Supervisory

Ethics and Issues

Team B
BSHS/335
December 22, 2014
Nicole Zmuda

Agenda
OSupervision

(Overview)
OLegal Aspects
OInformed Consent
OConfidentiality & Limits
OLiability
OMulticultural Issues
OSpiritual Issues
OMultiple Roles and Relationships in the Supervisory
Process
ONonsexual Multiple Relationships Pose Challenges
OMethods of Supervision
OStyles of Supervision
OSupervisors Roles and Responsibilities
OConclusion

Supervision

(Overview)

O Involves a Supervisor Overseeing the Professional

Work of a Trainee in Order to:

O Promote Supervisee Growth and Development
O Protect the Welfare of Clients
O Monitor Supervisee Performance and to Serve

as a Gatekeeper for the Profession

O Empower the Supervisee to Self-supervise and

Carry Out These Goals as an Independent

Professional
(Corey, Corey Schneider, & Patrick, 2011, p.366)

Legal Aspects
OThere are 3 Legal

Considerations in the
Supervisory Relationship
OInformed Consent
OConfidentiality & Limits
OLiability

Informed Consent
O Supervisees Must be Informed of the

Potential Benefits, Risks, and Expectations of

the supervisorsupervisee relationship.
O Supervisors Must Ensure Trainees Make

Clients Aware of the Informed Consent

Process Before Providing Services.
O Clients must be advised that the Supervisee
O Is in Training
O Being Supervised
O Sessions May be Taped

or Recorded for Training Purposes

Confidentiality & Limits

O Client Information &

Communication Must
be Honored.
O Client Issues &

Materials Must be
Discussed.
O Client Privacy and

Information Must Be
Protected at Any
Cost.

O Respect Client

Communications
O Model Appropriate

Ways of Talking
About Clients
O Limits of

Confidentiality Such
as Duty to Protect
or Duty to Warn is
Made Clear.

Liability
O Legally Responsible for

Trainees and the Clients

They Serve.
O Know and Understand Legal

Aspects of Their Work.

O Must Be Familiar with Each

Case of Each Supervisee.

O Legal Action May be Taken

if Supervisors fail Adhere to

Their Supervisory
Responsibilities.

O 2 Types of Liability
O Direct Liability:

Actions of
Supervisors are the
cause for harm.
O Vicarious Liability:
Responsible for the
Actions of Their
Supervisees.

Multicultural Issues
O Supervisors Need a Framework to Address

Differences in:
O Culture
O Race
O Ethnicity
O Socioeconomic Status
O Sexual Orientation
O Religion
O Gender
O Age

Spiritual Issues
O Clients Come Face-to-Face with Spiritual

Matters When:
O They Reach a Certain Age
O Lose a Loved One or Someone Close
O Experience Chronic Pain or Disabling Conditions

O Explore Spirituality, but Do Not Pressure

Spirituality on Our Clients or Supervisees.

O Mental Health Professionals Need to be

Understanding, Honor, and Respectful of

Religious Differences.

Multiple Roles and Relationships in the

Supervisory Process
O Training and Supervision is Needed When

Discussions and Process Issues are Relevant to

Multiple Roles.
O Multiple Relationships Between Supervisees

and Supervisors Cannot Always be Avoided,

but it is Their Responsibility to Avoid Those in
Which Result in Harm.
O Supervisors Should Manage Boundaries so

Relationships Do Not Harm or Exploit the

Supervisees.

Nonsexual Multiple Relationships Pose Challenges

O There Are Ways on How to Deal With

Nonsexual Multiple Relations:

O Provide Adequate Information
O Model Appropriate Behavior
O Advocate for Themselves and Coworkers
O Prevent & Avoid Nonsexual Multiple Relations

Commonly Used
Methods of Supervision
O Self-Report

O Live Supervision

O Process Notes

O Verbal Communication

O Audio

O Direct Observation

Recording
O Video

Recording

(Feist as cited in Corey, Schneider Corey, &

Patrick, 2011)

Styles of Supervision
O Depending on the Level in Which a Trainee

Might be in, That is the Style of

Supervision That They Might Need.
O In the Beginning is a Question Approach
O Put to Practice What They Learn in the
Training
O Help Them Develop their Own Style in
Obtaining Their Own Information
O Help the Trainee Realize They Can Have
a Positive or Negative Impact on the
Client

Supervisors
Roles and Responsibilities

O Evaluation Role:
O Appraise Students

Progress
O Supervisees Personal

Information is Kept
Confidential
O Model Professional
Behavior
O Treat Supervisees
Respectfully,
Professionally, and in
an Ethical Manner.

O Ethical and Legal

Obligations to
Supervisees:
O Provide Timely
Feedback
O Monitor Their Actions,
Decisions, and
Competence
O Inform Trainee of
Their Rights and
Responsibilities
O Guide Their Personal
Development that
Relates to
Professional

Conclusion
OSupervisors are responsible

for providing supervisees

direction that promotes
knowledge, skills,
competency, and
appropriate ethical content
so they can excel within
there area of practice.

References
O Corey, G., Schneider Corey, M., & Patrick, C.

(2011). Issues and ethics in the helping

professions
(8th ed.). Belmont, CA.
O National Association of Social Workers.
(2012). Best practice standards in social
work supervision. Retrieved from
http://www.socialworkers.org/practice/
naswstandards/socialworksupervision/SU
PERVISION%20STANDARDS2%20Public%20Comm
ent%20Draft%20August%2016.pdf