Integrated Developmental Model: A Case Study
Purpose The primary purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that are relevant to the supervisor and supervisee alliance. This study will focus on 3 key areas: (1) developmental stages of a counselor supervisee using the Integrated Developmental Model (2) crucial developmental stage of the supervisee (3) developing a working alliance (4) supervisor factors in the working alliance and (5) ethical considerations.
Developmental Stages Of A Counselor Supervisee One of the most popular developmental models of supervision is the Integrated Developmental Model (IDM) (Stoltenberg, McNeil, & Delworth, 1998; Stoltenberg & McNeill, 2010). The author chose the IDM model for its ease of use as well as the descriptive and prescriptive qualities. The IDM describes four levels of counselor development, which account for self-awareness, motivation and autonomy. The four levels are described as follows:
• Level 1 supervisees are beginning students, high in motivation, yet anxious and fearful of being evaluated.
• Level 2 supervisees are at mid-level. Their experience, confidence and motivation fluctuate. They often link their own mood to the success they have with clients.
• Level 3 supervisees are more secure, motivated and are more objective about client issues.
• Level 3i supervisees …show more content…
are keenly aware of strengths and weaknesses. They have also developed a personalized approach to therapy. As noted in the four levels, this model emphasizes the need for the supervisor to implement behavioral interventions that coincide with the supervisees appropriate developmental level. For example, when working with level-1 supervisee, the supervisor needs to help the supervisee’s mitigate anxiety by being supportive and fostering a safe environment. The same supervisor when supervising a level-3i supervisee would emphasize supervisee autonomy while challenging the supervisee in their role. When a supervisor’s behavioral intervention does not coincide with the developmental level of the supervisee, it hinders the supervisee’s ability to master that stage. As an example, a supervisor who requires high autonomy from a level-1 supervisee will likely contribute to the supervisee’s anxiety level.
The Crucial Developmental Stage for Supervisees Supervisees can have difficulties with the supervisory alliance at any one of the 4 stages within the Integrated Developmental Model. However, the most crucial is level 1. As discussed earlier, during Level 1 supervisees are generally entry-level students who are high in motivation, yet high in anxiety and fearful of evaluation. So, for example, when working with a level-1 supervisee, the supervisor needs to balance the supervisee’s high anxiety and dependence by being supportive and prescriptive. Additionally, there are various physiological considerations for helping supervisees manage anxiety. Supervisee anxiety can have a negative impact on the supervisee’s abilities to learn, demonstrate acquired skills, and interactions with the supervisor. Rioch et. al., (1976) found that high anxiety reduced supervisee’s retention and encoding abilities. This is not to say that anxiety is to be avoided. Just as clients benefit from manageable levels of anxiety in their life, so do supervisees. Optimal levels of anxiety enhance the supervisee’s ability to learn new skills.
Developing A Working Alliance Best practices for developing a working alliance with a supervisee include creating a climate of trust and respect, developing a supervisee’s a sense of security and dignity and encouraging them to examine their mistakes (Alonso & Rutan, 1988). Just as important is providing ongoing support and evaluative feedback that is constructive and not shame inducing. Bridges (1999) recommends fostering an environment that is free of shame through the normalization of anxiety, lacking of confidence and insecurity. As an example of how behavioral health centers in the community foster a shame free environment, supervisors with the Marine Family Program in Northern Virginia set ground rules before each staff meeting that promote the sharing of information, respect and dignity among all staff members to include supervisees. This not only allows for the free exchange of ideas but also promotes camaraderie and esprit de corp among staff. Just as valuable is self-disclosure of experiences that are relevant to the relationship. Alonso and Rutan (1988), recommended that supervisor’s self disclose their personal foibles, difficult clinical experiences, as well as help the supervisee understand and deal with such difficulties. This is not to say that supervisors should share private details of their lives for the sake of bonding. For example, it would be inappropriate for a supervisor to discuss their interpersonal difficulties at home. Disclosure should be done judiciously and be beneficial to the alliance. With that said, it isn’t always easy to completely insulate a supervisee from shame. As a result, it requires supervisors to increase their situational awareness so they can be attuned to it and help the person accordingly. This is highly important to the supervisory working alliance as shame sensitive supervisees experience significantly lower supervisory working alliances with their supervisors.
Supervisor Factors Not to be forgotten is the impact that the supervisor’s relational style has on the working alliance. Quarto (2002) found that the supervisors’ attachment style predicted the strength of the alliance, as rated by both supervisor and supervisee. As an example, how attachment styles impact the alliance, the author once worked for a psychiatry resident that would quiz supervisees on clinical concepts during team meetings. If they did not provide answer that satisfied him, he would harshly admonish them by saying "wrong answer...that's not what I asked you”. As a result of his actions, most students were discouraged from having an open and frank discussion with him. Moreover, the supervisor attachment appears to be a good indicator about the quality of the alliance as well as how it could affect how supervisees are evaluated.
Ethical Considerations There are many ethical considerations that may be related to the different stages of a counselor supervisee.
These may include starting a business, attending sporting events or providing individual therapy. In any case, the worst of these offenses is sexual relationships with a supervisee. Power dynamics between a supervisor and supervisee could be compromised, even if it’s a consensual relationship. Pearson et. al., (1986) found that over 50% of former students that had participated in multiple relationships felt coerced. For this reason, The American Counseling Association Code of Ethics (2014) strictly prohibits sexual relationships between a supervisor and
supervisee. It’s not uncommon for supervisors and supervisees to experience sexual attraction. What might be some possible solutions? Ladany et al. (2005) recommend that supervisors determine their relationship biases in advance. Questions they should be asking include: Who do they find attractive? What specific characteristics are most appealing? They believe that assessing biases prior to entering a relationship with a supervisee, prepares the supervisor to deal with attraction if and when it occurs. Koenig and Spano (2003), on the other hand, suggest a more educational approach to assist supervisees. They recommend normalizing sexual attraction and the inclusion of sexual topics such as human sexuality, interconnectedness and sexualization in supervisor training. Diversity in Supervision is another aspect of supervision that I think is challenging. The American Counseling Association Code of Ethics (2014) highlights in section F.2.b. that counseling supervisors are aware and address the role of diversity in the supervisory relationship. To that end, it important for the supervisor to acknowledge cultural differences in the relationship such as race, education or sexuality and address problems early on with the supervisee.
Developmental Stages Of A Counselor Supervisee One of the most popular developmental models of supervision is the Integrated Developmental Model (IDM) (Stoltenberg, McNeil, & Delworth, 1998; Stoltenberg & McNeill, 2010). The author chose the IDM model for its ease of use as well as the descriptive and prescriptive qualities. The IDM describes four levels of counselor development, which account for self-awareness, motivation and autonomy. The four levels are described as follows:
• Level 1 supervisees are beginning students, high in motivation, yet anxious and fearful of being evaluated.
• Level 2 supervisees are at mid-level. Their experience, confidence and motivation fluctuate. They often link their own mood to the success they have with clients.
• Level 3 supervisees are more secure, motivated and are more objective about client issues.
• Level 3i supervisees …show more content…
are keenly aware of strengths and weaknesses. They have also developed a personalized approach to therapy. As noted in the four levels, this model emphasizes the need for the supervisor to implement behavioral interventions that coincide with the supervisees appropriate developmental level. For example, when working with level-1 supervisee, the supervisor needs to help the supervisee’s mitigate anxiety by being supportive and fostering a safe environment. The same supervisor when supervising a level-3i supervisee would emphasize supervisee autonomy while challenging the supervisee in their role. When a supervisor’s behavioral intervention does not coincide with the developmental level of the supervisee, it hinders the supervisee’s ability to master that stage. As an example, a supervisor who requires high autonomy from a level-1 supervisee will likely contribute to the supervisee’s anxiety level.
The Crucial Developmental Stage for Supervisees Supervisees can have difficulties with the supervisory alliance at any one of the 4 stages within the Integrated Developmental Model. However, the most crucial is level 1. As discussed earlier, during Level 1 supervisees are generally entry-level students who are high in motivation, yet high in anxiety and fearful of evaluation. So, for example, when working with a level-1 supervisee, the supervisor needs to balance the supervisee’s high anxiety and dependence by being supportive and prescriptive. Additionally, there are various physiological considerations for helping supervisees manage anxiety. Supervisee anxiety can have a negative impact on the supervisee’s abilities to learn, demonstrate acquired skills, and interactions with the supervisor. Rioch et. al., (1976) found that high anxiety reduced supervisee’s retention and encoding abilities. This is not to say that anxiety is to be avoided. Just as clients benefit from manageable levels of anxiety in their life, so do supervisees. Optimal levels of anxiety enhance the supervisee’s ability to learn new skills.
Developing A Working Alliance Best practices for developing a working alliance with a supervisee include creating a climate of trust and respect, developing a supervisee’s a sense of security and dignity and encouraging them to examine their mistakes (Alonso & Rutan, 1988). Just as important is providing ongoing support and evaluative feedback that is constructive and not shame inducing. Bridges (1999) recommends fostering an environment that is free of shame through the normalization of anxiety, lacking of confidence and insecurity. As an example of how behavioral health centers in the community foster a shame free environment, supervisors with the Marine Family Program in Northern Virginia set ground rules before each staff meeting that promote the sharing of information, respect and dignity among all staff members to include supervisees. This not only allows for the free exchange of ideas but also promotes camaraderie and esprit de corp among staff. Just as valuable is self-disclosure of experiences that are relevant to the relationship. Alonso and Rutan (1988), recommended that supervisor’s self disclose their personal foibles, difficult clinical experiences, as well as help the supervisee understand and deal with such difficulties. This is not to say that supervisors should share private details of their lives for the sake of bonding. For example, it would be inappropriate for a supervisor to discuss their interpersonal difficulties at home. Disclosure should be done judiciously and be beneficial to the alliance. With that said, it isn’t always easy to completely insulate a supervisee from shame. As a result, it requires supervisors to increase their situational awareness so they can be attuned to it and help the person accordingly. This is highly important to the supervisory working alliance as shame sensitive supervisees experience significantly lower supervisory working alliances with their supervisors.
Supervisor Factors Not to be forgotten is the impact that the supervisor’s relational style has on the working alliance. Quarto (2002) found that the supervisors’ attachment style predicted the strength of the alliance, as rated by both supervisor and supervisee. As an example, how attachment styles impact the alliance, the author once worked for a psychiatry resident that would quiz supervisees on clinical concepts during team meetings. If they did not provide answer that satisfied him, he would harshly admonish them by saying "wrong answer...that's not what I asked you”. As a result of his actions, most students were discouraged from having an open and frank discussion with him. Moreover, the supervisor attachment appears to be a good indicator about the quality of the alliance as well as how it could affect how supervisees are evaluated.
Ethical Considerations There are many ethical considerations that may be related to the different stages of a counselor supervisee.
These may include starting a business, attending sporting events or providing individual therapy. In any case, the worst of these offenses is sexual relationships with a supervisee. Power dynamics between a supervisor and supervisee could be compromised, even if it’s a consensual relationship. Pearson et. al., (1986) found that over 50% of former students that had participated in multiple relationships felt coerced. For this reason, The American Counseling Association Code of Ethics (2014) strictly prohibits sexual relationships between a supervisor and
supervisee. It’s not uncommon for supervisors and supervisees to experience sexual attraction. What might be some possible solutions? Ladany et al. (2005) recommend that supervisors determine their relationship biases in advance. Questions they should be asking include: Who do they find attractive? What specific characteristics are most appealing? They believe that assessing biases prior to entering a relationship with a supervisee, prepares the supervisor to deal with attraction if and when it occurs. Koenig and Spano (2003), on the other hand, suggest a more educational approach to assist supervisees. They recommend normalizing sexual attraction and the inclusion of sexual topics such as human sexuality, interconnectedness and sexualization in supervisor training. Diversity in Supervision is another aspect of supervision that I think is challenging. The American Counseling Association Code of Ethics (2014) highlights in section F.2.b. that counseling supervisors are aware and address the role of diversity in the supervisory relationship. To that end, it important for the supervisor to acknowledge cultural differences in the relationship such as race, education or sexuality and address problems early on with the supervisee.