Supervisory Ethics and Issues

Supervisory Ethics and IssuesTeam BBSHS/335December 22, 2014Nicole ZmudaAgendaSupervision (Overview)Legal AspectsInformed ConsentConfidentiality & LimitsLiabilityMulticultural IssuesSpiritual IssuesMultiple Roles and Relationships in the Supervisory ProcessNonsexual Multiple Relationships Pose ChallengesMethods of SupervisionStyles of SupervisionSupervisors Roles and ResponsibilitiesConclusion

Supervision (Overview)Involves a Supervisor Overseeing the Professional Work of a Trainee in Order to:Promote Supervisee Growth and Development

Protect the Welfare of Clients

Monitor Supervisee Performance and to Serve as a Gatekeeper for the Profession

Empower the Supervisee to Self-supervise and Carry Out These Goals as an Independent Professional

(Corey, Corey Schneider, & Patrick, 2011, p.366)

Supervisors have an obligation to attend to the best interests of both the client and the supervisee.

According to Corey, Haynes, et al. as cited in Corey, Corey Schneider, and Patrick (2011), a primary aim of supervision is to create a context in which the supervisee can acquire the experience needed to become an independent professional (p.367).

Supervision allow trainees to gain more hands on knowledge and skills, so they can learn how to apply them to certain situations within their profession.

Throughout ones career supervision will remain a life long process, because one may never gain all the skills or knowledge they would like to gain, nor will they be able to help all populations or resolve all types of problems; therefore, we should seek consultation or supervision when necessary in order to maintain appropriate and ethical conduct (Corey, Corey Schneider, & Patrick, 2011).

3Legal AspectsThere are 3 Legal Considerations in the Supervisory Relationship Informed ConsentConfidentiality & Limits Liability

Supervisors should lead by example, coach, mentor, and inspire supervisees to do what is ethical in the eyes of the law and the organization.

Supervisors must ensure that trainees inform clients of their rights, and provide them with information that allows them to make informed decisions (Corey, Schneider Corey, & Patrick, 2011).

Supervisors must legally and ethically respect the confidentiality of clients, and make sure that supervisees do the same.

Supervisors must understand that they ultimately bear legal responsibility for the welfare of those clients who are counseled by their trainees (Corey, Corey Schneider, & Patrick, 2011, p.379).4Informed ConsentSupervisees Must be Informed of the Potential Benefits, Risks, and Expectations of the supervisorsupervisee relationship.

Supervisors Must Ensure Trainees Make Clients Aware of the Informed Consent Process Before Providing Services.

Clients must be advised that the SuperviseeIs in TrainingBeing SupervisedSessions May be Taped or Recorded for Training Purposes

Supervisors have an obligation to inform supervisees of their rights, just as they do with their clients at the beginning of the relationship.

When supervisees learn what they can expect in all aspects of their supervision and what they need to do to achieve success, supervisees are empowered to express expectations, make decisions, and become active participants in the supervisory process (Corey, Corey Schneider, & Patrick, 2011, p.367).

It is imperative that clients are informed and fully aware of the supervision procedures and therapeutic process before the helping relationship begins. In some instances clients may not be comfortable with seeking help through the a supervisory relationship, therefore, we have to give them that option to either accept the help or not and respect their decision.

Clients must be informed of their rights, and give their written permission for any information to be disclosed or for the supervisory sessions to be recorded or video taped.

5Confidentiality & LimitsClient Information & Communication Must be Honored.

Client Issues & Materials Must be Discussed.

Client Privacy and Information Must Be Protected at Any Cost.

Respect Client Communications

Model Appropriate Ways of Talking About Clients

Limits of Confidentiality Such as Duty to Protect or Duty to Warn is Made Clear.

Client confidentiality is a very important issue and their information has to be kept safe.

Supervision involves discussion of client issues and review of client materials, and it is essential that supervisees respect their clients privacy by not talking about their clients outside of the context of supervision (Corey, Schneider Corey, & Patrick, 2011, p.379).

Supervisors must inform both supervisees and clients about their limitations to confidentiality.

6LiabilityLegally Responsible for Trainees and the Clients They Serve.

Know and Understand Legal Aspects of Their Work.

Must Be Familiar with Each Case of Each Supervisee.

Legal Action May be Taken if Supervisors fail Adhere to Their Supervisory Responsibilities.

2 Types of Liability Direct Liability: Actions of Supervisors are the cause for harm.Vicarious Liability: Responsible for the Actions of Their Supervisees.

Supervisors must understand the legal ramifications of their supervisory work, because they are legally and ethically responsible for their clients welfare, as well as, the trainees conduct (Corey, Schneider Corey, & Patrick, 2011, p.379).

Supervisors should have risk management practices in place to help guide them in the right direction of their decision-making responsibilities.

Supervisors become liable for the actions of their supervisees due to their professional relationship with supervisees (Corey, Schneider Corey, & Patrick, 2011, p.380).

7Multicultural IssuesSupervisors Need a Framework to Address Differences in:CultureRaceEthnicitySocioeconomic StatusSexual OrientationReligionGenderAge

Supervision is very sensitive to the diversity we encounter. Supervisors have the responsibility to help trainees become multicultural competent within their field of practice, by helping them understand their racial and cultural identity, and how certain attitudes and behavior they possess may affect their relationship with clients.

- Ethical and competent supervision involves recognizing and addressing the salient issues that apply to multicultural supervision (Corey, Schneider Corey, & Patrick, 2011, p.383).

Supervisors need to be able to recognize and address diversity within the supervisory relationship, with supervisees, because it helps enhance their respect for diversity.

8Spiritual IssuesClients Come Face-to-Face with Spiritual Matters When: They Reach a Certain AgeLose a Loved One or Someone CloseExperience Chronic Pain or Disabling Conditions

Explore Spirituality, but Do Not Pressure Spirituality on Our Clients or Supervisees.

Mental Health Professionals Need to be Understanding, Honor, and Respectful of Religious Differences.

- Clients are oftentimes faced with spiritual matters as they age, experience loss, and have chronic pain or other disabling conditions (Corey, Schneider Corey, & Patrick, 2011, p.385).

Supervisors must be open and willing for spiritual issues when significant.

In supervision it is important not to ignore spirituality because it enhances our understanding of ones personal meanings or beliefs.

9Multiple Roles and Relationships in the Supervisory ProcessTraining and Supervision is Needed When Discussions and Process Issues are Relevant to Multiple Roles.

Multiple Relationships Between Supervisees and Supervisors Cannot Always be Avoided, but it is Their Responsibility to Avoid Those in Which Result in Harm.

Supervisors Should Manage Boundaries so Relationships Do Not Harm or Exploit the Supervisees.

Counseling supervisors are expected to maintain personal and professional maturity for multiple roles.

Multiple-role relationships in supervision occur when a supervisor has concurrent or consecutive professional or nonprofessional relationships with a supervisee in addition to the supervisorsupervisee relationship (Corey, Schneider Corey, & Patrick, 2011, p.386).

Supervisors need to make their roles clear to the supervisees, and become aware of the potential problems that could arise when judgment is impaired and boundaries are crossed.

10Nonsexual Multiple Relationships Pose Challenges

There Are Ways on How to Deal With Nonsexual Multiple Relations:Provide Adequate Information

Model Appropriate Behavior

Advocate for Themselves and Coworkers

Prevent & Avoid Nonsexual Multiple Relations

In order to prevent nonsexual multiple relations is important for the professional to have adequate information and also be welled informed of boundaries. This will prevent any kind of boundaries between professional and client from being crossed.

According to Corey, Schneider Corey, and Patrick (2011) supervisors have the ethical responsibility of carefully managing boundaries so that these relationships do not result in harm or exploitation to supervisees (p.387).11Commonly Used Methods of SupervisionSelf-Report

Process Notes

Audio Recording

Video Recording

Live Supervision

Verbal Communication

Direct Observation

(Feist as cited in Corey, Schneider Corey, & Patrick, 2011)

These are all methods which a supervisor can use in the training process.

There are some methods that are more widely used, because it will provide accurate and useful information about the supervisees progress.

According to Corey, Schneider Corey, and Patrick (2011) The essential elements of the supervisorsupervisee relationship include trust, self-disclosure, understanding transference and countertransference, acknowledging diversity, and establishing appropriate boundaries (p.373).

The most common forms of supervision used in the supervisory relationship is verbal communication and direct observation.

12Styles of SupervisionDepending on the Level in Which a Trainee Might be in, That is the Style of Supervision That They Might Need.In the Beginning is a Question ApproachPut to Practice What They Learn in the TrainingHelp Them Develop their Own Style in Obtaining Their Own InformationHelp the Trainee Realize They Can Have a Positive or Negative Impact on the Client

Supervisors are expected to be aware of the needs of their supervisees and to address these needs in supervision (Corey, Corey Schneider, & Patrick, 2011, p.374).

Depending on the level in which the trainee might be, that may be the style of supervision they should get from the supervisor. This is to better help the trainee in the client sessions.

The supervising style of different supervisors are different. The goals, however, are the same which is to know the needs of the supervisee and accordingly provide them with everything they need

Supervisees tend to need more direction in the beginning of the supervisory relationship, therefore, it may be best to adopt the reflective and questioning approach.

We should strive to help supervisees identify their own intuitions and insights, so they can develop their own direction/style within their field of practice (Corey, Schneider Corey, & Patrick, 2011, p.374).

13Supervisors Roles and ResponsibilitiesEvaluation Role:Appraise Students ProgressSupervisees Personal Information is Kept ConfidentialModel Professional BehaviorTreat Supervisees Respectfully, Professionally, and in an Ethical Manner.

Ethical and Legal Obligations to Supervisees:Provide Timely FeedbackMonitor Their Actions, Decisions, and CompetenceInform Trainee of Their Rights and ResponsibilitiesGuide Their Personal Development that Relates to Professional Competence

Supervisors have responsibilities to supervisees current clients and to their future clients as well (Corey, Schneider Corey, & Patrick, 2011, p.371).

Supervisors provide training and share their experiences so that the supervisee learns them and being able to implement them in an ethical and effective way.

Supervisees who have proper knowledge about supervision and counseling should be trained, as the Supervisors are to be responsible for everything at the end.

All the supervisors need to play different roles as well, such as consultant, teacher, mentor, counselor, adviser, sounding board, evaluator, administrator, recorder and documenter. And with all these, they may also need to offer different people with different functions, while having the same session with a supervisee.

Competent supervisors will have the qualities to handle any complicated moment that they might face and act accordingly. They will have self control as well, so that they dont do anything exaggerated on themselves and the supervisees.

A supervisor is responsible for the legal, ethical and professional compliance of the supervisee. They are also responsible for how the supervisees conduct with clients, their competency and developing their skills.

The supervisor is responsible for the quality service that the clients receive from the supervisee.

14ConclusionSupervisors are responsible for providing supervisees direction that promotes knowledge, skills, competency, and appropriate ethical content so they can excel within there area of practice.

Professional supervision is defined as the relationship between supervisor and supervisee in which the responsibility and accountability for the development of competence, demeanor, and ethical practice take place (National Association of Social Workers, 2012, p.7).

Supervision is a key component for a supervisees professional career, because it allows them obtain advanced knowledge and skills. They can then apply their abilities to their field of practice in a more appropriate, ethical, and competent manner in order to better serve their clients.

15ReferencesCorey, G., Schneider Corey, M., & Patrick, C. (2011). Issues and ethics in the helping professions (8th ed.). Belmont, CA.National Association of Social Workers. (2012). Best practice standards in social work supervision. Retrieved from http://www.socialworkers.org/practice/naswstandards/socialworksupervision/SUPERVISION%20STANDARDS2%20Public%20Comment%20Draft%20August%2016.pdf