Marcella D. Stark

The Use of Sandtray in Solution-Focused Supervision

Counselors-in-training are in a unique position to begin bridging theory with practice. Supervision and strong supervisory relationships allow supervisees to verbalize and explore goals, case conceptualizations, and client relationships. Solution-focused supervision, like solution-focused counseling, maintains that supervisees build upon times of success for insight and goal setting. Likewise, the modality of sandtray in supervision allows for supervisees to freely express and explore personal and professional growth as counselors. In this article, we advocate the interface of solution-focused techniques and the use of sandtray to facilitate and enhance counselor supervision.

A Developmental Model for Counseling Infertile Couples

The authors used Combs, Bustamante, and Onwuegbuzie’s Interactive Literature Review Process (ILRP) to identify, collect, and evaluate the literature on infertility. During this process, we noted that couples experiencing infertility had different concerns depending on what stage of the process they were situated. Thus, the authors identified positive methods and interventions for treating infertile clients using a developmental approach. The Developmental Model for Counseling Infertile Couples is specifically geared for mental health counselors who work with infertile couples.

The role of mentoring relationships in counseling programs

Purpose – The goals of a mentoring relationship are important to the development of mentees. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the specific needs of students and junior faculty in counseling programs. Design/methodology/approach – The authors used a psychological phenomenological research approach to understand the role and significance of a mentor and the mentoring relationship. In this qualitative research study, pre-tenured faculty, doctoral- and master’s-level students in counselor education programs in the USA were interviewed (n=30), to explore the mentorship needs. Findings – In the study, the authors identified 28 codes that emerged from the participants’ lived experiences, which then were organized into seven meta-codes. The seven meta-codes were: relationship between mentor and mentee; communication style or patterns; preferred gender of mentor; introduction to the relationship; mentee needs; mentee benefits; and experiences as a mentee. Originality/value – In the paper, the authors sough...

Assessing Counselor Supervisee Contribution.

ABSTRACT This article describes the revision of Vespia, Heckman-Stone, and Delworths (2002) Supervision Utilization Rating Form (SURF) and validation of the resulting Adapted SURF. The Adapted SURF is designed to provide supervisors with a cleaner measure of supervisee behaviors that contribute to effective supervision.

Reclaiming Instructional Supervision: Using Solution-Focused Strategies to Promote Teacher Development:

To positively affect teacher quality, instructional leaders must engage teachers in ways that support improved practice and seek to empower teachers as creative and knowledgeable risk takers. A collaborative, strengths-based approach that promotes teacher growth, rather than one that conditions teachers to await administrator directive or approval, is warranted. In this conceptual article, we draw from developmental supervision and solution-focused supervision to posit a blended model of instructional supervision that equips aspiring and emerging instructional leaders with strategies to identify and amplify teacher strengths.

Differences in Perceptions of Supervisee Contribution: Supervisors’ vs. Supervisees’ Evaluations

Supervisees’ behaviors contribute to or detract from effective supervision. The purpose of this study was to compare supervisors’ evaluations of supervisee contribution behaviors with that of supervisees’ selfassessments using the Adapted Supervisee Utilization Rating Form (SURF). Statistically significant differences in the ratings indicate that supervisors perceive their supervisees as more proactive and open than supervisees perceive themselves. To create a milieu in which supervisees feel safe enough to share their work with supervisors and encourage supervisees to take initiative in their own learning, the researchers make the following recommendations: (1) following ACES best practices for monitoring and assessing supervisees, (2) using appropriate supervisor self-disclosure, and (3) adopting a solution-focused approach to supervision. Authors Notes This work was supported by a grant from the Texas Christian University Research and Creative Activities Fund. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Marcella Stark, Texas Christian University, College of Education, P.O. Box 297900, Fort Worth, Texas 76129. Email: m.stark@tcu.edu

Using Sandtray as a Collaborative Assessment Tool for Counselor Development

Scant information exists regarding informal assessment tools in the supervision of counselor trainees. In this article, we combine the approach of sandtray and the integrated developmental model (IDM) of supervision (Stoltenberg & McNeill, 2009) to assess 3 structures of supervisee development. Based on tenets of artistic inquiry, the use of sandtray promotes reflexivity for increased understanding of a supervisee’s approach in counseling and allows for an artifact in documenting particular learning outcomes. Through a heuristic example of sandtray supervision, we illustrate how 1 supervisor collaboratively assessed the awareness, motivation, and autonomy of her supervisee and facilitated development in the learning objective of cultural competence. Ethical considerations are also discussed.

Student Perceptions of Sandtray in Solution-Focused Supervision

Sandtray supervision and solution-focused supervision (SFS) are both strengths-based approaches that may be effective in helping counselor trainees reduce their anxiety and develop clinical self-confidence. The purpose of this collective case study was to explore how a group of practicum students with a school counseling emphasis experienced a blending of sandtray and solution-focused supervision (SFS) approaches. Participants described how the blended approach fostered group cohesiveness in their supervision and promoted both personal and professional development. Participants indicated more awareness of the impact of sandtray than the influence of the solution-focused approach in their supervision.

Promoting collegial teacher supervision: applying solution-focused strategies in a clinical supervision cycle

Abstract In this study, graduate students enrolled in an instructional supervision course were taught solution-focused strategies and applied them as they engaged in a clinical supervision cycle with a practicing classroom teacher. Qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews and analysis of written clinical supervision reports, yielded five primary themes: view positively, letting the teacher lead, solution-focused techniques used, confident and need for practice. Although additional research in this area is warranted, this work suggests the use of solution-focused conferencing strategies may aid novice instructional supervisors in helping to promote teacher reflection and improve teachers’ classroom decision-making.

The Impact of Dual Roles in Mentoring Relationships: A Mixed Research Study

In the field of counselor education, mentors often are involved in varying roles with mentees, such as being mentor, dissertation chair, and or chair to the mentee. Due to the various roles, both the mentor and mentee need to recognize how each of these roles impacts the development of the mentee and the overall mentoring relationship. The purpose of our study was to examine the relationship between perceived dual roles of the mentor and the impact on the mentoring relationship. We found that counseling students and faculty who had experienced dual roles in their mentoring relationships had high career-related functions than did their counterparts who had not experienced dual mentoring relationships.