CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT

Clinical Development

Clinical Development

Since the start of 21st century, the position and functions of school counsellors have changed noticeably (Schmidt, 1993). The focus of school counselling has shifted from vocational guidance to more emphasis on the use of clinical skills, including individual and group counselling. In a recent editorial in this journal, Sink (1999) noted, "In my view, counsellor educators are training nascent school counsellors less from a clinical framework" (p. ii).

Consequently, a need for more effective supervision of school counsellors has been recognized. However, a majority of school counsellors do not receive adequate supervision; indeed, many are supervised by school administrators who are not trained in counselling (Roberts & Borders, 1994; Sutton & Page, 1994). The American Association of Counselling and Development School Counselling Task Force (1989; now ACA) has declared a need for counselling supervision of practicing school counsellors (hereafter referred to as clinical supervision). However, there are few studies on the effects of clinical supervision on veteran counsellors of any type (Bernard & Goodyear, 1992) and even fewer on school counsellors.

Research on the effects of clinical supervision on school counsellors is rare (Crutchfield & Borders, 1997; Roberts & Borders, 1994; Sutton & Page, 1994). Just one ongoing clinical supervision program of school counsellors was found in a literature search, but other than informal comments from the participants, the authors did not report formal evaluation findings (Henderson & Lampe, 1992). Two peer group, clinical supervision programs have been described and tested in the literature: Borders' (1991) Systematic Peer Group Supervision and Benshoff and Paisley's (1996) Structured Peer Consultation Model for School Counsellors. When compared with no supervision, the quantitative research findings on both programs were not significant (Crutchfield & Borders, 1997). The counsellor participants in Crutchfield and Borders' (1997) study were provided few opportunities for supervision training, and their involvement in clinical supervision was limited to the duration of the study.

As a consequence of the lack of clinical supervision programs and research, there was a call for school systems to design and examine methods of school counsellor supervision. Recent Counsellor Educators and Supervisors Network (CESNET) exchanges underscore the necessity and the complexities of establishing clinical supervision of school counsellors. In a December 1998 article in Counselling Today, Hayes (1998) asserted that the need for practical and effective clinical supervision programs was a challenge the school counselling profession cannot ignore. Thus, the purpose of this article is to describe and present evaluation evidence of a long-term clinical supervision program for school counsellors.

Program History and Description

Acting on the need for clinical supervision of school counsellors, a director of counselling and guidance, in a suburban Virginia school system in 1994, initiated a clinical supervision-training program for the system's elementary counsellors. The system had attempted peer consultation previously, but the lack of supervision training and clear structure had impeded the program. Consequently, the school system employed a licensed practicing counsellor and credentialed supervisor to design, train, and implement a peer group clinical supervision program for the elementary counsellors (Getz, in ...