Behavioral Descriptions of Counseling Supervision Roles

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if a clear distinction existed among the three supervision roles (teacher, counselor, and consultant) in the model of supervision proposed by Bernard (1979). Using behavioral descriptions of 60 supervisor activities, the Survey of Practicum Supervisor Behaviors was administered to 36 faculty and doctoral students, all having performed or experienced counseling supervision. Respondents were asked to rate each behavior according to its appropriateness for each of the three supervision roles. Results indicated a relatively clear distinction between the teacher and counselor roles with the consultant role overlapping the other two. The authors describe areas of distinction and overlap in terms of specific behavior and discuss suggestions for additional research.