Clinical supervision of individual counseling practicum in Turkey: counselor educators’ experiences with structuring and conducting the supervision process

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to explore the experiences of counselor educators as supervisors on the practices of individual counseling practicum and its supervision processes in Turkey via a qualitative study, with consensual qualitative research as data analytic method. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 supervisors determined via maximum variation sampling from participants in a national study. Supervisors particularly detailed their practices and experiences in two main categories: current status of supervision process, including supervisory modalities, techniques, relationship, roles, feedback, and evaluation; and assessment of the current status regarding strengths and challenges including their characteristics as supervisors.

KEYWORDS:

• Clinical supervision
• individual counseling practicum
• supervision process
• supervisor characteristics

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Authors’ contributions

Both authors contributed to the study conception and design, actively participated in writing the manuscript, and read and approved the final manuscript.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mine Aladağ

Mine Aladağ is an Associate Professor in the Guidance and Counseling Program, Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Education, Ege University, Turkey. She specializes in counselor education and clinical supervision. As counselor educator, clinical supervisor, and researcher, her teaching and scholarly agenda is focused around specifically pre-practicum counseling skills training, counseling practicum and clinical supervision as well as supervisor training.

Gülşah Kemer

Gülşah Kemer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Services at Old Dominion University, United States. She specializes in counselor training and clinical supervision. Her scholarly agenda is focused around beginning and expert clinical supervisors, particularly what supervisors think and how their thoughts inform their supervision practices. Originally from Turkey, Dr. Kemer collaborates with supervision researchers in her home country as well as colleagues in the U.S.