In response to an article that described a “Zen-like” method of counselor supervision where the student is “beaten” into understanding, the authors present a different method, likening it to the wu-wei practice in Zen and Taoism. This model is strength-based, punctuating what the counselor does well rather than looking for problems. Wu-wei is different from some traditional models where supervisors tend to assume that their view of the client/counselor relationship is more informed and correct than the counselors they supervise. This article reviews counseling supervision, and suggests that a strength-based wu-wei model and an understanding of isomorphy in supervisory relationships are the preferred practice for the supervision of family counselors. Various contexts are presented in addition to family counseling training. It is posited that this model of supervision potentiates the person-of-the-counselor.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Anderson, H.
, & Goolishian, H. (1992). The client is the expert: A not-knowing approach to therapy. In S. McNamee & K. Gergen (Eds.), Therapy as social construction (pp. 25-39). London: Sage Ltd.
2.
Anderson, J.
, & Swim, S. (1995). Supervision as collaborative conversation: Connecting the voices of supervisors and supervisee. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 14, 1-13.
3.
Atkinson, B. J.
(1997). Risks and safeguards in person-of-the-therapist supervision. The Supervision Bulletin, 9, 4-5.
4.
Atkinson B. J.
, & Heath, A. W. (1987). Beyond objectivism and relativism: Implication for family therapy research. Journal of Strategic and Systemic Therapies, 6, 8-17.
5.
Atkinson B. J.
, & Heath, A. W. (1990). Further thoughts on second-order family therapy: This time it’s personal. Family Process, 29, 145-156.
6.
Bandura, A.
(1982). Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency. American Psychologist, 37, 122-147.
7.
Bandura, A.
(1986). Social foundation of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
8.
Bandura, A.
(1989). Human agency in social cognitive theory. American Psychologist, 44, 1175-1184.
9.
Bandura, A.
(1990). Conclusion: Reflections on nonability determinants of competence. In R. Sternberg & J. Kolligian (Eds.), Competency considered (pp. 315-362). New Haven: Yale University Press.
10.
Becvar, D. S.
, & Becvar, R. L., (1996). Family therapy: A systemic integration (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
11.
Becvar, D. S.
, & Becvar, R. L. (1997). The client-therapist relationship: Comparison of second order family therapy and Rogerian therapy. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 16, 181-194.
12.
Biever, J. L.
, & Gardner, G. T. (1995). The use of reflecting teams in social constructionist training. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 14, 47-56.
13.
Blow, A.
, & Piercy, F. P. (1997). Teaching personal agency in family therapy training programs. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 16, 274-283.
14.
Bobele, M.
, Gardner, G., & Biever, J. (1995). Supervision as social construction. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 14, 14-25.
15.
Breunlin, D.
(1997, April). The Family Institute at Northwestern University’s model of family systems therapy. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Illinois Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Oak Brook, Illinois.
16.
Cantwell, P.
, & Holmes, S. (1994). Social construction: A paradigm shift for systemic therapy and training. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 15, 17-26.
17.
Carkhuff, R. R.
, & Berenson, B. G. (1967). Beyond counseling and psychotherapy. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
18.
Chen, M.
, & Noosbond, J. P. (in press). “Un-Sticking” the stuck group system: Process illumination and the reflecting team. Journal of Systemic Therapies.
19.
de Shazer, S.
(1991). Putting difference to work. New York: Norton.
20.
Diethelm, K.
, Fentress, D. E., London, M. L., & McCarthy, J. J. (1992). Put from behind the mirror. Journal of Strategic and Systemic Therapies, 11, 46-52.
21.
Dillard, A.
(1974). Pilgrim at tinker creek. New York: Harper and Row, Inc.
22.
Edwards, J. K.
, & Nejedlo, R. J. (1988). Excellence in supervision—Preparation for counseling excellence: About the issue. The Quarterly, 111, 2-4.
23.
Epston, D.
, White, M., & Murray, K. (1992). A proposal for a reauthoring therapy: Rose’s revision of her life and a commentary. In S. McNamee & K. Gergen (Eds.), Therapy as social construction (pp. 96-115). London: Sage Ltd.
24.
Freedman, J.
, & Combs, G. (1996). Gender stories. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 15, 31-46.
25.
Gergen, K.
, & Kaye, S. (1992). Beyond narrative in the negotiation of therapeutic meaning. In S. McNamee & K. Gergen (Eds.), Therapy as social construction (pp. 166-185). London: Sage Ltd.
26.
Goolishian, H.
, & Anderson, H. (1990). Understanding the therapeutic process: From individuals and families to systems in language. In F. Kaslow (Ed.), Voices in family psychology (Vol. 1; pp. 91-113). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
27.
Guterman, J. T.
(1994). A social constructionist position for mental health counseling. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 16, 226-244.
28.
Hardy, K. V.
(1993). Live supervision in the postmodern era of family therapy: Issues, reflections, and questions. Contemporary Family Therapy, 15, 9-20.
29.
Heath, A. W.
, & Storm, C. L. (1983). Answering the call: A manual for beginning supervisors. The Family Therapy Networker, 7, 36-37, 66.
30.
Hoffman, L.
(1993). Exchanging voices. London: Karnac.
31.
Ivey, A. E.
(1971). Microcounseling: Innovations in interviewing training. Springfield, IL: Thomas.
32.
James, S.
, MacCormack, T., Korol, C., & Lee, C. M. (1996). Using reflecting teams in training psychology students in systemic therapy. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 15, 46-58.
33.
Keeney, B. P.
(1983). Aesthetics of change. New York: Guilford Press.
34.
Kerlinger, F. N.
(1986). Foundations of behavioral research (3rd ed.). New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
35.
Krauth, L. D.
(1995). Strength-based therapies. Family Therapy News, 26, 24.
36.
Lax, W. D.
(1992). Postmodern thinking in clinical practice. In S. McNamee & K. Gergen (Eds.), Therapy as social construction. London: Sage Ltd.
37.
Leddick, G. R.
, & Bernard, J. M. (1980). The history of supervision: A critical review. Counselor Education and Supervision, 19, 186-196.
38.
Liddle, J.
(1988). Systemic supervision: Conceptual overlays and pragmatic guidelines. In H. Liddle, D. Breunlin, & R. Schwartz (Eds.), Handbook of family therapy training and supervision (pp. 153-171). New York: Guilford Press.
39.
Lincoln, Y. S.
, & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
40.
Lowe, R.
, & Guy, G., (1996). A reflecting team format for solution-oriented supervisors. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 15, 26-45.
41.
Madigan, S.
(1993). Questions about questions: Situating the therapist’s curiosity in front of the family. In S. Gilligan & R. Price (Eds.), Therapeutic conversations (pp. 219-230). New York: Norton.
42.
Marek, L. I.
, Sandifer, D. M., Beach, A., Coward, R. L., & Protinsky, H. O. (1994). Supervision without the problem: A model of solution-focused supervision. Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 5, 57-64.
43.
Merl, H.
(1995). Reflecting supervision. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 14, 47-56.
44.
Neal, J. H.
(1996). Narrative therapy training and supervision. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 15, 63-78.
45.
Neufeldt, S. A.
, Iverson, J. N., & Juntunen, C. L. (1995). Supervision strategies of the first practicum. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
46.
Oppenheimer, M.
(1998). Zen and the art of supervision. The Family Journal, 6, 61-63.
47.
Riordan, R. J.
, & Kern, R. (1998). Counselor training editorial. The Family Journal, 6, 61.
48.
Rogers, C. R.
(1957). The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 21, 95-103.
49.
Roth, S.
, & Epston, D. (1996). Developing externalizing conversations: An exercise. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 15, 5-12.
50.
Russell, B.
(1953). On the notion of cause, with applications to the free-will problem. In H. Feigl & M. Brodbeck (Eds.), Readings in the philosophy of science (p. 387). New York: Appleton.
51.
Selekman, M. D.
, & Todd, T. C. (1995). Cocreating a context for change in the supervisory system: The solution-focused supervision model. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 14, 21-33.
52.
Simon, F. B.
, Stierlin, H., & Wynne, L. C. (1985). The language of family therapy: A systemic vocabulary and sourcebook. New York: Family Process Press.
53.
Stoltenberg, C. D.
, & Delworth, U. (1987). Supervising counselors and therapists: A developmental approach. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
54.
Storm, C. L.
(1995). Swimming in a different steam: A supervisor’s experience with social construction ideas. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 14, i-ii.
55.
Thomas, F. N.
(1994). Solution-oriented supervision: The coaxing of expertise. The Family Journal, 2, 11-18.
56.
Truax, C. B.
, & Carkhuff, R. R. (1967). Toward effective counseling and psychotherapy: Training and practice. Chicago: Aldine.
57.
Turner, J.
, & Fine, M. (1995). Postmodern evaluation in family therapy supervision. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 14, 57-69.
58.
Watts, A.
(1989). The way of Zen. New York: Vintage Books Editions.
59.
Wendorf, D. J.
, Wendorf, R. J., & Bond, D. (1985). Growth behind the mirror: The family therapy consortium’s group process. Family Process, 11, 245-255.
60.
Wetchler, J. L.
(1990). Solution-oriented supervision. Family Therapy, 17, 129-138.
61.
White, M.
(Ed.). (1989). Externalizing of the problem and the re-authoring of lives and relationships. In Selected papers (pp. 5-28). Adelaide, Australia: Dulwich Center.
62.
White, M.
, & Epston, D. (1990). Narrative means to therapeutic ends. New York: Norton.
