The Heroic Supervisor: Using the Hero's Journey to Facilitate Development in Supervisors-in-Training

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the perspectives of nine supervisors-in-training to understand how they used metaphoric stories containing the hero's/heroine's journey to conceptualize their process of transitioning from counselor to supervisor. Analysis revealed a three-phase process of counselor supervisor development similar to the process of development and transformation described in both the constructivist model of change (Mahoney, 2006) and the hero's journey (Campbell, 1988). Results also indicated that conceptualizing their development as supervisors using the stories provided students with a valuable opportunity for critical self-reflection and meaning making. Suggestions for clinical supervision practice, training, and future research are discussed.

Keywords::

• supervisor training
• clinical supervision
• supervisor development
• metaphor