Date of Conferral

2-27-2024

Date of Award

February 2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Counselor Education and Supervision

Advisor

Corinne Bridges

Abstract

U.S. counseling programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs mandate specific supervision requirements for counselors-in-training, in all specialty areas. Supervising school counselors-in-training (SCITs) differs due to the unique responsibilities of school counselors, which encompass crisis response, curriculum development, consultation, data management, small group and individual counseling, leadership, and student advocacy. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of preparedness levels of school counselor site supervisors. Data collection involved semistructured interviews with six participants who had all served or were currently serving as a school counseling site supervisor. The data analysis followed Smith’s approach to interpretive phenomenological analysis. Four main themes emerged, along with three subthemes: (a) absence of supervision training and preparedness, with the subtheme of individual preparation; (b) the impact of communication and feedback on supervisee development; (c) the importance of university partnerships; and (d) the purpose of supervision, with the subthemes of building important relationships with students and offering real-world experiences. The study may foster positive social change by providing evidence of best practices for preparing SCITs. School counseling supervisors may be able to use the study findings to better prepare their trainees for their role, which, in turn, may result in stronger school counseling programs and better care of students, potentially yielding higher student success rates.

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