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Introduction
The Association identifies clinical supervision as vital to the counselling
task and the principle means of enabling a counsellor’s development.
Clinical supervisors are mindful of the counsellor, the counsellor’s
clients and the context in which the counsellor works. They undertake
responsibility for the quality of the supervision provided. This demands
a level of commitment to personal and professional development and the
practice of supervision.
Definition
Clinical supervision is the process entered into by a counsellor (or
group of counsellors) with the supervisor for the purpose of integrating
theory and practice in response to specific counselling situations. It
is a professional opportunity for counsellors to present their learning
successes and difficulties with clients, identify their learning needs,
become aware of their personal responses to the counselling, and develop
knowledge and clarity about self in order to be able to respond effectively.
AARC Inc membership requires that supervision take place on a regular
basis with different supervisors throughout a counsellor’s career;
and that the relationship with a supervisor is of sufficient duration
(e.g. two to three years) for the knowledge and trust to grow that is
necessary for this kind of learning. It is desirable for supervisors
to have received training in clinical supervision. It is not necessary
that a member’s supervisor be a registered AARC Inc supervisor.
AARC Inc membership also requires that the supervisor has the clinical
expertise
necessary to assist the counsellor in extending his or her
ability to understand and work with relationship dynamics when one or
more members of a relationship or family are present.
A Counsellor can expect from supervision;
1. A therapeutic approach - respect, empowerment, genuineness, congruence,
clear self boundaries.
2. Counselling skills - empathy, immediacy, questioning, confronting,
informing, guiding, contracting.
3. Specific supervisory process includes:
Focus on the counsellor/client system, awareness and use of parallel
process, appropriate didactic input, hypothesising, flexibility, checking
out and offering choices, lack of collusion, and attention to matters
of professional practice accountability.
4. Ability to work with the counsellor’s model of relationship
counselling and psychotherapy.
5. Recognition and acceptance of the counsellor’s responsibility
for his/her development and learning.
6. Identification and evaluation of the counsellor’s personal and
professional resources and performance.
7. Willingness to negotiate a programme to meet the particular developmental
needs of the counsellor.
8. Willingness to self-disclose appropriately.
While supervision is important for all members it needs to be noted that
these guidelines will be taken into account when considering applications
for clinical membership.
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