Clinical Supervision Practices and Satisfaction Within the Public Vocational Rehabilitation Program

Rehabilitation counselors and supervisors affiliated with a state vocational rehabilitation program were surveyed to assess supervisor practices and satisfaction when providing or receiving supervision. Results indicated general satisfaction with both administrative and clinical supervision provided or received. Although counselors and supervisors were less satisfied with clinical supervision as compared with administrative supervision, they perceived both the degree to which supervisors provide support and encouragement to counselors and the emphasis on promoting counselors' understanding of their clients similarly. Supervision relies on counselor self-report of counseling sessions more so than any other supervisory method. Individual supervision is used almost exclusively and on average lasts 20 min each month. Supervisors tend to adopt a consultant role more than administrator, counselor, evaluator, or teacher roles. Multiple regression analysis indicated that gender, frequency of supervision, and a supervisory consultant role were predictors of satisfaction with clinical supervision. Implications for rehabilitation counseling practice and research are examined.