Personal philosophy and supervision development through the discrimination model

Supervision Portfolio/Supervision Form

Supervision Portfolio / Personal Philosophy and Supervision Forms

Counseling uses systematic intervention to facilitate emotion development of patients. On the other hand, supervision is the management of overseeing the performances of an individual. The paper discusses the relationships and differences of counseling and supervision. The discrimination model of supervision is one of supervisory models that focus on the relationships between supervision and counseling because the model reveals that a supervisor can take the role of a counselor. (Bernard, & Goodyear, 2009). The paper also discusses my supervisory development process, which starts from my secondary education to my university education. Various theoretical models that I have learnt in my modules have in the university have enhanced my supervisory development level. The paper also discusses significant roles of being a multicultural competent supervisor and how my cultural background influences my supervisory developmental level.

Supervision Portfolio / Personal Philosophy and Supervision Forms

Counseling is the application of human development, mental health or psychological principles using behavioral, cognitive or systematic intervention strategies to facilitate growth, emotional acceptance, and personal development of patients. Counseling is a talking therapy that allows people talking about their feelings and problems in a dependable and confidential environment. A trained counselor uses different types of counseling therapies that include CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), the humanistic-existential approach and psychodynamic approach. However, this paper uses the cognitive-behavioral counseling approach to enhance a greater understanding on the strategy of the counseling technique. The cognitive-behavioral counseling approach uses technique such as examining patient's behavior and beliefs to assist patients to adopt more adaptive behaviors. A counselor using this approach believes that individuals generally hold beliefs about their relationships and themselves, which affect their behaviors. Typically, negative beliefs constitute maladaptive behaviors. A trained counselor can challenge and examine these beliefs using new information to assist patients to adopt positive and more adaptive behaviors. A trained counselor uses the cognitive-behavioral approach to change many form of depression, bad habits, and phobias.

On the other hand, supervision is the management of overseeing individual's operation or performances. In other word, supervision is an act watching the task or work of another person who lacks a full knowledge of professional concept. Typically, supervision entails guidance within a work environment. Carroll, (2007) defines supervision as the act where a supervisor assists subordinates to do their work better and creatively through series of coaching. Typically, "supervision is a form of experiential learning." (Carroll 2007, p 36) to assist supervisees to do their work better. However, Bernard, and Goodyear (2009) defines supervision as a formal relationship between a senior member and the subordinate within a professional environment. The work of a senior is to evaluate the work of junior members as well as monitoring the quality of work of junior members in order to enhance their skills. However, the paper uses the discrimination model of supervision approach to enhance a greater understanding of supervision technique. The paper analyzes the relationships between counseling approach and supervision approach.

Examine and discuss the specific Supervision model(s) Conducted

Discrimination model is the specific supervision model conducted. Discrimination model is one of the supervision models designed for the application of multiple therapeutic orientations. Bernard & Goodyear, (1992) argues that discrimination model advocates three supervisory roles with three focus areas: First, a supervisor might take the role of a teacher when asked to deliver a lecture, inform and instruct the supervisees. Moreover, a supervisor might act as a counselor by assisting supervisees indentifying weakness and the strategy to improve their well-being. A supervisor can also act as a consultant to offer supportive guidance. Leddick, (1994) points out that each of three supervisory roles is task-specific. Moreover, the discrimination model highlights three areas to focus in the supervision process of skill building:

conceptualization, process and Personalization.

The "process" highlights the strategy the communication is conveyed, moreover, conceptualization shows how supervisees can explain the application. Arthur (2012) discusses the strategy to apply the discrimination model in the healthcare supervision setting. The author argues that discrimination model in the supervision setting is an effective tool to guide both the biopsychosocial approach and non-medical behavioral approach for resident education. Using discriminatory model in the medical setting, the model heavily relies on live observation, video or audio, as well as other method of direct supervision. Using this supervision method, the health faculty is able to pay a key attention to patient-doctor relationships. Using discrimination model in the medical setting, the supervisor must first make a decision which area to focus in the case. However, discrimination model is not designed make supervisor focusing on particular circumstances, however, discrimination model is designed to assist supervisor to implement the model on multiple possibilities. The paper discusses my aspect of developmental level of supervision to enhance a greater understanding of my view of supervision as well as my personal supervision model.

Discussion on my own Developmental Level as a Supervisor

My own developmental level as a supervisor involves three stages:

First stage is through the training I have undergone in my schools and university. When I was in high school, I had the supervisory roles experience when my co-students asked me to assist them in the assignments involving quantitative techniques and mathematics. When I was in the high school, I was very good in the mathematics and quantitative techniques. The knowledge that I had acquired in the subjects made many students to approach me for assistance in the subjects. Although, I had not developed the knowledge of theoretical model to supervision during the period, however, the strategy I used in assisting my co-students in mathematics resembles the theoretical developmental framework of supervision. For example, when the students approached me to assist them in mathematics, I will use development model to develop from novice stage to expert stage in mathematics and quantitative technique.

Developmental supervisory model "defines progressive stages of supervisee development from novice to expert." (Smith, 2009 p 4). In the development model, each stage consists of discreet skills and characteristics. For example, supervisees at novice stage will be expected to possess limited skills, while at the middle stage, supervisees will develop more skills and perceived to be more independent from the supervisor. However, a supervisee reaching the expert end is likely to use good problem-solving skills to understand the supervisory and counseling process. In my secondary school days, I use this technique to assist my co-students to migrate from novice level to expert level in mathematics. The experience I had accumulated in my secondary days as a supervisor in mathematics also assists me in my place of work.

I also had experience as a supervisor in my workplace, which enhanced my development level as a supervisor. My development level as a supervisor also continues in my workplace before getting admission into the university. Before I got admission in into the university, I had worked in series of companies notably manufacturing companies. For example, I worked with Toyota Company for 5 years as an assistant supervisor. My working experience in the company has assisted my development level as a supervisor. In my working experience, I understand that it is critical for a supervisor to build working relationships with supervisees. Typically, supervisory-supervisees relationships enhance mutual alliance between the two parties. The supervisor and supervisees share responsibility of developing empathy, genuineness, warmth, emotional and reliability engagement to develop key bond. The relationships will make the supervisors to assist supervisees to develop interpersonal skills and technical skills. (Falender & Shafranske, 2004). My working experience made me to understand that supervisors and supervisees need to develop a working relationship as well as having shared goals to meet the expectations of supervisees. During the my third year in the Toyota, I was promoted to the post of a supervisor and during the stage, I implemented supervisory techniques that I learned from my superior to my job functions as a supervisor.

The third stage in my development level as a supervisor is the training I have undergone in the university. During my course of study in the university, I have learnt several theoretical approaches to supervision, and my understanding of theoretical underpinning to supervision assists me to understand the developmental strategy to supervision. I understand that the supervisee needs to undergo different level of development stages from novice to expert. Typically, the integrated development model discusses three levels of supervision development:

First stage of supervisees is the entry level when supervisees have high anxiety and have high motivation. The second stage is when supervisees are at the mid-level with fluctuating experience. The third level is when supervisees are essentially stable, secure in motivation. "The integrated developmental model stresses the need for the supervisor to utilize skills and approaches that correspond to the level of the supervisee." (Smith, 2009 p 5). Thus, model has assisted me to understand that I need to balance the supervisee's high anxiety with my prescriptive and supportive technique. However, the integrated development model has its weakness. For example, the model devotes its application for undergraduate students and emphasizes little application of supervision for postgraduate students. Moreover, the model presents limited suggestion that is applicable for specific supervision method at each supervisee level.

My own aspect of developmental level is to discriminatory model that employs developmental approach to supervision. The model is to identify the current stage of supervisees and identify the appropriate support and feedback to the developmental stage, at the same time enhancing supervisees' progression towards the next stage. I will use interactive process to encourage supervisees to use their prior skills and knowledge to accumulate new learning. As supervisees are reaching the mastery stage, I will gradually incorporate skills and knowledge to assist supervisees into the advanced stage. Meanwhile, as the supervisees are exposed to new counseling skills and new form of information, the interaction between supervisees and I will foster the development of advanced thinking skills. As being discussed earlier on, the integrative model (discriminatory model) relies on technique and theory with respect of supervision, and the integrative model is widely practiced by many supervisors.

Discussion on the significance of being a Multicultural Competent Supervisor

In the contemporary working environment, it is critical for a supervisor to be multicultural competent to work with diverse client with different cultural background. During the supervisory roles, supervisors are likely to meet different clients from different cultural background, and a cultural competent supervisor will be able to assist supervisees in different level of development. A counselor needs to undergone multicultural competent training to develop skills in handling different supervisees with different cultural background. One of the benefits of being a multicultural competent supervisor is that it will assist a supervisor to deliver supervisory functions based on the specific needs of supervisees. Essentially, a type of supervision needed for a particular supervisee might be different from a supervision that should be delivered to another supervisee from different cultural background. For example, a type supervision strategy for Asian supervisees might be different from supervision of American supervisees.

Understanding self -- cultural awareness is first stage in becoming a cultural competent supervisor. I am an American and live my own life in the United States. My own cultural background, as an American citizen, might influence my supervisory process and relationships. My cultural background has made me to be free of prejudice and bias during my supervision process. Typically, the United States is one of the countries in the world that consists of multicultural settings, and my stay in the United States has assisted me to mix with different people from different cultural background. Since I started my elementary education, I have mixed with people from Asian, Africa, Europe, Latin America, Oceania and other people from different cultural settings. Over the years, I have been able to understand feelings, needs, and weakness of people across different cultures. My cultural background as an American will make supervisory functions very enjoyable experience. For example, I will be able to understand the feelings and needs of supervisees quickly no matter their cultural background. The skills that I have acquired will improve my supervisory functions.