Exploring the Supervision Expectations and Experiences of Rural School Counselors

The purpose of this qualitative study was to addresses the gap in knowledge and seek to understand the supervision experiences of rural school counselors. In this study, the similarities and differences between their expectations and received supervision were specifically explored as well as how these counselors cope with and manage their role of implementing comprehensive school counseling programs in a rural area. Data was collected from six participants via phone interviews and analyzed utilizing a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Selection criteria included licensed or certified school counselors actively practicing in rural areas. For the purposes of this study, rural areas were defined as an area that is not heavily populated or urbanized. Rural areas are often difficult to define and usually characterized by comparison to urban areas, which have specific population size and density, such as more than 50,000 people. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to address the central research question focused on the lived experiences of rural school counselors regarding their expectations and experiences of clinical supervision while implementing comprehensive school counseling programs and what could enhance their supervision experiences. The following 4 major themes emerged: disconnect in expectations versus experiences, clarifying roles and responsibilities, collaboration, and desire for increased support. The implications of this study for positive social change include increasing the professional knowledge of successful strategies that school counselors can employ to effectively manage supervision needs as well as ways counselor educators can provide additional skills, support, options, and training to prepare future school counselors for working in rural areas