Clinical Supervision: A Four-Stage Process of Growth and Discovery

Taibbi's reader-friendly book on supervision is a pleasure to read. According to Taibbi, agency supervisors function in the middle between administration and clinician. The supervisor is responsible for coordination of work load, enhancement of performance, emotional support, and performance evaluation of clinicians under his or her supervision. A good supervisor is able to turn clinicians' fears into opportunities and challenges and is able to use the power of his or her relationship with others to facilitate growth and change, both individually and organizationally.

Taibbi uses developmental theory to understand the needs of the clinician and the role of the supervisor. He views the agency as a family in which people recreate the relationships in their family of origin. The knowledgeable supervisor uses his or her relationship with clinicians to help them progress through various stages of personal growth and professional development. In addition, this process parallels the development of the clinician-client relationship. The supervisory relationship facilitates growth in the clinician, which is shaped bv the clinician's personal history.

Even if Taibbi's stage theory in supervisory relationships do not fit everyone, the material is nevertheless insightful and helpful. The suggestion that supervisors need to change their roles as supervisees' needs change is useful. According to Taibbi, the supervisory role moves from that of teacher to guide to gatekeeper to consultant. The varying goals, methods, approaches, therapeutic themes, and dangers of each role are discussed.

In the first stage of supervision, the supervisor acts as teacher, helping clinicians work through and decrease their anxiety with regard to their work. After trust between the supervisor and clinician is established, the supervisor can begin to teach clinical skills.

In the second stage, the supervisor serves as a guide. When the worker relaxes enough to begin to reflect on his or her performance, the supervisor guides that reflection toward personal history and relationship-pattern issues.

The third stage is similar to the adolescent growth-and-development stage. The clinician begins to break away from the supervisor, individuating, exploring, and developing his or her own clinical style.

In the fourth stage, the clinician-supervisor relationship becomes more equal and peer-like. The supervisor functions as a consultant to the clinician.

Taibbi states supervisors should be in supervision themselves, an important point in that being in supervision helps the supervisor guide others through supervision.

This book offers concrete, specific, useful suggestions for facilitating the supervisory process. Moreover, the information is applicable to more than just clinical supervision. It can be used by anyone who supervises others to understand behaviors and gain insight into how to use the supervisory relationship to affect growth and development in all parties concerned.

Judith A. Stafford Social Work Program Morehead State University Morehead, Kentucky

Copyright Family Service America Jan/Feb 1997
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