Supervision Requirements

Introduction

The New Zealand Christian Counsellors Association (NZCCA) recognises that supervision is a fundamental requirement for any counselling or supervision practice, and therefore ongoing supervision is a requirement for membership of the Association.

Description

Supervision is a space for a practitioner to engage in critical reflection of client work with another practitioner, for the purposes of developing and maintaining ethical, effective practice and accountability. Successful supervision occurs within a professional, intentional, and mutually respectful relationship. NZCCA regards the supervisory relationship as a contractual and boundaried connection with a practitioner who has gained the necessary skills and working models to provide supervision. For this reason, NZCCA members must be supervised by people who have undertaken specific training in this skill, so they can facilitate the supervisory space in a safe and competent way. 

Supervision may attend to a range of issues including: assessment, intervention strategies, application of theory, the nature of relationships, transference issues, parallel process, ethics, spirituality, culture including ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status in counselling practice.

Responsibilities in Supervision

  • The Supervisor is responsible for initiating dialogue about contractual issues which may include:

Agencies:  when Supervisees work for agencies the contract may need to be negotiated between the Supervisor, Supervisee and the Agency. 

Students:  when contracting supervision with students, Supervisors need to be familiar with the requirements and expectations of the training agency and the learning needs of the student. 

  • Supervisees need to be prepared with relevant material for the supervision session. 
  • Supervisees and Supervisors both need to contribute to the nature and quality of the supervision relationship and process.
  • Supervisors may highlight areas of counselling practice or personal development that they perceive the Supervisee may benefit from addressing. 
  • It is part of the Supervisor’s role to educate Supervisees, especially those new to supervision, on the broader aspects of the supervision process.
  • Supervisors and Supervisees need to establish and maintain appropriate personal and professional boundaries in and around supervision.
  • Supervisors need to maintain confidentiality in accordance with the principles of the NZCCA Code of Ethics and Practice. 
  • If personal circumstances arise which affect the clinical practice of the Supervisee these need to be discussed in supervision, if necessary appropriate strategies, including referral may be put in place to ensure safety for Supervisee and clients.
  • To guard against dual relationships, supervision is not the place for ongoing counselling.
  • Supervisors and Supervisees need to regularly review the effectiveness of supervision.  
  • Supervisors and Supervisees will regularly reflect on ethics in practice.

Supervisor's Competence and Experience

  • Supervisors need to be trained counsellors, psychotherapists or clinical psychologists.
  • Supervisors need to have been working as a qualified full-membered counsellor, or a like profession, for at least five years and have completed at least 1000 counselling hours.
  • Supervisors need to have completed at least 30 hours of formal training and education in supervision. Where no formal training has been completed experienced supervisors may approved on a case-by-case basis. 
  • Supervisors need regular, on-going supervision and appropriate professional development for their supervision practice in accordance with the membership criteria.
  • Supervisors must be current members of a professional counselling or psychotherapy organisation (e.g. NZCCA, NZAC, DAPAANZ, or NZAP) or members of another professional body acceptable to the NZCCA Membership Committee. 
  • New Supervisors need to be approved by NZCCA.  You will need to have an NZCCA login and apply using the online ‘Supervisor Application Form’.  Click here for the instructions to complete this form or here for the video instructions.

Supervision Requirements for NZCCA Members

All Members will be in regular ongoing supervision with a Supervisor who has current membership of a professional body as outlined above. 

These guidelines are a minimum requirement. Many Supervisees will seek additional supervision depending on the circumstances of their clinical practice. 

Supervision arrangements and the effectiveness of supervision need to be reviewed regularly. NZCCA requires members to annually submit a supervision and professional development review report. 

It is recommended that when at all possible supervision is face to face. Where possible the member is encouraged to find a local supervisor to engage with. If isolation, specialty or other extenuating needs occur, then online - preferably video - supervision is acceptable. Please contact the Membership Committee if you are not sure.

Provisional Members

The minimum requirement for provisional members is one supervision hour to twenty hours of case work (i.e. 1:20 supervision to client hours ratio) , or one supervision hour per calendar month whichever falls first.

  • Minimum of 11 monthly supervision sessions even if you are not seeing clients.
  • At least 6 supervision sessions must be with an external supervisor who is separate from your organisation and approved by NZCCA.
  • The rest can consist of in-house, cultural, or group supervision that is facilitated by someone who understands supervision.
  • For group supervision you may only count hours where you are talking about your own work.
Full Members

A minimum requirement of one supervision hour to forty hours of case work (i.e. 1:40 supervision to client hours ratio), or one supervision hour per calendar month whichever falls first. 

  • Minimum of 11 monthly supervision sessions even if you are not seeing clients.
  • At least 6 external supervision sessions must be with a supervisor who is separate from your organisation and approved by NZCCA.
  • The rest can consist of in-house, cultural, or group supervision that is facilitated by someone who understands supervision.
  • For group supervision you may only count hours where you are talking about your own work.
Retiree Members 

A minimum requirement of one supervision hour per calendar month. 

  • Minimum of 11 monthly supervision sessions even if you are not seeing clients.
  • At least 6 supervision sessions must be with a supervisor who is separate from your organisation and approved by NZCCA.
  • The rest can consist of in-house, cultural, or group supervision that is facilitated by someone who understands supervision.
  • For group supervision you may only count hours where you are talking about your own work.
Affiliates

Will be in supervision if they are in clinical practice. Minimum requirement of one supervision hour to twenty hours of case work, or one supervision hour per month whichever falls first. 

Student Affiliates

Must meet the supervision requirements set by their training organisation.

Membership Applicants

Must meet the supervision requirements for the application type for which they are applying.  For example:

Students who have completed their studies and are applying for Provisional Membership, must comply with the Provisional supervision requirements which are at least 1:20 or monthly, whichever comes first.

Provisional Members who are applying to Upgrade to Full Membership, or Full Membership applicants who are coming from Provisional Membership of another association, must keep to the Provisional Membership requirements of at least 1:20 or monthly, whichever comes first until Full Membership is granted.

Applicants applying directly for Full Membership must meet the Full Membership requirements of at least 1:40 or monthly, whichever comes first. 

Summary of Supervision Requirements

Other Supervision

Group Supervision

This would mostly be undertaken as an adjunct to individual supervision. When groups meet with a supervisor as part of the whole of supervision experience, it must provide an approximate equivalent amount and quality of reflection and analysis time per person that individual supervision would provide. 

Cultural Consultation and Supervision

In accordance with our Code of Ethics, Supervisees are responsible to ensure that supervision/consultation is adequate, effective and appropriate to their client’s needs.  Culturally appropriate supervision and consultation should be undertaken when working with different ethnicities, particularly Maori clients in accordance with the Treaty of Waitangi. This supervision may be supplementary to supervisees’ regular supervision.

Internal (In-house) Supervision

The safer and more objective the supervision is in relationship to the supervisee’s practice the more effective it is likely to be. In-house supervision can be limited by multiple role tensions and conflict of interest issues.  Supervisees who undertake in house supervision must also maintain the expectation of at least 6 external supervision sessions per year to maximise opportunities to enhance supervision to include a wider range of dynamics in their role as supervisees.

Contact

Approval needs to be sought from the Membership Committee for circumstances outside of these requirements.  Please email the NZCCA Office (info@nzcca.org.nz) with your request.  

Please contact the NZCCA office if you have any questions info@nzcca.org.nz