Trainee Impairment

This article reviews the professional literature on the topic of evaluating the competence of trainees in professional psychology training programs including program policies, procedures, and actual practice for identifying, remediating, and, in extreme cases, dismissing trainees who are judged unable to provide competent, professional care. This review covers the literature on the following major issues related to trainee performance: (a) problems with definitions of impairment, (b) established professional standards for supervision and evaluation of trainees based on accreditation guidelines and ethical standards, (c) methodological critiques of empirical studies on trainee impairment, (d) issues related to evaluation and identification of trainees who are making inadequate progress toward professional competence, (e) issues related to remediation, (f) dismissal and due process, and (g) relevant legal cases and considerations. The review of these topics provides the platform for an extensive list of recommendations directed toward faculty and supervisors responsible for professional psychology training programs and internships.

Psychotherapy Supervisor Ethical Practices

The overall purpose of this article is to present a review of the literature that identifies the salient ethical guidelines related to the practice of supervision and to discuss the results of a study that examined supervisor ethical practices. In terms of our investigation, we examined supervisee perceptions of their supervisors’ adherence to ethical guidelines, supervisee reactions to ethical violations, and the relationships among supervisor ethical behaviors, the supervisory working alliance, and supervisee satisfaction. The results indicated that 51% of the 151 beginning to intern-level supervisees sampled reported at least one ethical violation by their supervisors. The most frequently violated guidelines involved adequate performance evaluation, confidentiality issues relevant to supervision, and ability to work with alternative perspectives. Greater nonadherence to ethical guidelines was significantly related to a weaker supervisory alliance and lower supervisee satisfaction. Limitations and implications for psychotherapy supervision theory, research, and practice are addressed.

Supervision of Predoctoral Graduate Research

A practice-oriented approach to research supervision is described, which emphasizes the application of clinical thinking and practice-oriented methods to inquiry and involves a process of learning by doing. The research interests, orientation, and learning response of the students who have experienced this research practicum are reported. It is concluded that a research practicum of this nature can engage the interest of those counseling students who are practice oriented and prepare them for a contributing role in research relevant to practice.

Supervision of Psychotherapy

Current models and issues related to psychotherapy supervision are examined. These include ethical and legal issues, problems of interpersonal competence, and multicultural issues. As a part of this analysis, interviews about supervision with five prominent counseling psychologists are included to provide their perspectives. Implications for the field of counseling psychology are described, and a series of recommendations is presented.

Ethics in rehabilitation education and research

This article reviews ethical issues that rehabilitation educators may face in meeting their everyday teaching and research responsibilities. Issues presented include dual relationships; selection of students; measurement of student competence; supervision of students; confidentiality concerning student information; faculty competence; multicultural issues; and the design, conduction, and publication of research. Applicable ethical codes are described, and appropriate actions are suggested.

Defining competencies in psychology supervision: A consensus statement

Supervision is a domain of professional practice conducted by many psychologists but for which formal training and standards have been largely neglected. In this article, supervision is proposed as a core competency area in psychology for which a number of elements reflecting specific knowledge, skills, and values must be addressed to ensure adequate training and professional development of the trainee. Supra-ordinate factors of supervision viewed as permeating all aspects of professional development are proposed. These include the perspective that professional development is a lifelong, cumulative process requiring attention to diversity in all its forms, as well as legal and ethical issues, personal and professional factors, and self- and peer-assessment. A competencies framework is presented with particular elements representing knowledge (e.g., about psychotherapy, research, etc.), skills (including supervising modalities, relationship skills, etc.), values (e.g., responsibility for the clients and supervisee rests with supervisor, etc.), and meta-knowledge. Social contextual factors and issues of education and training, assessment, and future directions also are addressed, with specific elements listed. Suggestions for future work in this area are addressed, including the need to refine further and operationalize competences, develop clear expectations for accreditation and licensure regarding supervision competencies, and expand the description of developmental levels of supervisors from minimal to optimal competence. This is one of a series of articles published together in this issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychology. Several other articles that resulted from the Competencies Conference: Future Directions in Education and Credentialing in Professional Psychology will appear in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice and The Counseling Psychologist.