Developing and testing a supervision program for psychological counselor candidates

Supervision, a critical component of counselor education, plays a vital role in supporting professional development and ensuring the delivery of high-quality psychological services. The supervision process serves as a fundamental learning environment that facilitates the transfer of theoretical knowledge into practice, fosters the development of professional skills, and supports the construction of professional identity among counselor candidates. This study aimed to develop a supervision program for counselor candidates and to evaluate its effectiveness. During the development of the supervision program, qualitative data were collected through interviews conducted with counselor candidates and supervisors in order to identify the specific needs of the program. In this context, the qualitative data obtained during the needs analysis process were analyzed using content analysis. The resulting themes were evaluated in conjunction with the relevant literature to develop a structured supervision program. To evaluate the program's effectiveness, a pretest-posttest control group experimental design was employed. While the experimental group participated in the newly developed supervision program, the control group continued with the existing traditional supervision practices. The study sample consisted of 22 counselor candidates, divided into two groups: 10 in the experimental group and 12 in the control group. To assess the effects of the intervention, data were collected from counselor candidates using the Counseling Self-Efficacy Scale, the Inventory for Evaluating Effective Counselor Characteristics, and the Supervisory Working Alliance Inventory; and from clients using the Change in Experience and Behavior Scale and the Therapeutic Working Alliance Inventory. Quantitative data were analyzed using independent samples t-tests and two-way mixed ANOVA (SPANOVA). The findings indicated that the developed supervision program was effective in enhancing counselor candidates' self-efficacy and effective counselor characteristics. However, no statistically significant differences were found in the levels of supervisory working alliance. Similarly, analyses of the client data did not reveal any significant differences in experiential and behavioral changes or therapeutic alliance levels. The data were interpreted in line with the existing literature, and recommendations were developed based on the findings. This study underscores the importance of structuring supervision practices based on identified needs and aims to contribute to improving the quality of counselor education.