Abstract
Drawing from the available literature, this chapter will summarize and critically discuss a range of models of professional supervision under three categories. First, under the purpose- and goal-based models, we will discuss seven purposes of professional supervision in social work. Second, under the path-based models, 16 different models followed independently or in combination to achieve the purpose of supervision are summarized. In the third category, two models that integrate purpose and path-based models are presented. The models discussed in the chapter are neither inclusive nor exhaustive of all supervision models. As they mainly focus on clinical practice, the practice of supervision needs to be extended to other areas of practice, such as community organization and development and policy practice. However, we hope the chapter provides a glimpse of supervision models employed in professional social work.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
AASW. (2016). Self-employment/private practice. Accessed on 28 June 2022 from https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/4573
Antczak, H. B., Mackrill, T., Steensbaek, S., & Ebsen, F. (2019). What works in video-based youth statutory caseworker supervision - caseworker and supervisor perspectives. Social Work Education, 38(8), 1025–1040.
Arczynski, A., & Morrow, S. L. (2017). The complexities of power in feminist multicultural psychotherapy supervision. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 64, 192–205. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000179
Baker, S. B., Exum, H. A., & Tyler, R. E. (2002). The developmental process of clinical supervisors in training: An investigation of the supervisor complexity model. Counselor Education and Supervision, 42(1), 15–30.
Bailey, R., Bell, K., Kalle, W., & Pawar, M. (2014). Restoring meaning to supervision through a peer consultation Group in Rural Australia. Journal of Social Work Practice: Psychotherapeutic Approaches in Health, Welfare and the Community. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2014.896785
Beddoe, L. (2017). Harmful supervision: A commentary. The Clinical Supervisor, 36(1), 88–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/07325223.2017.1295894
Billow, R. M., & Mendelsohn, R. (1987). The peer supervisory group for psychoanalytic therapists. Group, 11(1), 35–46.
Bruce, E. J., & Austin, M. J. (2000). Social work supervision: Assessing the past and mapping the future. The Clinical Supervisor, 19(2), 85–107.
Cohen, B. (1987, May–June). The ethics of social work supervision revisited. Social Work, 32(3), 194–196.
Cojocaru, S. (2010). Appreciative supervision in social work. New opportunities for changing the social work practice. Revista de cercetare [i interven]ie social, 29(1), 72–91.
Davys, A., & Beddoe, L. (2021). Best practice in professional supervision: A guide for the helping professions (2nd ed.). Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Dewey, J. (1998). Analysis of reflective thinking. How we think (1933). In L. A. Hickman & T. M. Alexandra (Eds.), The essential dewey (Ethics, logic, psychology) (Vol. 2). Indiana University Press.
Dugmore, P., Partridge, K., Sethi, I., & Krupa-Flasinska, M. (2018). Systemic supervision in statutory social work in the UK: Systemic rucksacks and bells that ring. European Journal of Social Work, 21(3), 400–414. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2018.1446914
Egan, R., Maidment, J., & Connolly, M. (2017). Trust, power and safety in the social work supervisory relationship: Results from Australian research. Journal of Social Work Practice, 31(3), 307–321. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2016.1261279
Egan, R., Maidment, J., & Connolly, M. (2018). Supporting quality supervision: Insights for organisational practice. International Social Work, 61(3), 353–367.
Erera, I. P., & Lazar, A. (1994). The administrative and educational functions in supervision: Indications of incompatibility. The Clinical Supervisor, 12(2), 39–56.
Falender, C. A. (2009). Relationship and accountability: Tensions in feminist supervision. Women & Therapy, 33, 22–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/02703140903404697
Fox, R. (1983). Contracting in supervision: A goal oriented process. The Clinical Supervisor, 1(1), 37–49. https://doi.org/10.1300/J001v01n01_05
Fox, R. (2008). Contracting in supervision: A goal oriented process. The Clinical Supervisor, 1(1), 37–49. https://doi.org/10.1300/J001v01n01_05. (online publication).
Gitterman, A. (1972). Comparison of educational models and their influences on supervision. In F. W. Kaslow et al. (Eds.), Issues in human services (pp. 18–38). Jossey-Bass.
Godden, J. (2010). Paper on supervision in social work, with particular reference to supervision practice in multi-disciplinary teams. Birmingham.
Golia, G. M., & McGovern, A. R. (2015). If you save me, I’ll save you: The power of peer supervision in clinical training and professional development. British Journal of Social Work, 45(2), 634–650. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bct138
Hair, H. (2014). Power relations in supervision: Preferred practices according to social workers. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 95(2), 107–114. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.2014.95.14
Hair, H. J., & O'Donoghue, K. (2009). Culturally relevant, socially just social work supervision: Becoming visible through a social constructionist lens. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 18(1–2), 70–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313200902874979
Hare, R. T., & Frankena, S. T. (1972). Peer group supervision. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 42(3), 527–529.
Harris, T. (2020). Successful supervision and leadership: Ensuing high-performance outcomes using the PASE model. Routledge.
Harris, T., & Slattery, M. (2021). The PASE supervision model. In K. O'Donoghue & L. Engelbrecht (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of social work supervision. Taylor & Francis Group.
Hawkins, P., & Shohet, R. (2000). Supervision in helping professions. Open University Press.
Henderson, P. (2009). The new handbook of administrative supervision in counselling. Routledge.
Hess, S. A., Knox, S., Schultz, J. M., Hill, C. E., Sloan, L., Brandt, S., et al. (2008). Predoctoral interns’ nondisclosure in supervision. Psychotherapy Research, 18, 400–411. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503300701697505
Ingram, R. (2013). Emotions, social work practice, and supervision: An uneasy alliance? Journal of Social Work Practice, 27(1), 5–19.
Ingram, R. (2015). Exploring emotions within formal and informal forums: Messages from social work practitioners. The British Journal of Social Work, 45(3), 896–913. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bct166
Kadushin, A. (1985). Supervision in social work (2nd ed.). Columbia University Press.
Kadushin, A., & Harkness, D. (2002). Supervision in social work (4th ed.). Columbia University Press.
Kadushin, A., & Harkness, D. (2014). Supervision in social work (5th ed.). Columbia University Press.
Kang, H. K., & O’Neill, P. (2018). Teaching note: Constructing critical conversations: Building the scaffold for reflection and action. Journal of Social Work Education, 54(1), 187–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2017.1341857
King, S., Carson, E., & Papatraianou, L. H. (2017). Self-managed supervision. Australian Social Work, 70(1), 4–16.
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experiences as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.
Latting, J. E. (1986). Adaptive supervision: A theoretical model for social workers. Administration in Social Work, 10(1), 15–23.
Lewis, W. (2001). Transference in analysis and supervision. In S. Gill (Ed.), The supervisory alliance: Facilitating the psychotherapist’s learning experience (pp. 75–80). Aronson.
Liddle, H., & Saba, G. (1983). On context replication: The isomorphic relationship of training and therapy. The Journal of Strategic and Systematic Therapies, 2, 3–11.
Lowy, L. (1983). Social work supervision: From models toward theory. Journal of Education for Social Work, 19(2), 55–62.
Lusk, M., Terrazas, S., & Salcido, R. (2017). Critical cultural competence in social work supervision. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 41(5), 464–476. https://doi.org/10.1080/23303131.2017.1313801
Magnussen, J. (2018). Supervision in Denmark – An empirical account of experiences and practices. European Journal of Social Work, 21(3), 359–373. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2018.1451827
McKibben, W. B., Cook, R. M., & Fickling, M. J. (2019). Feminist supervision and supervisee nondisclosure: The mediating role of the supervisory relationship. The Clinical Supervisor, 38(1), 38–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/07325223.2018.1509756
Mishna, F., Sanders, J. E., Sewell, K. M., & Milne, E. (2021). Teaching note-preparing social workers for the digital future of social work practice. Journal of Social Work Education, 57(sup1), 19–26.
Morrell, M. (2008). Supervision contracts revisited: Towards a negotiated agreement. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work Review, 1, 22–31.
Morrison, T. (2005). Staff supervision in social care: Making a real difference to staff and service users (3rd ed.). Pavilion.
Munson, C. (2002). Handbook of clinical social work supervision (3rd ed.). Taylor & Francis Press.
Muskat, B. (2013). The use of IASWG standards for social work practice with groups in supervision of group work practitioners. Social Work With Groups, 36(2–3), 208–221. https://doi.org/10.1080/01609513.2012.753837
Nelson, M. L., Gizara, S., Hope, A. C., Phelps, R., Steward, R., & Weitzman, L. (2006). A feminist multicultural perspective on supervision. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 34, 105–115. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1912.2006.tb00031.x
Newgent, R. A., Davis, H., & Farley, R. C. (2004). Perceptions of individual, triadic, and group models of supervision: A pilot study. The Clinical Supervisor, 23(2), 65–79. https://doi.org/10.1300/J001v23n02_05
Noble, C., & Irwin, J. (2009). Social work supervision: An exploration of the current challenges in a rapidly changing social. Economic and Political Environment. Journal of Social Work, 9(3), 345–358. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017309334848
O’Donoghue, K. (2010). Towards the construction of social work supervision in aotearoa New Zealand: A study of the perspectives of social work practitioners and supervisors. PhD thesis, Massey University, Palmerston North. http://hdl.handle.net/10179/1535; Accessed on 13 March 2022 from https://mro.massey.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10179/1535/02_whole.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y
O'Donoghue, K. (2015). Issues and challenges facing social work supervision in the twenty-first century. China Journal of Social Work, 8(2), 136–149. https://doi.org/10.1080/17525098.2015.1039172
O’Donoghue, K., Yuh, J., & P. W., & Tsui, M. S. (2018). Constructing an evidence-informed social work supervision model. European Journal of Social Work, 21(3), 348–358. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2017.1341387
Olsen, D. C., & Stern, S. B. (1990). Issues in the development of a family supervision model. The Clinical Supervisor, 8(2), 49–65.
O’Neill, P., & Fariña, M. (2018). Constructing critical conversations in social work supervision: Creating change. Clinical Social Work Journal, 46(4), 298–309. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-018-0681-6
Patridge, K. (2010). Systemic supervision in agency contexts: An evolving conversation with clinical psychologists in a mental health trust. In C. Burck & G. Daniel (Eds.), Mirrors and reflections: Processes in systemic supervision (pp. 309–335). Karnac.
Prouty, A. (2001). Experiencing feminist family therapy supervision. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 12, 171–203. https://doi.org/10.1300/J086v12n04_01
Rich, P. (1993). The form, function and content of clinical supervision: An integrated model. The Clinical Supervisor, 11, 137–178.
Sandu, A., & Unguru, E. (2013). Supervision of social work practice in North-Eastern Romanian rural areas. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 82, 386–391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.06.280
Schon, D. (1983). The reflective practitioner. Temple Smith.
Schreiber, P., & Frank, E. (1983). The use of a peer supervision group by social work clinicians. The Clinical Supervisor, 1(1), 29–36.
Sewell, K. M. (2018). Social work supervision of staff: A primer and scoping review (2013–2017). Clinical Social Work Journal, 46(4), 252–265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-018-0679-0
Sherbersky, H., Ziminski, J., & Pote, H. (2021). The journey towards systemic competence: Thoughts on training, supervision and competence evaluation. Journal of Family Therapy, 43(2), 351–371.
Shulman, L. (1993). Interactional supervision. NASW Press.
Shulman, L. (2016). Addressing internalized biases and stereotypes of the group leader: A life-long professional task. Social Work with Groups, 40(1), 10–16.
Shulman, L. (2020a). Supervision. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.385
Shulman, L. (2020b). Interactional supervision (4th ed.). NASW Press.
Stoltenberg, C. D., McNeill, B. W., & Crethar, H. C. (1994). Changes in supervision as counselors and therapists gain experience: A review. Professional Psychology—Research and Practice, 25(4), 416–449.
Storm, C. L., & Heath, A. W. (1985). Models of supervision: Using therapy theory as a guide. The Clinical Supervisor, 3(1), 87–96.
Suet Lin, H., Shui Lai, N., & Kwok Kin, F. (2010). Functions of social work supervision in Shenzhen: Insights from the cross-border supervision model. International Social Work, 53(3), 366–378. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872809359864
Szymanski, D. M. (2003). The feminist supervision scale: A relational/theoretical approach. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 27, 221–232. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-6402.00102
Szymanski, D. M. (2005). Feminist identity and theories as correlates of feminist supervision practices. The Counseling Psychologist, 33, 729–747. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000005278408
Tosone, C. (1998). Countertransference and clinical social work supervision: Contributions and considerations. Clinical Supervisor, 16(2), 17–32.
Turner-Daly, B., & Jack, G. (2017). Rhetoric vs. reality in social work supervision: The experiences of a group of child care social workers in England. Child & Family Social Work, 22(1), 36–46.
Tsui, M. S. (2005). Social work supervision: Contexts and concepts. SAGE Publications.
Tsui, M. S., & Ho, W. S. (1998). In search of a comprehensive model of social work supervision. The Clinical Supervisor, 16(2), 181–205.
Van Kessel, L., & Haan, D. (1993). The intended way of learning in supervision seen as a model (Vol. 11, p. 29). Haworth Press.
White, M. B., & Russell, C. S. (1995). The essential elements of supervisory systems: A modified delphi study. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 21(1), 33–53.
Wilkins, D. (2016). How is supervision recorded in child and family social work? An analysis of 244 written records of formal supervision. Child & Family Social Work, 2(3), 1130–1140.
Wilkins, D., Forrester, D., & Grant, L. (2017). What happens in child and family social work supervision? Child and Family Social Work, 22, 942–951.
Williams, A. J. (1988). Action methods in supervision. The Clinical Supervisor, 6(2), 13–27.
Yan, M. C. (2008). Exploring cultural tensions in cross-cultural social work practice. Social Work, 53(4), 317–328.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Pawar, M., Anscombe, A...W.(. (2022). Models of Professional Supervision in Social Work. In: Enlightening Professional Supervision in Social Work. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-18541-0_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-18541-0_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-18540-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-18541-0
eBook Packages: Social Sciences