Critical Incidents In Supervision And The Influence To Professional Development Of Trainee Counselors

This research is a qualitative research on supervision process. Researcher interviewed 4 pairs of supervisors and supervisees who were trainee counselors, and used grounded theory and CQR coding methods, identifying and categorizing critical incidents which had helpful and hindering effects on professional development of trainee counselors during supervision process.This study is a matched pair study, which described, analyzed, categorized, and conceptualized critical incidents via different view point from supervisors and supervisees. And also, this study explored supervisory intervention mode of this critical incidents, thus examined the relationship of these critical incidents and professional development of trainee supervisees.84 critical incidents were identified by participants, and 601 minimum reference points were identified. Through open coding, researcher formed 7 axial coding. Helpful incidents include supervisory relationship incidents, conceptualization incidents, intervention process incidents, and personalization incidents; hindering incidents include supervisory relationship incidents, supervision task incidents, and supervisor setting incidents.Helpful incidents listed as follows are significantly more identified by supervisees than supervisors:supervisory style, coping with negative emotion, coping with personal issues; helpful incidents listed as follows are significantly more identified by supervisors than supervisees:evaluation and feedback, engagement of supervisee, case conceptualization, role modeling.Hindering incidents listed as follows are significantly more identified by supervisees than supervisors:not being understood, not being valued, feeling frustrated, intervening goals or choices, and lack of time; hindering incidents listed as follows are significantly more identified by supervisors than supervisees:not giving feedback immediately, deviating supervision focus, administrative intervention.This study compared supervisory intervention mode identified by supervisors and supervisees. Supervisory intervention mode can be categorized by supervisory role and supervisory focus. Supervisory role can be divided as consultant, counselor, and teacher. Supervisory focus can be divided as intervention skills, personalization and conceptualization. There’s no significant difference between supervisors and supervisees.8 categorizes of professional development are identified:intervention skills and capabilities, case conceptualization, acceptance of individual difference, theoretical knowledge learning, evaluation skills, interpersonal evaluation skills, professional ethics, morality and laws, and therapeutic plans and goals. Supervisees significantly pay more attention on intervention skills and capabilities and therapeutic goals and plans; supervisors significantly pay more attention on theoretical knowledge learning and evaluation skills. Case conceptualization is the field supervisors and supervisees both valued; individual differences and professional ethics, morality and laws are fields the two sides not highly involved in.It is found that, during supervision process, supervisees value more on emotional consistency, while supervisors value more on task and goal consistency. The main supervisory intervention mode identified by supervisees is counselor-personalization, while the main supervisory intervention mode identified by supervisors is teacher-intervention skills. Steering sides different focus, different cognitive complexity and different perception of the intention are the main reason of cognitive difference between supervisors and supervisees.According to the findings, this research presents the following recommendations to the practical work:carry out competency-training programs of supervision; build positive supervisory alliances; enhance openness and immediate communication; supervisors change role flexibly.