Developmental Model Of Clinical Supervision Essay

The developmental model of clinical supervision can be seen as a process of individualized learning for trainees working with clients. There are three main models of supervision. These include developmental models, orientation-specific models, and integrated models. The developmental model defines continuous stages of development from the beginners’ level to the expert level. Each stage is distinct and has its own skill set (Russell-Chapin & Chapin, 2012). For instance, supervisees in the beginners’ stage often have high motivation but lack the adequate skills and self-confidence when compared to experts in their field (Boie & Lopez, 2011). On the other hand, supervisees in the middle stage might have more confidence and skill with conflicting feelings about supposed independence on the supervisor. Throughout the expert level of the developmental spectrum, a supervisee is generally able to use good problem-solving skills and has the ability to reflect on the process of counseling and supervising (Haynes, Corey & Moulton, 2003 as cited in Smith, 2009). It is key, when supervisors are employing a developmental approach of supervision, to identify the current stage the supervisee is in and to provide feedback and support appropriate to that particular developmental stage, whilst at the

This approach assumes that hierarchical stage evolution and understanding must be measured in a particular learning domain and that discontinuities exist from one domain to another. A close scrutiny of this developmental model of clinical supervision reveals merits and several limitations. Some of its merits are that the developmental model attempts to integrate and organize dimensions of supervision, motivation, focus of perspectives, and learning variability within separate skills and knowledge. It also integrates instructional pacing and interpersonal and individual difference (Russell-Chapin & Chapin,