And the problem lies in the fact that there is a shortage of good teaching on the subject. "Students are left to discover ethical solutions by 'osmosis'" he asserts, because "simply providing ethical information is not enough, students end up without sufficient skills to make ethical decisions." As to what responsibility supervisors have in terms of their ethical duties towards supervisees, Carroll suggests supervisors not merely wait until issues arise within the supervisory duties to discuss ethics: rather, supervisors should practice good ethical behavior and insist that trainees be given full courses in ethics, not just three-hour seminars.

In their book Developing Counsellor Supervision, Colin Feltham and Windy Dryden point out (112) that in recent years "there has been a great deal of exposure of counselors who seriously and blatantly abuse their position and undermine public confidence" in the counseling profession. And while "sexual abuse" gets the headlines, Feltham et al. write that several other issues are considered ethical misdeeds. They mention "transgressing confidentiality," "exploiting clients financially...or emotionally," among some of the most obvious.

There are also ethical abuses such as being five minutes late to a counseling session (113), or "the failure to respect clients' autonomy and personal and cultural values." It is also possible, Feltham writes, to engage in "religious proselytizing" or "unwittingly sway clients towards certain moral, religious, political or other ideological views" on issues like abortion, sexual orientation, among others. Further, other ethical abuses include: "the failure to adapt to the individual needs of clients" (114); and a supervisor who is "dogmatic...because that is likely to inhibit supervisees' development and creativity in the service of clients."

In a book called Supervising Counsellors and Therapists: A Developmental Approach,...

The Level One supervisee focuses mostly on "self,' is very eager to become a good worker, and is very dependent on the supervisor. A Level Two supervisee becomes so attuned on "other" that every client becomes so extraordinarily unique that the supervisee may resist "any suggestions from the supervisor that general principles may apply to this particular person" (Stoltenberg, et al., 1988).
That would seem to be out of bounds and a bit arrogant or naive, but it is a reality in many cases, the authors say. The Level Three supervisee, meanwhile, "has achieved a balance between self- and other-awareness, and is beginning to develop a personal clinical style, which decreases dependence on the supervisor." And yet, notwithstanding that balance, the supervisor must always stay in contact with the supervisee, lest the pressure and drama associated with a myriad of client personality types take the supervisee into an unreality situation regarding therapy. Supervision must always be vigilant, and fair, and thorough.