Characterizing supervision-as-usual: Findings from two provider surveys

Although clinical supervision is widely seen as critical for professional training and for safeguarding and promoting client wellbeing in mental healthcare, it is understudied, particularly in publicly-funded services. In surveys of two large samples of youth mental health service providers (a state sample of providers billing Medicaid [N = 1057] and a national sample of professional guild members [N = 1720]), we examined the amount of time providers reported spending in clinical supervision and consultation in a typical work week, and its covariation with characteristics of providers’ caseloads and work settings. Across both samples, providers reported spending an average of 2-3 hours per week in supervision. Serving higher percentages of low-income clients and working in settings that typically receive public funds were all associated with more supervision time. The national survey also measured providers’ perceptions of their current supervision. On average, providers denied feeling as if they have little opportunity for supervision and endorsed feeling comfortable with the amount of supervision received and supported by their supervisors in providing quality care. However, working with more low-income clients was positively associated with unmet supervision needs and negatively associated with comfort in the amount of supervision received. Those working with more low-income clientele may benefit from additional time in supervision or more focused supervision coverage of the specific needs of low-income clientele. More in-depth research on critical processes and content in supervision is a much-needed future direction for supervision research.