Supervisory Working Alliance: A Model Providing Direction for College Counseling Supervision.

This article presents an overview of the Supervisory Working Alliance Model (E. S. Bordin, 1983) and related research. The author proposes an extension of the model by applying it to evaluation and multicultural competency. The following major advantages of the model for supervision in college counseling centers are discussed: (a) model's transtheoretical nature, (b) model's compatibility with alternate models, (c) model's conduciveness toward multiculturally competent supervision, and (d) model's utility in evaluation. ********* College counselors are often called on to conduct counseling supervision. Counseling centers at colleges and universities are popular practicum and internship placements for counselor education programs (Dorn, 1979; Gloria, Castillo, Choi-Pearson, & Rangel, 1997). There may be more opportunities for the practice of supervision during internships at college counseling centers compared with agency internships (Scott, Ingram, Vitanza, & Smith, 2000). Moreover, counselors in college counseling centers (Borders & Usher, 1992) and in community college centers (Coil, 1995) indicate a desire for counseling supervision. Unfortunately, many master's-level counselor education programs lack courses on counseling supervision (Borders & Leddick, 1988), and states often fail to require a background in supervision for counselor licensure (Borders & Cashwell, 1992). The professional literature has identified the lack of training in supervision as a serious "gap" in the profession (Hoffman, 1994; Russel & Petrie, 1994). Some counselors in college counseling centers, then, may be called on to supervise counseling interns and other counselors despite having had little or no specific training in counseling supervision. Counselors in college counseling centers are faced with several challenges in regard to supervision. Novice counselors bring different levels of training and/or experience as well as differing theoretical orientations. Counseling supervision should also recognize the needs of diverse populations, be culturally responsive, and foster multiculturally competent practice. Moreover, college counselors need a supervision model that assists with the arduous task of evaluation. As a supervision model that addresses these special considerations, the Supervisory Working Alliance Model (Bordin, 1983) has utility for college counselors and directors of counseling centers. In this article, I propose the Supervisory Working Alliance Model (Bordin, 1983) as a means for college counseling supervisors to understand and structure counseling supervision. I describe the components of the working alliance within the context of supervision; the adaptability of the model for the needs of college counseling supervisors; the relevant research; and, finally, the potential limitations of the model in the college counseling setting. Supervisory Working Alliance Model There are several different supervision models available for counselor supervisors. Social role models, such as the discrimination model (Bernard, 1979), emphasize specific functions and roles of the counseling supervisor. Developmental models (Stoltenberg, 1981; Stoltenberg & Delworth, 1987) focus on how supervisees change throughout training and supervised experience. Holloway's (1995) systems approach to supervision (SAS) model is perhaps the most comprehensive of all supervision models. The SAS model takes into account seven empirically derived dimensions that interact as part of a complex process affecting the core factor of the supervision relationship and supervision tasks and functions. As a more straightforward heuristic, the supervisory working alliance (Bordin, 1983) can be conceptualized as a model for supervision (Bernard & Goodyear, 1998) and used as a framework providing direction for what occurs during counseling supervision. I propose the extension of the Supervisory Working Alliance Model by incorporating evaluation and multicultural competency considerations into its use. …