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Article Excerpt
This qualitative study took an initial step in gathering ideas from professionals and academics in the counseling field regarding the efficacy of sanctioned supervision as an intervention for counselor impairment. The results of the focus group suggest that sanctioned supervision is a worthwhile endeavor but needs improved structure, organization, and clarity. Based on feedback from study participants, the authors developed a preliminary model as to how sanctioned supervision could work more effectively.
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Counselor impairment has been a significant concern for the mental health profession over the past decade (Forrest, Elman, Gizara, & Vacha-Haase, 1999). Several studies have pointed to an alarming number of ethical and legal violations among mental health practitioners (Pope & Veter, 1992). Moreover, the rate of impairment in academic training programs is estimated to be around 5% of students in training (Mearns & Allen, 1991; Olkin & Gaughen, 1991). The results of these studies suggest that clinical training programs are regularly faced with cases of impairment (Forrest et al., 1999). Clearly, dealing with an impaired practitioner is of utmost importance in the maintenance and continuation of all mental health professions.
The counseling profession has recognized the importance of identifying and intervening when counselors may be providing sub-standard care to clients (American Mental Health Counselors Association, 2000; Anderson, 1992; Emerson & Markos, 1996; Hazier & Kottler, 1996; Kottler & Hazier, 1996; Stadler, Willing, Eberhage, & Ward, 1988). Several recommendations have been advocated including: encouragement of counselor educators to renew their efforts as gatekeepers to the profession, attention to reducing workplace stress, support in taking action when signs of impairment are demonstrated, monitoring impaired counselors, and increased research in the area of impairment (Cobia & Pipes, 2002; Stadler et al., 1988; Thomas, 2005). Prevention efforts have been proposed as well (Witmer & Young, 1996).
Clearly, a central responsibility of licensure boards is the identification, investigation, and discipline of impaired counselors. Included in disciplinary procedures used by licensing boards is the mandated monitoring of disciplined providers, often termed as sanctioned supervision or mandated supervision. Sanctioned supervision usually involves the identified impaired mental health provider being monitored and supervised by specified colleagues (Thomas, 2005; Walzer & Miltimore, 1993). Sanctioned supervision has been described as a mechanism for helping the disciplined professional develop in areas that had been defined as lacking or impaired (Cobia & Pipes, 2002).
The literature on counselor impairment has supported the use of supervision as part of an appropriate intervention for counselor impairment (Cobia & Pipes, 2002; Schoener & Gonsiorek, 1988). Yet, little data are available on the effectiveness of this method of intervention. There is, however, conceptual and theoretical support for the use of sanctioned supervision based on developmental models of supervision, as well as constructs in social learning theory and social psychology (Cobia & Pipes, 2002). It makes some intuitive and perhaps logical sense that impaired professionals need to be "watched," at least for a while, to ensure remediation and rehabilitation efforts are successful. Yet, the manner in which sanctioned supervision should be carried out is still undefined.
There are clearly challenging ethical and legal considerations related to sanctioned supervision that are confusing and perhaps intimidating (Cobia & Boes, 2000; Getz, 1999; Strein & Hershenson, 1991; Thomas, 2005). More research is needed to determine if sanctioned supervision is an appropriate and effective intervention for the impaired counselor. If it is deemed effective, data are then needed to establish the most effective manner of providing sanctioned supervision. Thus, this qualitative study took an initial step in gathering ideas and thoughts from professionals and academics in the counseling field as to the efficacy of sanctioned supervision as an intervention for impairment. Our goal was to generate interventions leading to an improved sanctioned supervision process and provide direction for more empirical research.
METHOD
Participants and Procedure
Individual interviews with supervisors who have worked with sanctioned counselors. Our initial plan for this study was to conduct individual interviews with supervisors in Ohio who have conducted sanctioned supervision over the past few years. We contacted the...
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