
burnout: What managers should know. The Health Care Manager, 30(4),
325‐333.

331

Burnout Self-Test
Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)

The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is the most commonly used tool to self-assess whether
you might be at risk of burnout. To determine the risk of burnout, the MBI explores three
components: exhaustion, depersonalization and personal achievement. While this tool may be
useful, it must not be used as a scientific diagnostic technique, regardless of the results. The
objective is simply to make you aware that anyone may be at risk of burnout.

For each question, indicate the score that corresponds to your response. Add up your score for
each section and compare your results with the scoring results interpretation at the bottom of this
document.

Questions:

Never
A Few
Times
per
Year

Once a
Month
A Few
Times
per
Month

Once
a
Week
A
Few
Times
per
Week

Every
Day
Section A: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
I feel emotionally drained by my
work.

Working with people all day long
requires a great deal of effort.

I feel like my work is breaking me
down.

I feel frustrated by my work.

I feel I work too hard at my job.

It stresses me too much to work in
direct contact with people.

I feel like I’m at the end of my
rope.

Total score – SECTION A

332

Questions:

Never
A Few
Times
per
Year

Once a
Month
A Few
Times
per
Month

Once
a
Week
A
Few
Times
per
Week

Every
Day
Section B: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
I feel I look after certain
patients/clients impersonally,
as if they are objects.

I feel tired when I get up in the
morning and have to face another
day at work.

I have the impression that my
patients/clients make me
responsible for some of their
problems.

I am at the end of my patience at
the end of my work day.

I really don’t care about what
happens to some of my
patients/clients.

I have become more insensitive to
people since I’ve been working.

I’m afraid that this job is making
me uncaring.

Total score – SECTION B

333

Questions:

Never
A Few
Times
per
Year

Once a
Month
A Few
Times
per
Month

Once
a
Week
A
Few
Times
per
Week

Every
Day
Section C: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
I accomplish many worthwhile
things in this job.

I feel full of energy.

I am easily able to understand
what my patients/clients feel.

I look after my patients’/clients’
problems very effectively.

In my work, I handle emotional
problems very calmly.

Through my work, I feel that I
have a positive influence on
people.

I am easily able to create a relaxed
atmosphere with my
patients/clients.

I feel refreshed when I have been
close to my patients/clients at
work.

Total score – SECTION C

SCORING RESULTS – INTERPRETATION

Section A: Burnout
Burnout (or depressive anxiety syndrome): Testifies to fatigue at the very idea of work, chronic
fatigue, trouble sleeping, physical problems. For the MBI, as well as for most authors,
“exhaustion would be the key component of the syndrome.” Unlike depression, the problems
disappear outside work.
Total 17 or less: Low-level burnout
Total between 18 and 29 inclusive: Moderate burnout
Total over 30: High-level burnout

334

Section B: Depersonalization
“Depersonalization” (or loss of empathy): Rather a “dehumanization” in interpersonal relations.
The notion of detachment is excessive, leading to cynicism with negative attitudes with regard to
patients or colleagues, feeling of guilt, avoidance of social contacts and withdrawing into
oneself. The professional blocks the empathy he can show to his patients and/or colleagues.
Total 5 or less: Low-level burnout
Total between 6 and 11 inclusive: Moderate burnout
Total of 12 and greater: High-level burnout

Section C: Personal Achievement
The reduction of personal achievement: The individual assesses himself negatively, feels he is
unable to move the situation forward. This component represents the demotivating effects of a
difficult, repetitive situation leading to failure despite efforts. The person begins to doubt his
genuine abilities to accomplish things. This aspect is a consequence of the first two.
Total 33 or less: High-level burnout
Total between 34 and 39 inclusive: Moderate burnout
Total greater than 40: Low-level burnout

A high score in the first two sections and a low score in the last section may indicate
burnout.

Note: Different people react to stress and burnout differently. This test is not intended to be a
scientific analysis or assessment. The information is not designed to diagnose or treat your stress
or symptoms of burnout. Consult your medical doctor, counselor or mental health professional if
you feel that you need help regarding stress management or dealing with burnout.

Source:
C. Maslach, S.E. Jackson, M.P. Leiter (Eds.), Maslach Burnout Inventory manual (3rd ed.),
Consulting Psychologists Press (1996)

335

Collaborative Wellness Plan
1. Identify the challenges that are impacting your work performance:

2. What can you do to support your general wellbeing today?
Self-Care Action Currently do? Can try out?
Physical wellbeing
-e.g., eating well, exercising, going for a walk,
good sleeping habits, gets medical check-ups
☐ ☐
Emotional wellbeing
-e.g., express emotions in healthy way, engages in
mindfulness, uses positive self-talk
☐ ☐
Professional wellbeing
-e.g., maintains work-life balance, maintains
positive relationship with peers, manages time
effectively, takes breaks
☐ ☐
Social
-e.g., spends time with friends, has healthy
relationships, has family support
☐ ☐
Psychological
-e.g., disconnects from electronics and social
media, pursues hobbies outside of work, seeks
personal counseling
☐ ☐
Other Wellbeing action (identify here)

☐ ☐

3. What are some coping skills you can employ in emergency situations?
Wellness Tool Be Specific
Relaxation
What can you do to relax in case you become
agitated, upset, tired, etc.?
(list out strategy)

Self-Talk
What can you say to yourself?
(write out statement)

336

Social
Who can you contact to seek support from?
(identify name and number

Emotion
What can you do to lift up your mood?
(list out strategy)

4. What can you supervisor do to help your wellbeing at work?

5. What are the barriers that could impact your self-care?

6. Summarize plan (What will supervise and supervisor do?):

7. Follow up take place: _________________________________________

337

Appendix L
Unit Eight Lesson Plan and Associated Materials-
How do you Manage Supervisee Personal Factors in Clinical Supervision?

Unit Duration: 105 minutes

Introduction: This is the last unit of this eight-unit course which will add to learners’ knowledge of how to manage
supervisees’ personal factors. The purpose of this unit is to teach you strategies to help you support your
supervisees.

Learning Objective(s)
Terminal Objective:
● Given the explanation of the influence of supervisee personal factors on client care, learners will
demonstrate their ability to explain the importance of ensuring supervisee awareness of these factors on
their treatment of clients by receiving at least an 80% on the feedback rating scale.
● Given an example of the components essential to the supervision of personal factors and reactivity, learners
will demonstrate their ability to role play the management of supervisee reactivity by receiving at least 80%
on the self and instructor feedback rating scale.
● Given the difficulties of discussing personal factors with supervisees, learners will reflect upon their own
expected challenges and their approach to overcome those challenges by completing a four-sentence
paragraph.
Enabling Objective(s):
● Knowledge of effective clinical supervision.
● Knowledge of personal factors (i.e. countertransference) influencing the treatment of clients.
● Ability to role play a conversation with a peer.
● Ability to provide feedback to a peer using a rating scale.
● Ability to reflect by writing short paragraph answering a prompt.
● Know of what Google Classroom is and how to access it.

Lesson Materials
● Unit Eight presentation slides
● Google Classroom Guide-As needed
● Feedback Form-See Unit Two materials
● Black writing paper

Learner Characteristic Accommodations
This course will be taken live with an instructor present. The last written reflection will be completed on Google
Classroom. Learners to be provided with guide on how to access this portal.

Facilitator’s Notes
This is a live, in-person course which includes the requirement to access the Google Classroom portal after session
time. The instructor should ensure that learners are provided with practice and timely feedback. See the table below
for specific Instructor Action/Decision (Supplantive events of instruction).

Instructional Activities
Instructional
Sequence
Time
(mins)
Description of the
Learning Activity
Instructor
Action/Decision
(Supplantive)
Learner
Action/
Decision
(Generative)
Gain
Attention
2 Prompt on the board which states:
How do personal factors (i.e.,
Instructor to guide
learners to read prompt
and reflect in their minds.
Learners will
reflect upon
how they

338

countertransference) influence client
care?

Ask learners to share past
experiences with a
partner.

Facilitate whole group
discussion by asking
learners to share themes
that emerged within their
discussions.

Ask learners to set
personal learning goal for
this unit.

believe personal
factors
influence client
care.

Learners to set a
personal goal
for this unit and
to think about
how it will help
them achieve
their personal
course goal
established
during the
course overview
lesson.
Learning
Objectives
1 Learning objectives are presented
visually on PowerPoint slide.
Instructor visually shares
learning objective with
learners and answers
questions if asked.
Learners to read
learning
objectives from
projected
PowerPoint
slide and ask
any questions if
they arise.
Reasons for
Learning
- Benefits
- Risks
1 Benefits: learning about and being
able to help a supervisee manage
personal factors during clinical
supervision can contribute to the
supervisee’s profession wellbeing and
can help avoid negative issues from
arising in client care.

Risks: not knowing or learning about
how to help a supervisee manage
personal factors can negatively impact
client care and the wellbeing of the
supervisee.
Instructor verbally
communicates both
benefits of and risks of
not knowing or learning
about the how to help
supervisee’s manage
personal factors.

Visual images will be
used to illustrate risk and
benefits on a PowerPoint
slide.

Learners view
images of risk
and benefits.
Furthermore,
they will listen
to the instructor
explaining risk
and benefits.

Overview
- Prior
Knowledge
- New
Knowledge
- Learning
Strategies

(What you
already
know...what
you are going
to learn...and
how you are
2 Previous lesson covered how to
provide support to supervisees
experiencing burnout and compassion
fatigue. Connection can be made
between providing support to
supervisees experiencing burnout and
compassion fatigue to providing
support to supervisees in relation to
personal factors. Burnout, compassion
fatigue, and personal factors are
similar issues in that they are
experienced by the mental health
provider and can become barriers to
client care.

Instructor to verbalize
connection between
providing support for
burnout and compassion
fatigue and providing
support with personal
factors.

Instructor explains
learning activities
including lecture, two role
plays, and the opportunity
to receive feedback.
Learners to
listen to
instructor draw
connections
between
providing
support for
burnout and
compassion
fatigue and
providing
support with
personal factors.

339

going to learn
it.)
Learning activities will be
briefly summarized on
PowerPoint slide.

Instructor to use guiding
question: “What are some
of the ways that you have
helped your supervisees
manage personal factors?”
Learners to
follow along on
PowerPoint
slide and
instructor
during
explanation of
learning
activities.

Learners to
answer guiding
questions
verbally.
Prerequisite
Knowledge
4 Briefly define what the concept of
personal factors. Many learners may
refer to personal factors as
countertransference.

Assess prior knowledge about their
ability to help a supervisee manage
personal factors.

Assess for issues learners may have
experienced in accessing Google
Classroom.
Instructor to ask learners
to explain the concept of
personal factors.

Instructor to reference
guide that explains how to
access and use Google
Classroom.

Learners to
discuss their
understanding
of personal
factors.

Learners to
reference
Google
Classroom
guide if needed.
Learning
Guidance
- Lecture
- Demo.
15 Provide direct instruction on the
concept personal factors and helping
supervisees manage them during
clinical supervision.

Through PowerPoint
slides incorporating audio
and visual representations
of information, instructor
to provide direct
instruction the concepts of
personal factors and
helping a supervisee
manage them during
clinical supervision.

Instructor to model a
conversation with
supervisee in which the
supervisor helps to create
awareness of the effects
of personal factors on a
client’s treatment.

Instructor to model the
how to manage reactivity
in clinical supervision.
Learners to
listen intently to
instruction
about the
concept of
personal factors
and how to help
supervisees
manage these
issues in clinical
supervision.
Learners to
observe
instructor model
two role plays.

Learners to take
notes and ask
questions as
needed.
Practice and
Feedback
50 Practice conversation with a
supervisee in which the supervisor
helps to create awareness of the effects
of personal factors on a client’s
treatment.
Instructor to explain both
role plays which learners
will engage in.

Learners to
engage in
practice role
play of a
conversation

340

Practice one of the components of
providing supervision about personal
factors.
Instruct learners to choose
a partner, practice
conversation with a
supervisee in which the
supervisor helps to create
awareness of the effects
of personal factors on
client treatment, and then
perform it in front of
group.

Instruct learners to engage
in second role play in
which they follow steps
on how to manage
supervisee reactivity.

Instruct learners to
provide feedback using
feedback form.

Additional practice and
explanation will be given
if learner’s responses do
not align with expected
outcomes.
with a
supervisee in
which the
supervisor helps
to create
awareness of
the effects of
personal factors
on client
treatment.

Learners to
engage in role
play with peer
demonstrating
the management
of reactivity.

Learners to self-
rate their
performance on
self-feedback
form to receive
feedback from
instructor.
Authentic
Assessment
5 Opportunity for reflection about
helping a supervisee manage personal
factors.
Use prompt: What are some of the
challenges you may experience in
helping a supervisee manage their
personal factors and what will be your
approach in overcoming those
challenges?
Instructor to provide
explanation about
assessment and will direct
learners to journal
reflection.
Learners to
compose and
write short
reflection
answering
prompt.
Retention
and Transfer
10 Opportunities for retention and
transfer of information to be provided
in order to reinforce learning. Sharing
reflection associated to the prompt.
Instructor to ask each
learner to share a quick
summary of their
reflection and to make
connections between what
they journaled to the
personal learning goal
established at the
beginning of this unit and
at the beginning of the
course.
Learners to
share a quick
summary of
their reflection
and to make a
connection
between their
reflection and
their personal
learning goal
established at
the beginning of
unit and during
the Course
Overview.
Big Ideas

5 Review and re-motivate: review major
ideas associated to helping a
supervisee manage personal factors.
Instructor to provide brief
review of information
covered in this lesson
Each learner to
discuss one
reason why the

341

Re-state importance of having and
using knowledge presented.

using a PowerPoint slide
highlighting the big ideas.

Instructor to ask learners
to share why they believe
this information is
important to know and
use in their practice as
clinical supervisors.
information is
important to
know and use in
their practice as
clinical
supervisors.

End of
Course
Summary
and
Reflection
10 Summary of major concepts learned
throughout all eight units

Provide the following reflection
prompt to be answered in Google
Classroom outside of instruction time
after unit is over: Reflect upon all the
concepts in this eight-unit course.
What changes have you noticed in
your practice as a clinical supervisor
and what are some of the areas of
growth that you will focus on moving
forward (set goal)? Compare the
responses from the clinical supervisor
self-assessment completed during Unit
One and the self-assessment
completed in this unit. What are the
barriers that may get in the way of you
using effective clinical supervision?
Reflect upon how comfortable you feel
as a supervisor?

Using PowerPoint slides,
instructor to quickly
summarize concepts
covered during the eight-
unit course and to display
course outcomes for
learners.

Ask learners to complete
the clinical supervision
self-assessment again.

Instructor to explain
prompt to learners and ask
learners to reference
Google Classroom guide
in order to understand
where to post reflection.
Learners will
listen to
instructor
summarize
concepts
covered during
eight-unit
course and the
course
outcomes.

Learners to
complete
clinical
supervision self-
assessment
again.

Learners to
compose a page
long reflection
and post it on
Google
Classroom
outside of
session and
answer prompt
provided.
Total Time 105

342

Slide 1

How do you Manage Supervisee
Personal Factors in Clinical
Supervision
Unit Eight

343

Slide 2

Warm‐Up
How do personal factors (i.e.,
countertransference) influence client
care?
Warm up your brain (n.d)

Say: Read the prompt on the slide and write a short reflection answering it.

Ask learners to get into small groups and discuss reflection

Bring back whole group and ask:
What were some of the major themes that emerged from reflections shared in the group?

Say: Set a personal learning goal of what you would like to learn or have more knowledge of by
the end of this unit relating to effective clinical supervision.

Warm up your brain [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/childrens-
responsive-ichef-live/r/720/1x/cbbc/SSG_Warm_Your_Brain_Intro_Image.png.

344

Slide 3

Learning Objectives
At the end of this unit, you will be able to demonstrate their ability in:
Explianing the
importance of
ensuring supervisee
awareness of these
factors on their
treatment of clients
Role playing the
management of
supervisee reactivity
Reflecting upon their
own expected
challenges and their
approach to overcome
those challenges

Say: This lesson will primarily focus on the supervisorial relationship and alliance

By the end of this unit, you will be able to demonstrate their ability in:

Animation 1: explaining the importance of ensuring supervisee awareness of these factors on
their treatment of clients by receiving at least an 80% on the instructor and peer rating scale.

Animation 2: role playing the management of supervisee reactivity by receiving at least 80% on
the feedback rating scale.

Animation 3: reflecting upon their own expected challenges and their approach to overcome
those challenges by completing a four sentence

345

Slide 4

Benefits and Risks
Wellbeing (n.d.)

Say: There are many benefits to learning the information from this unit. One of them is that
earning about and being able to help a supervisee manage personal factors during clinical
supervision can contribute to the supervisee’s profession wellbeing and can help avoid negative
issues from arising in client care. In contrast, not knowing or learning about how to help a
supervisee manage personal factors can negatively impact client care and the wellbeing of the
supervisee.

Wellbeing [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://humanspaces.com/wp-
content/uploads/2014/10/human-spaces-emotions-health-and-wellbeing.jpg

346

Slide 5

Knowledge Review
• What is your understanding of personal factors in
clinical supervision?

Ask question on slide and facilitate short discussion

Ask: Did anybody have trouble accessing Google Classroom?

If answer is affirmative, answer questions and reference back to Google Classroom Guide.

347

Slide 6

Learning Activities
Training (n.d.)
Role plays (n.d.)

Say: Personal factors influence burnout and compassion fatigue to some extent. Similarly, to the
two other concepts, personal factors are things that should be brought up in clinical supervision
since they can influence the treatment of clients.

Say: Today, I will provide instruction on personal factors. However, you will also get the
opportunity to engage in two different role-plays. You will receive and provide feedback on the
role plays.

Training [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.trainingmagazine.ae/wp-
content/uploads/2015/03/training1.jpg

Role plays [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://improaustralia.com.au/wp-
content/uploads/2016/06/role-play-image-aqua.jpg

348

Slide 7

Personal Factors
“Consistent with appreciation for the influence of
multicultural identity, a host of personal factors form
inescapable frameworks of meaning that influence
relationships, including professional relationships with
patients.”
‐Falender & Shafranske, 2017

Ask: What are some thoughts surrounding this quote by Falender and Shafranske?
Facilitate short discussion

Say: Often, personal factors are referred to as countertransference, which a psychodynamic
concept used to understand the reactivity experienced of a mental health professional treating
client. Personal factors go beyond just countertransference. It is all the factors that influence how
we treat, see, and understand our clients. Personal factors include the various things including
individual likes and dislikes, cultural factors, countertransference, interpersonal style, among
many other things that make us unique. Clinical supervision is the setting in which a supervisor
should help a supervisee become aware of the personal factors that are influencing such
processes. Personal factors often lead to the reactivity or countertransference we see our
supervisees experience.
Say: Orienting a supervisee to become aware of their personal factors during supervision is a
competency they should try to achieve. Supervisors should make their supervisee aware from the
beginning of the clinical supervision alliance that it will be expected of them to explore those
personal factors influencing client treatment. There are limits that the supervisor should be aware
of in relation to disclosure of personal information by the supervisee. The supervisee should be
informed that there are limits of confidentiality within the clinical supervision relationship.

349

Slide 8

Orientation
Towards
Awareness
Knowledge
Attitudes Skill

Say: There are three factors that a supervisor should be aware of when orienting a supervisee
towards an awareness of personal factors in the clinical supervision process. First, the supervisor
should assess the level of knowledge in the current orientation towards personal factors. Some
supervisees may have received graduate training in theories that encourage and promote a higher
level of awareness of personal factors that influence client treatment. For example, those trained
in psychoanalytic theories understand the important concept of countertransference at a deeper
level than someone who was trained in a cognitive behavioral theoretical approach. Secondly, a
supervisor should assess the level of skill in self-awareness and reflection in their supervisees. If
a supervisee’s previous supervisors never encouraged self-reflection, that supervisee may need
more encouragement and guidance in this skill to reach a higher level of awareness of their
personal factors. Lastly, orienting a supervisee towards awareness of personal factors usually is
linked to the feeling of value in self-awareness within the supervisee. Those who value
understanding their personal factors are more likely to be on the lookout for them throughout
their client’s treatment.

350

Slide 9

Factors Associated to Exploration of Personal
Factors
Alliance
Supervisory
contract
Explicit
orientation of
personal
factors
Personal
factors in
clinical
supervision
and parallel
process
Modeling

Say: There are various factors that are associated to the exploration of personal factors.

(Animation 1): A supervisee is more likely to engage in the exploration of personal factors when
the supervisory alliance is established and strong.
(Animation 2): Various expectations and competencies are explained in the supervision contract.
The supervision contract should explicitly state that there will be exploration of personal factors
in the clinical supervision process as it relates to client treatment. The contract should explicitly
state that this is not a form of psychotherapy since the supervisees issues will not be addressed or
intervened upon.
(Animation 3): The supervisor guides the supervisee towards an orientation of the exploration of
personal factors. They discuss the importance of this process and they normalize the personal
factors that arise.
(Animation 4): The supervisor should explain to the supervisee that personal factors also
influence the supervision process. The parallel process is an important concept to explain in
supervision, as well. Often, things that play out in the treatment of the client mirror processes
that occur in clinical supervision.
(Animation 5): The supervisor should appropriately model the exploration of personal factors to
the supervisee. This may a responsible level of self-disclosure.

351

Slide 10

Stages of
Reactivity
Responsiveness and
engagement
Reactivity
Identifying the marker and
becoming reflective
Planning

Say: the exploration of personal factors influences how a supervisee and supervisor manage
reactivity (i.e., countertransference). There are stages of reactivity that are important to
understand in order to be able to help a supervisee manage reactivity that impacts client
treatment. In the responsiveness and engagement stage, the supervisee is appropriately
responding to the needs of the client in an empathetic and therapeutic way. Personal factors may
be present. However, the supervisee and supervisor has not become aware of them at this point.
At the reactivity stage, the supervisee's personal factors have begun to influence how they view
and treat the client. Instead of demonstrating clear empathy for the client, they may be
expressing other reactions. Often, reactivity is triggered by new events or disclosures of trauma,
among many other ways. During the identifying the marker and becoming reflective state, the
supervisor encourages the supervisee to become aware of the personal factors and reactivity that
is occurring in the client’s treatment. They may point out changes that have been observed or
things that were reported by the supervisee. This is when the supervisor encourages reflection in
the supervision process and normalizes the supervisee's experiences while maintaining the
client’s wellbeing present at all times. Finally, in the planning stage, the supervisor and
supervisee discuss what has been learned during the exploration of the personal factors that
contributed to the reactivity. Furthermore, they develop interventions they will use with the client
or will employ in clinical supervision.

352

Slide 11

Practice
• Role play 1
• Explain personal factors
• Describe importance
• Explain difference between reflecting on personal factors and
disclosure of personal information
• Encourage reflection about personal factors

Say: these are the steps of our first role play, which I will model after I explain. First you will
want to explain what personal factors are to your supervisee. Then you will want to state the
importance of becoming aware of personal factors. You will want to tide this section of the role
play to the achievement of the competency of being self-reflective. Then, you will want to
explain the differences between reflecting on personal factors and the disclosure of personal
information during clinical supervision. Specifically, you will want to explain how exploring
personal factors is not the same as engaging in psychotherapy. Finally, you will encourage your
supervisee to engage in reflection about the exploration of personal factors in the future.

Instructor to model role play with pseudo supervisee.

Remind learners that they will provide feedback on feedback form and they will receive
feedback from peers and instructors.

353

Slide 12

Practice
• Role play 2
• Develop scenario
• Identify the changes pointing to reactivity
• Encourage supervisee reflection

Say: For role play 2, you will first develop a scenario in which a supervisee is experiencing
reactivity (i.e., countertransference) over a client issue. Then, point out a behavioral or emotional
change that occurred pointing to reactivity due to a client issue. This will be followed by
encouraging supervisee reflection. Try to recall some of the thing we learned in the unit where
we covered reflection and metacompetence. Lastly, collaboratively develop a plan of how the
reactivity will be managed.

Instructor to model role play with pseudo supervisee.

Remind learners that they will provide feedback on feedback form and they will receive
feedback from peers and instructors.

354

Slide 13

Reflection
What are some of the challenges
you may experience in helping a
supervisee manage their personal
factors and what will be your
approach in overcoming those
challenges?

Unit assessment

Instruct learners to read prompt and compose written reflection.

After learners compose reflection, ask each learner to share part of their reflection and how it’s
connected to their learning goal.

355

Slide 14

Review
• Personal factors contribute to reactivity
• Knowledge, skills, attitudes contribute towards an
orientation of exploration
• Exploration of reactivity includes reflection

Say: Today we have learned that personal factors are all factors that make us unique in many
ways. These factors often influence how we view and treat our clients. These factors also
contribute to the reactivity that a supervisee may experience as a result of events in the client's
treatment. Knowledge, skills, and attitudes are important components that contribute to an
orientation towards the exploration of personal factors. We have also reviewed and practiced
various steps on how to help our supervisees manage reactivity experienced during the treatment
of clients. Reflection is an important step in the management of personal factors.

356

Slide 15

Supervisor
Competency
Self‐Assessment

Say: Before we conclude our training, I would like you to complete the self-assessment provided.
This is the same self-assessment you took at the beginning of this eight-unit course. After we end
and you complete this assessment, you will be asked to reflect upon the result from the first
assessment you completed and this current one.

357

Slide 16

Reflection Homework
Reflect upon all the concepts in this 10 unit course. What
changes have you noticed in your practice as a clinical
supervisor and what are some of the areas of growth that you
will focus on moving forward (set a goal)? Compare the
responses from the clinical supervisor self‐assessment
completed during Unit One and the self‐assessment completed
in this unit. What are the barriers that may get in the way of you
using effective clinical supervision? Reflect upon how
comfortable you feel now as a supervisor.

Say: Log on to Google Classroom and complete reflection. This should be a page long reflection
in which you discuss the changes you have noticed in your knowledge of clinical supervision
practices and a comparison of the responses in the pre and post self-assessment you took.

Please reference the Google Classroom Guide if you have any questions about accessing the
assignment.

358

Slide 17

Question mark (n.d.)

Are there any questions about anything discussed thus far or anything that will be coming up in
the next unit?

Question mark [online image] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://moziru.com/images/question-mark-
clipart-fancy-11.jpg

359

Slide 18

References
• Falender . C. A. & Shafranske, E. P . (2017). Supervision essentials for the
practice of competency‐based supervision. Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association.

Abstract (if available)

Abstract Professionals across the country provide services to thousands of mentally ill individuals. Clinical supervisors often provide oversight of the treatment provided by these professions. However, clinical supervisors often do not receive sufficient training to fulfill this role (Falender, Shafranske, & Ofek, 2014

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Asset Metadata

Creator Orozco, Isis Romero (author)

Core Title Building clinical supervision competence: a curriculum for clinical supervisors in the mental health field

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 04/05/2018

Defense Date 02/13/2018

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag building competence,clinical supervision,competency based clinical supervision,Learning and Instruction,marriage and family therapy,Mental Health,mental health clinical supervision,OAI-PMH Harvest,Psychology,Social Work,Supervision,Training

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Yates, Kenneth (committee chair), Hirabayashi, Kimberly (committee member), Lundeen, Rebecca (committee member)

Creator Email isisrome@usc.edu,isisrorozco@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-491977

Unique identifier UC11267456

Identifier etd-OrozcoIsis-6148.pdf (filename),usctheses-c40-491977 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-OrozcoIsis-6148.pdf

Dmrecord 491977

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Orozco, Isis Romero

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA