Clinical supervision in Canadian academic and service settings: The importance of education, training, and workplace support for supervisor development

A national sample of Canadian psychologists who provide clinical supervisio n in academic or service settings (n = 156) was surveyed regarding their ba ckground preparation for clinical supervision, satisfaction with current su pervisory load, and workplace support for supervisory activities and develo pment. With respect to supervisor training and development, we found that ( a) almost two thirds of the respondents received no formal training in supe rvision, (b) most initially felt inadequately prepared to supervise trainee s, (c) subsequent self-study of supervision was perceived as helpful, and ( d) self-study was associated with administrative encouragement for professi onal development. Exploration of supervisory load and workplace support sho wed that (a) a large majority of respondents were satisfied with their load , (b) satisfaction did not differ across academic and service settings, and (c) supervisors in service settings were more satisfied with opportunities for peer support around supervision. Respondents called for more training in supervision and increased amounts of time on the job to devote to superv ision. The need for increased training in supervision at all levels, contin uing professional education, and workplace enhancements to facilitate super vision are discussed.