Ann Shalleck, 21 NYU Rev. L. & Soc. Change 109 (1993-1994)

The author describes here one vision of clinical supervision by presenting a particular case as a detailed example.

According to the author, this is not an illustration of “ideal supervision, a model toward which to strive, nor a typical supervision, a realistic portrayal of an actual supervisory experience. Rather, it is an heuristic device, providing a focus for discussing the fundamental concepts, techniques, and assumptions of supervision.” She identifies eight main characteristics of that vision of clinical supervision: (1) “the teacher is very active in defining the content and structure of the supervisory experience”; (2) “the teacher engages in a very self-conscious decision-making process in shaping supervision”; (3) “revealing the teacher’s understanding of the supervisory process can be an important part of supervision”; (4) “supervision requires the teacher to engage in different kinds of dialogue”; (5) “the students’ actions on cases and the knowledge gained from those activities form the organizing principle for the intellectual inquiry in supervision”; (6) “the student/client relationship mediates the teacher’s concern for the client”; (7) “supervision requires an inquiry into the institutional structures within which a case arises and the social and political forces that shape the development of the case”; and (8) “all supervisory action is intervention.”

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