Attitudes and perceptions about supervisor knowledge, competencies and personal traits

This study investigated the attitudes and perceptions of members of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) as they address the question: What areas of knowledge and competencies ought to be emphasized in the training of counseling supervisors? In the fall of 1986, a survey was mailed to all 2924 ACES members. The survey consisted of five sections: (1) Conceptual Skills and Knowledge, (2) Technical and Direct Intervention Skills, (3) Facilitating Skills, (4) Personal Traits and Qualities, and (5) Certification Recommendations, included a set of follow-up questions which addressed the acquisition or development of said skills, knowledge, and traits. The sections were further organized into eleven scales. Section I (Conceptual Skills Knowledge) included generic skills, program management/supervision and items which focused on acquisition of these skills. Section II (Technical and Direct Intervention Skills) also comprised three scales, including generic skills, program management/supervision and items regarding acquisition. Section III (Facilitation Skills) included facilitating skills and acquisition items. Section IV deal with personal traits and qualities and acquisition items. The last category included 35 items concerned with certification requirements, documents and procedures. All items were rated using a five-point Likert Scale. Descriptive statistics were helpful in determining areas of agreement among respondents. Respondents agreed that supervisees in training need to possess certain skills and knowledge before being allowed to supervise others, that supervisees should be evaluated using skills and knowledge items as criteria, that feedback be an ongoing and regular part of the supervision training process, and that minimal limits of performance be established. It was recommended that the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision take the steps necessary to develop a program for the certifying of supervisors