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Ethical Issues in Supervision: Responsibilities and Challenges

Exploring ethical considerations, roles, and conflicts in supervision. Covering key issues like conflicts of interest, hazards, and feedback in a supervisory relationship. Guidelines on contracting, group supervision, dealing with risky individuals, and addressing sexual harassment in the workplace.

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Ethical Issues in Supervision: Responsibilities and Challenges

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  1. Ethical Issues in Supervision Gerald P. Koocher, Ph.D., ABPP

  2. Foci of Clinical Supervision • Monitoring • Teaching • Ethical knowledge and behavior • Clinical competence • Personal functioning • Attention to client welfare

  3. Research Supervision • Ethical knowledge and behavior • Research competence • Personal functioning • Attention to participant welfare • Attention to institutional review boards and federal regulations • Data integrity

  4. Supervisory Roles • Teacher • Mentor • Evaluator • Facilitator of self-awareness and personal exploration

  5. Positive Supervisory Traits • Competence • Fairness • Diligence • Caution • Recognition and respect for power differential

  6. Supervisor as Professional Parent • Socialization • Professional etiquette • Wisdom • Experience

  7. Third Parties in Supervision • Clients • Research participants • The agency • The graduate program • The payer • The licensing board • The subsequent employer

  8. Significant Conflicts of Interest • Self-paying for “supervision” • Supervising relatives • Sexual intimacies • Other multiple-role conflicts

  9. Hazards of Supervision • Vicarious liability • Supervision and personal psychotherapy • Oversight and teaching versus voyeuristic gratification • Vulnerabilities of trainees • Devalued, criticized, humiliated, ignored, exploited (sexual and otherwise)

  10. Supervisory Feedback • Timeliness • Thoughtful presentation • Adequacy • Strengths and weaknesses • Documentation • Oral/written • Acknowledgement of receipt by trainee

  11. Points to Remember • The person being evaluated is under considerable personal stress • Treat all with fairness and dignity • Allow due process and discussion • Clarify in advance • Outcome goals • Evaluation criteria • Time lines • Penalties/adverse consequences

  12. What Do Trainees Want? • Expertise • Trustworthiness • Assistance with personal growth • Teaching technical skills • Communication of expectations • Timely feedback

  13. What Frustrates Trainees • Sexist, authoritarian, or demeaning treatment • Ambiguity in responsibilities and roles • Lack of feedback

  14. Contracting for Supervision • When? • Where? • How often? • Who pays? • Who gets reports? • What is covered? • Back-up?

  15. Issues in Group Supervision • Helps with resource drain • Reduces individual attention • Inhibits some disclosures • Privilege alterations and reduced confidentiality

  16. Risky Individuals • Who are they? • Emotionally unstable or labile • Arrogant and narcissistic • Have critical/hostile personality style • Procrastinate • Display impulsivity • Best strategy: apply standard rules and procedures; avoid emotional response

  17. EEOC: Sexual Harassment Sexual Harassment includes the following: • Unwelcome sexual advances • Requests for sexual favors or physical conduct of a sexual nature that forces submission as an explicit or implicit condition of employment or academic standing • Statements or conduct that create a hostile, intimidating, or offensive learning or work environment

  18. Court Decisions on Abuse Behavior • Unwelcome = abusive • Quid pro quo (implicit/explicit trading of favors for job benefit or preventing job detriment) = abusive • Hostile work environment =abusive

  19. Nature of the Problem • 25-90% of women victimized (Koen, 1989) • Mostly unreported (Rubin & Borgers, 1990) • Management tends to deny or minimize • It never happened (denial) • She misunderstood (minimized) • It wasn’t intentional (minimized) • She came on to me (blaming) • Complex or difficult grievance process

  20. Letters of Reference • Never assume confidentiality. • Be honest and direct. • Focus on behavioral indicators and objective evidence, not opinion or innuendo. • When in doubt regarding the value of the letter, discuss it with the candidate. • Just say “no.”

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