What are the critical supervision characteristics that can improve group supervision based on the readings and your personal experiences?
What are the critical supervision characteristics that can improve group supervision based on the readings and your personal experiences?
Requirements: Approximately a paragraph.
SPECIALSECTION:SUPERVISIONPRACTICESTheBenefitsofGroupSupervisionandaRecommendedStructureforImplementationAmberL.Valentino1&LindaA.LeBlanc1&TyraP.Sellers2Publishedonline:12October2016#AssociationforBehaviorAnalysisInternational2016AbstractEffectivesupervisionpracticescanfacilitatetheprofessionaldevelopmentofthesupervisee,thecontinuedgrowthofthesupervisor,andtheoveralldevelopmentofourfieldanditspractice.Inadditiontoindividualsupervision,manyaspiringcertificantsalsoparticipateingroupsupervi-sionexperienceseitheraspartoftheiracademicpracticumoraspartofasupervisedindependentfieldworkexperience.Groupsupervisioncanprovideuniqueopportunitiestoestab-lishcriticalprofessionalrepertoiressuchaspeerfeedbackskillsandpublicspeakingskills.However,thequalityofthegroupsupervisionexperienceisimpactedbythesupervisor’sarrangementofthecomponentsoftheexperienceinordertomaximizetheeffectivenessoftheselearningopportunities.Thispaperfocusesonthosecriticalsupervisioncharacteristicsandsuggestswaysbehavioranalystscanoptimizethegrouplearningexperience.KeywordsCertification.Fieldworkexperience.Groupsupervision.Mentorship.ProfessionalrepertoiresProfessionalsinthefieldofappliedbehavioranalysis(ABA)maybeinapositiontolead,organize,andprovidesupervisiontoaspiringcertificantsusingagroupformat,inadditiontoongoingindividualsupervision.Groupsupervisionprovidesanefficientwaytosupportmultiplecandidates’progressto-wardtheexperiencerequirementsassetforthbytheBehaviorAnalystCertificationBoard(BACB®).Althoughgroupsu-pervisionisnotrequired,itisallowedundercertainconditions(BehaviorAnalystCertificationBoard,2016a,b).Incorporatinggroupsupervisionactivitiescanincreasethetotalnumberofexperiencehoursthatcountwithineachperi-od.Inaddition,well-structuredgroupsupervisionsessionscanexpandthescopeoftrainingexperiences,providingseveraluniqueopportunitiesformentoringthatarenotavailabledur-ingindividualsupervisionactivities.Whereasthispaperfo-cusesonprovidinggroupsupervisiontoindividualsseekingcertification,thestrategiesandrecommendationsdescribedhereinapplytogroupsupervisionthatmightbeprovidedpost-certificationaswell.Therearemanypotentialtrainingandmentoringbenefitsofthegroupsupervisionformatiftheexperienceiswell-de-signed.Infact,someauthorssuggestthatgroupsupervisionmaybeoneoftheonlyforumstocultivateprofessionalrep-ertoiresneededtobesuccessfulwithcertainclinicalpopula-tions,suchasindividualswithautism(Bernstein&Dotson,2010).BernsteinandDotsondiscusstheadvancedprofession-alrepertoiresrequiredforbehavioranalystsworkingwithin-dividualswithautism,urgingacademicstoconsiderthatthesuccessfulprofessional’srepertoireextendswellbeyondknowledgeoftheresearchandconceptualunderstanding.Theeffectiveprofessionalrequiresahighlevelofintellectualandinterpersonalskills,andaccordingly,theseauthorsen-couragefrequentpeerandsupervisorfeedback.Agroupsu-pervisionformatrepresentsanexcellentforumforthistypeoffeedbackandthedevelopmentoftheseadvancedskillsetsthatcannotbeaccomplishedintheindividualsupervisionformatalonebecausethesupervisorcannotobserveinteractionswithcolleagues.Althoughbehavioranalyticresearchongroupsupervisionissparse,otherdisciplines(e.g.,socialwork,counseling)havestudiedthetopicextensivelyandfoundmanyadvantages.For*[email protected],1401ParkmoorAve.Suite208,SanJose,CA95126,USA2UtahStateUniversity,Logan,UT84322,USABehavAnalysisPractice(2016)9:320–328DOI10.1007/s40617-016-0138-8
example,Agnew,Vaught,Getz,andFortune(2000)foundthattheirpeergroupsupervisionmodelincreasedconfidenceinschoolcounselorsintraining,whileReynolds(2004)suggestsgroupformatsprovideanexcellentopportunityforshapingethicalrepertoires.Reynoldshypothesizesthattheseresultsareduetotheopportunityforindividualstohaveactivedia-logueaboutethicalissueswithmultiplelisteners,whichcan-notbeaccomplishedinindividualsupervision.However,ifthegroupsupervisionexperienceispoorlydesignedormismanaged,therecouldbemanymissedopportunitiesforactiveengagement,practicingprofessionalismanddevelop-ingprofessionalsocialskillsthatwouldleadtonon-optimalprofessionalrepertoires.Thus,professionalsshouldviewandmanagegroupsupervisionasauniqueandvaluableteachingandmentoringexperience,ratherthansimplyasindividualsupervisionwithmorepeopleinaroom.ArecentarticlebyDiGenneroandHenley(2015)surveyedindividualswiththeBCaBA,BCBA,orBCBA-Dcredential,andindividualsseekingcertification,abouttheirsupervisoryexperiences.Thesurveyrevealedthatthemajority(75%)ofrespondentsareresponsibleforsupervisingothers,butneverreceivedformaltrainingabouthowtobeasupervisor.Thus,itisunlikelythatindividualsprovidinggroupsupervisionhavehadmuchformaltrainingonhowtoprovideanoptimalgroupsupervisionexperience.ThefieldofappliedbehavioranalysisisbeginningtoputmoreemphasisonbuildingsupervisoryrepertoiresasevidencedbytheBACBSupervisionTaskForce,andtheheightenedeligibilityrequirementsforBCBAstoprovidesupervisiontoothers.Therefore,thepurposeofthispaperistoprovideausefulguideforpractitionerstodesignandimplementeffectivegroupsupervisionpractices.Toaccomplishthisgoal,thepaperdescribestheprimarycharacteristicsofagroupsupervisionarrangementthataredistinctiveanddiscusseshowtoplanandconductgroupsupervision.Thepaperprovidesresources,specificstrategies,andanoverallstructureforimplementation.Thisstructuremayproveusefulfortheprofessionalplanningtobeginprovidinggroupsupervisionorwishingtorevampanexistinggroupsupervisionexperience.CharacteristicsandBenefitsThereareanumberofuniquecharacteristicsassociatedwithlearningexperiencesthatoccurinagroupsetting.Thesechar-acteristicsoffercertainbenefitsthatcannotbeobtainedthroughindividualsupervisionalone.Thesecharacteristicsandassociatedbenefitsincludepeerfeedback,socialnetwork-ing,havingmultiplelistenersforthesameevent,observation-allearning,developingempathy,modelingandrehearsingpositiveandproductivediscussion,practicingpublicspeakingandpresenting,anddevelopingprofessionalrepertoires.Thesecharacteristicswillbediscussedinmoredetailbelow.PeerFeedbackAgnewetal.(2000)describeonecomponentofaclinicalsupervisiontrainingprogramforcounselorsinwhichstudentswereassignedtopeergroupsoffour,suchthateachcounselorreceivedpeerfeedbackfromeachoftheirthreepeersoverthecourseofayear.Astructuredfeedbackformwascreatedconsistingofstrengthsofthesupervisee,commentsaboutthecase,suggestionsforimprovement,strategies,andrecom-mendeddirections.Aqualitativeanalysisofinterviewswasconductedandtheseauthorsfoundthatparticipantsnotedpeerfeedbackandsupportasthemostcitedstrengthandsuggestedthatthiscomponentoftheirtrainingincreasedtheirselfaware-nessandtheirprofessionalvalidationanddecreasedtheirfeel-ingsofisolation.Behavioranalystscangleanmuchusefulinformationfromtheresultsofthisstudy.Specifically,agroupsettingallowstheopportunityforindividualstopracticepro-fessionalrepertoires(e.g.,publicspeaking,caseconceptuali-zation)andforthoserepertoirestobeshapedbyalargercom-munitythanjusttheindividualsupervisor.Forexample,ifamemberofagrouphasadifficulttimeunderstandingapeer’smessage,heorshemayrecommendclarificationuntilthepeerdescribestheideainawaythelistenercanunderstand.Thespeaker’sbehaviorcanchangeasaresultoftheconsequencesprovidedbythegroup.Furthermore,superviseescanpracticehowtoprovideeffectivefeedback.Thatis,ifamemberofthegroupprovidesfeedbackinawaythatispunitiveordoesnotresultinbehaviorchangeofhispeer,hisbehaviorcanalsobeshapedbymembersofhispeergroup.Thegroupleaderhastheopportunitytomodelappropriateandpositivefeedbackandprovidereinforcementfortheattendees’appropriateandprofessionalpeerfeedbackskills.SocialNetworkingWhensuperviseeshavetheopportunityforsharedlearningexperiencesinagroupsetting,thenetworkofthesuperviseenaturallyincreases.Asaresultofsuperviseesspendingpartoftheirsupervisionexperiencestogether,theywillcometoun-derstandeachother’slearningrepertoiresandthisunderstand-ingmayincreasethelikelihoodoffuturecollaborationandnetworkingonceformalsupervisioniscomplete.Muchliketheformalgraduateschoolexperience,acohortofindividualsingroupsupervisionmaycontacteachotheryearslatertoshareresources,jobopportunities,professionaldevelopmentopportunities,orsupportwhenethicaldilemmasarise.Whenanindividualexperiencesonlysupervisionina1:1format,theserelationshipsdonotdevelop,lesseningthenetworkonwhichthesuperviseecanrelyinthefuture.Sellers,Valentino,andLeBlanc(2016)recommendfivepracticesforoptimalBehavAnalysisPractice(2016)9:320–328321
individualsupervision.Oneofthesefiverecommendedprac-ticesisthatthesupervisorcontinuestheprofessionalrelation-shipwithhersuperviseepost-certification.Theseauthorssug-gestthatbydoingso,thesupervisorcanserveasanongoingsourceofsupportforthesuperviseeeventhoughthenatureandfrequencyofcontactandsupportchanges.Groupsuper-visioncanhavethesamelong-termeffect,inthatparticipantscanmaintainrelationshipsandserveasongoingsourcesofsupportforoneanother.Thisisbeneficialtoboththesuperviseeandtoourfieldasawhole,asourscienceandpracticebenefitfromcollaborativedevelopmentefforts.HavingMultipleListenersfortheSameEventAssupervisorspreparematerialstoteachtheirsupervisees,itisquitepossiblethatagroupofindividualsareinneedofthesameinformation.Thisbenefitfromgroupsupervisionofad-dressingatopicofneedwithmultiplesuperviseesislikelythemostobviousforsupervisors;however,thereareatleastthreeotheradvantagesthatmaynotbeasreadilyapparent.First,whenthesupervisordeliversamessagetomorethanonepersonsimultaneously,heorshecanoftendeterminetheclar-ityandimpactofthemessageondifferentlisteners(e.g.,onesuperviseenodsindicatingunderstanding,anotherhasacon-fusedexpression).Asthesupervisorcontactstheimpactofthematerialondifferentlisteners,heorshecanreviseandrefinethemessageastimegoesontoincreasethelikelihoodofclarityacrosslargergroupsofindividuals.Thisrefinementandimprovementcanmakethemessagemoreimpactful,pos-itivelyinfluencingfuturegroupsofsupervisees.Second,asasupervisordeliversamessage,superviseeswilllikelyaskquestions.Themembersofthegrouphearthequestionsposedaboutaparticulartopic,andevenmoreimportantly,haveamodelforhowthesupervisoranswersthosequestions.Groupsuperviseescanusethismodeltoanswerquestionsoftheirfuturesupervisees,and/orfurtherunderstandthematerialbe-ingtaught.Afinaladvantagetohavingmultiplelistenersforthesameeventisthatlearnershavetheopportunitytoteachoneanother.Thatis,asthesupervisorintroducesatopic,dis-cussionislikelytooccur,givingsuperviseestheopportunitytoaddpiecesofinformationandexamplesintothediscussion.Thisbehaviorcanthenbeshapedbytheirpeersaspeerspro-videcontingenciesforcontributions.ObservationalLearningandDevelopingEmpathyThroughoutthisgroupsupervisionprocess,itisimportanttoacknowledgetheopportunitiesforobservationallearninganddevelopmentofempathythatarenaturallyembeddedintoagroupexperience.Observationallearningisthelearningofnewresponsesthatoccursasaresultofobservingtherespondingofamodelandtheconsequencesthatrespondingproduces(Catania,1998).Observationallearningprovidesparticipantswithopportunitiestolearnnumerousskills,suchasempathy.Empathycanbeoperationallydefinedasacon-textuallyappropriateresponsetoadisplayofaffect(Schrandt,Townsen,&Poulson,2009).Asaproductofinteractingcon-tinuouslyinagroupsettingandexperiencingtheeffectsoftheirownbehavioronmorethanoneparty,groupsuperviseesarelikelytodevelopheightenedempathyskills.Forexample,perhapsamemberofthegrouppresentsacasetotherestofthegroupforfeedbackabouthisorherconceptualization.Itmaybethecasethatamemberofthegroupprovidesharshfeedbacktothepresenter,whichthenresultsinthepresenterexhibitingmorebehaviorsthatsuggestlackofconfidence,andperhapsevensomeemotionalresponding.Theconsequencesofemotionalrespondingandlessconfidencefromthepresent-ermaybeenoughtochangethebehavioroftheindividualthatgavetheharshfeedback,inthatitmayhaveapunitiveeffect.Othercontingenciesmaybethatthefeedbackgiverreceivesverbalornonverbalfeedbackfromherpeersorsupervisorpunishingthemannerinwhichshegavethefeedback.Thegroupsupervisionexperienceallowsindividualstobeinasituationtoengageinvariousprofessionalbehaviorsandex-periencecontingenciesprovidedfrommultiplelistenersfortheirbehavior.Likewise,amemberofthegroupcouldprovideconstructivefeedbackinawaythatispositiveandsupportive,receivingpositivepraiseandacknowledgement(i.e.,rein-forcement)fromherpeersandsupervisors,makingitmorelikelyshewillgivefeedbackinthiswayagain.Individualsupervisionsimplydoesnotallowfortheseopportunities.ModelingandRehearsingPositiveandProductiveDiscussionAsthenumberofindividualsexperiencingthesameeventincreases,theverbalbehaviorofthegroupnaturallydoesaswell,allowingformultipleopportunitiestoseeothersengageindiscussionsandtorehearseengagingindiscus-sionsthemselves.Thisimportantverbalcommunitymaybeunavailableoncesupervisioniscomplete,socapitaliz-ingonthisbenefitwhiletheindividualisintrainingiscriticalfordevelopingpeerprofessionalskills.Manysuperviseesmaymoveontoworkinsettingsinwhichtheyserveastheonlybehavioranalyst,severelylimitingthistypeofexperienceintheirprofessionalcareer.Groupleadersshouldcontinuouslybeawareofthedialogueinthegroupsettingandactivelymodelhowtorespondtoquestions,statements,andothergroupverbalbehavior.Thesupervisorshouldfocusonensuringthattheseinter-actionsremainpositiveandproductive(i.e.,wearemov-ingtowardacommongoalandactivelyworkingthroughtheproblem/discussingthecase,etc.),whilehavingaheightenedawarenessthatsuperviseesarelikelytoimitatethisbehaviorduringtheirownfutureprofessionalinteractions.322BehavAnalysisPractice(2016)9:320–328
PracticePublicSpeakingandPresentingFriman(2014)suggeststhateffectivepublicspeakingskills(i.e.,Bthefrontoftheroom^)canallowbehavioranalyststopositivelyinfluencepeople,butmanybehavioranalystsavoidpublicspeakingalltogether,duetofear.Itisalsopossiblethatbehavioranalystsavoidpublicspeakingsimplybecausetheyhavenothadmuchopportunitytoengageinit.Perhapsoneofthemostreadilyaccessiblebenefitsfromsupervisioninagroupsettingisthatsuperviseescanpracticeandperfectpub-licspeakingandpresentingskills.Behavioranalystsarefre-quentlycalledupontospeakinpublicinsomecapacityandoftentopresenttogroupsofvarioussizesandwithdiverseaudiencemembers.Ifanindividualonlyhastheopportunitytoexperienceindividualsupervision,shewillnotobtainideasfromothersabouthowtopresent,howtowordsomething,orhowtoexpressconceptualizationofacaseorproblem.Bypresentingtoagroup,thesuperviseecanexperiencethewaydifferentlistenersofthesameeventrespondtohisverbalbehaviorandadaptasthegroupresponds.Thegroupwillinevitablybeofdifferentskillsets,sothesuperviseecanbe-comemoresophisticatedinthewayshemessagesinformationtoindividualswithdifferentskillsandunderstandingofcon-tent.Thegroupsupervisorcanactivelyencouragegroupmemberstoprovidefeedbacktothepresenteraboutcompo-nentsofherinformationthatwereclear,thosethatwereun-clear,mannerismsthatmaydistractfromthemessage,PowerPoint™slides,orothervisualaidsandmaterials.Manyofthe15stepstomasteringBthefrontoftheroom^outlinedbyFriman(2014)suchasstandingupstraight,smil-ing,andtellingstoriescanbepracticedtofluencyduringgroupsupervision.DevelopmentofProfessionalRepertoiresThegroupsupervisionexperiencecanhelpestablishveryspe-cificprofessionalrepertoiresthatcanonlybeaccomplishedinagroupsetting,suchasactivelylisteningtoothers,refrainingfromengagingincompetingactivities(e.g.,checkingone’sphoneorcomputer),andcontributinginawaythatkeepsthegroupmovingalonginapositiveandproductivemanner.Agroupsupervisorcanmanagedynamicsandover/underparticipation,assessforthedevelopmentofcliques,andshapeprofessionalbehaviorasgroupsessionsoccur.StructuringtheGroupSupervisionExperiencetoMaximizeBenefitsThebenefitstothegroupsettingareplentiful.However,sim-plybeingawareoftheaforementionedbenefitswillnotmax-imizethegroupsupervisionexperience.Itisimportantthatbehavioranalystsresponsibleforgroupsupervisionalsostructuretheexperienceinawaythatwillmaximizethesecharacteristicsandthepotentialbenefits.Below,weoutlineapotentialstructurethatbehavioranalystsmayadopttofacili-tatebettergroupsupervisionexperiencesandbenefits.Wediscussspecificbehaviorsthesupervisorcanengageintooptimizebenefits.Table1summarizesthesebehaviorsthegroupsupervisorcanengagein,discussesbenefitsofthesebehaviors,acknowledgespotentialbarriersforengaginginthem,andofferssolutionstothosebarriers.CreateaScheduleandStandardizedFormatTobegin,thesupervisormustcreateascheduleforgroupsupervisionandaformatforeachsupervisoryexperience.Creatingthissetstructureforeachgroupsupervisionsessionpromptsthesupervisortothoughtfullyplanforactivitiesthatcapitalizeonaspectsofthegroupdynamic.Forexample,thesupervisormaycreatesmallgroupassignmentstoincreasecooperationandteamworkamongsupervises,mayestablishaformatforareadinggroup(Parsons&Reid,2011),ormaymatchindividualswithcomplementaryskillssetstodeliveratrainingsothattheycanlearnfromandteacheachother.Theseactivitiesallowthesupervisortomaximizethegroupbenefitsfromsocialnetworking,observationallearning,anddevelopingempathy.AppendixAcontainsanexampleforhowtostructuretheactualgroupsupervisionmeetings.Theseexamplescanbeusedasastartingpointforcreatingone’sownstructureforgroupsupervisionorcanbeusedinitscurrentformwithminorindividualizedmodifications.Theresultingstructureshouldincludeathoughtfulconsiderationofeachofthebenefitsofgroupsupervisionandhoweachplannedactivitywillincreasethelikelihoodthatsuperviseeswillexperiencethatbenefit.Thisthoughtfulconsiderationwillenablethesupervisortoensuretheoverallsupervisionexpe-rience(i.e.,timing,ratioofgrouptoindividual),aswellasensurethateachgroupsupervisionsessionmaximizesthelearningofthesupervisee.UseGroupSupervisionforGeneralizationofSkillsfromIndividualSupervisionIndividualsupervisionprovidesanexcellentopportunityforindividualizedinstruction.Groupsupervisioncanbeanexcel-lentaccompaniment,allowingforgeneralizationandheight-enedpracticeofskillslearnedinthatindividualizedsession.Forexample,perhapsasuperviseeandsupervisorarepractic-ingtheappropriateuseofatechnicalterm,suchasMotivatingOperations.Thesupervisormayhavethesuperviseearticulatethedefinition,useappliedexamples,andidentifynonexem-plarsinanindividualsupervisionsession.Oncethesuperviseemastersthisskillinthesmallersetting,thesupervisormayaskthesuperviseetosuccessfullyandindependentlyusetheterminthenextgroupsupervisionsession,orexplainittotheBehavAnalysisPractice(2016)9:320–328323
Table1Behaviorsthegroupsupervisorcanengageintomaximizethebenefitsofgroupsupervision,benefitsofthesebehaviors,potentialbarriersforengaginginthem,andsolutionstothosebarriersRecommendedbehaviorsforgroupsupervisionleaderSpecificsupervisorbehaviorsBenefitsBarriersSolutionstobarriersCreateschedule(e.g.,3-to6-monthplan)PromptssupervisortothoughtfullyplanTimecommitmentneededtoplanfarinadvanceCreateregulartimingandstructure(e.g.,Wednesdayfrom1pmto2pm)andrepeatwitheachnewsupervisorygroupObservationallearningSupervisionneedsmaychangeovertimeConsiderdividingthegroupintosmallergrouporadjustingschedulebasedonchangesthatimpactthemajorityGivegroupassignmentsSocialnetworkingDifficultymatchinggroupmembersaccordingtoskillsetsConsiderdividingthegroupintosmallergroupsbasedonskillsetObservationallearningSomeactivitiesmaybebetteraccomplishedindependentlyUtilizeindividualsupervisionfortasksbetteraccomplished1:1DevelopingempathySuperviseesmayendsupervisionatdifferenttimes,requiringchangingofgroupassignmentsDividethegrouporaddnewmembersonconsistentscheduleEstablishedstandardformatProvidesstructureTimecommitmenttoestablishstructureCreateastructurethatisuniversalenoughtoapplytoawiderangeofskillsandgroupmembers.UseitforallgroupsGivessuperviseesopportunitytoplanSuperviseeneedsmaychangeovertimeConsidermoreindividualsupervisionorotheropportunitiestogivesuperviseesindividualizedexperienceObservationallearningResourcemaygetupdatedrequiringdeviationfromstandardformatPlanforregularupdatingofstandardizedformattokeepupwithchanges,onlymakecriticalchangesIncorporategeneralizationopportunitiesIncreasesfeedbackopportunitiesRequiresthoughtfulplanningCreateopportunitiesthatareuniversalenoughtoapplytoawiderangeofsuperviseesandapplythemasapplicableAllowsfordirectobservationofsuperviseebehaviorindifferentenvironmentandwithdifferentpeopleSuperviseesmayacquireskillsinindividualsupervisionatdifferentpaces,requiringindividualizedgeneralizationopportunitiesforeachgroupmemberGenerateenoughgeneralizationactivitiesthatyouhaveaBbank^topullfromthatwillapplytoawiderangeofsuperviseesAllowssuperviseetoexperienceconsequencefromothersLimitedcontrolovergroupmembersresponsessocontrolconsequencesforsuperviseebehaviorinthissettingShapesuperviseerespondingAllowssuperviseetoobserveimpactofbehavioronmoreanddiverselistenersCertainskillsmayprovedifficulttoincorporateintogroupsettingMaximizeindividualsupervisionopportunitiesandtailoronlyopportunitiesthataremostconducivetoagroupsettingPeerFeedbackModelingandrehearsalIncreasedpublicspeakingopportunitiesRecommendedbehaviorsforgroupsupervisionleaderSpecificsupervisorbehaviorsBenefitsBarriersSolutionstobarriersIncorporatecasepresentationsPeerfeedbackSuperviseesmayhavedifferentresponsibilitiesforcases(e.g.,notdirectlysupervising)CreatehypotheticalcasessuperviseescanuseandpresentMultiplelistenersforsameeventCaseloadsmaybesmallandmaynotbemanyopportunitiestopresentondifferentcasesObservationallearningDifferentskillssetsingroupmayminimizevarietyininputprovidedDevelopingempathyModelingandrehearsalPrepareagendasObservationallearningRequirestimeandplanningaheadCreatestandardagendathatcanbeusedforfuturesupervisiongroupsModelsplanningandtimemanagementModelsprofessionaltimelinessSchedulingconstraints324BehavAnalysisPractice(2016)9:320–328
group.Thesupervisorcanthentakenoteofthesupervisee’sbehaviorandgivefeedbackduringthesubsequentindividualsession.Thesupervisorwillhaveampleopportunitytopre-planthefeedbackprovidedintheindividualsupervisionmeet-ing,suchthatthesuperviseecanoptimallybenefitfromthefeedback(Hulse&Robert,2014).Thegroupsupervisoryex-perienceallowsthesupervisortospecificallycontrivethepre-viouslydescribedscenario,asopposedtohopingthesuperviseehastheopportunitytousewhatwaslearnedinindividualsupervisionmeetingatanunspecifiedlaterdateandwithoutcontroloverthesettingandaudience.Groupsu-pervisionexperienceslikelyoccurmanytimesoverthecourseofalongperiodoftime,allowingforcontinuedpracticeofaskillwithfeedbacktofluency.Thisflowfromindividualtogroupsupervision,andbacktoindividual,allowssupervisorstocapturetheuniquebenefitsofagroupsettingincludingpeerfeedback,havingmultiplelistenersforthesameevent,model-ingandrehearsingpositiveandproductivediscussion,andpracticepublicspeaking.WerecommendcreatingalistofsupervisionactivitiesandhowthoseactivitiesmapuptothemostcurrentBACBTasklist.IncorporatePublicPresentationOpportunitiesPresentingacasetoagroupcanbeaverydifferentexperiencethanpresentingtoanindividualpeerorsupervisor.Supervisorsshouldincorporatemultipleopportunitiesforsuperviseestopresentcasestotheirpeersinagroupsetting.Doingsoenablesthesupervisortoallowtheirsuperviseestobenefitfrompeerfeedback,havingmultiplelistenersforthesameevent,observationallearning,developingempathy,andmodelingandrehearsingpositiveandproductivediscussion.Thesupervisorcanprovidestructuretocasepresentationstopromptsuperviseestoconceptualizetheircaseappropriately.Thisstructuremayincludehowtoidentifyacaseinneedofgroupfeedbackandconsultation(e.g.,consumerscurrentlyexperiencingnon-optimalprogress;consumerswhohavepre-sentedwithaconcernwithwhichyouhavelittlepriorexpe-rience;consumersforwhominterfacewithprovidershasprovenproblematic;anyconsumerforwhomthereiscurrent-lyarestrictiveprocedureinplace,training,andperformancemanagementissues,datacollectionissues,ethicalconcerns)andthespecificinformationtopreparetogetthemostoutofthegroupsfeedback(e.g.,basicdemographics,targetareasofconcern,operationaldefinitions,data,assessments,graphs,specificquestionsforthegroup).Groupcasereviewsallowsupervisorstocapitalizeonvirtuallyallofthegroupformatbenefitsincludingpeerfeedback,havingmultiplelistenersforthesameevent,developingempathy,rehearingpositiveandproductivediscussion,andpracticingpublicspeakingandpresenting.PlanforSpecificBehaviorstoEnsureProductivityandPositivityOncethemainstructureofagroupsupervisionexperienceisinplace(e.g.,overallscheduleofsupervision,structureforeachsession,plannedactivities),itiscriticalthattheTable1(continued)StartandendontimeOrganizeyourschedulesothatyouhaveextrattimebeforeandafterthemeetingObservationallearningUnexpectedschedulechangesHaveallmaterialsorganizedpriortothemeetingstarttominimizelastminuteneedforgettingmaterialsorcommunicatingcriticalinformationTakenotesSupportsorganizedapproachtoprocessTimeconstraintsAssignanotetakerObservationallearningDifficulttorunmeetingwhiletakingdetailednotesDiscouragedistractionsModelsprofessionalbehaviorSuperviseesmayneedtorespondtorequestsfromoutsidepartiesandthusneedaccesstoemailorphoneIncorporateabriefbreakintothesessionandletsuperviseesknowtheycancheckemailandphoneduringthistimeEnhancesengagementingroupSuperviseesmayrelyontechnologytoengageingroupAskthemtogoBoffline^and/orturnoffemailnotificationssotheyonlyusethetechnologyneeded(e.g.,typingnotesonaworddocu-ment)SendnotesModelsprofessionaltimelinessTimecommitmenttowriteandsendnotesDesignateanotetakerProvidespromptsforfollowupbehaviorsSuperviseesmaynotreadnotesorusethemaspromptsGiveyourself15minafterthemeetingtofocusonfinalizingthenotesandsendingthemoutRequestsuperviseesrespondtoyouremailwiththenotesconfirmingthey’vereadthem.IncorporatequestionsaboutthenotesintofuturesupervisionmeetingsBehavAnalysisPractice(2016)9:320–328325
supervisorconsiderspecificantecedents,behaviors,andconsequencesthatwillensurethesuperviseesexperiencethebenefitsofjointsupervisionandthattheoverallexpe-rienceremainsproductiveandpositive.Werecommendplanningforthefollowing:(1)haveaclearobjectiveforeachmeeting,(2)prepareanagendaandsenditaheadoftime,(3)startandendontime,(4)observebodylanguageduringthegroupandmakeadjustmentsasnecessary,(5)takenotesduringthesupervisionordesignateanotetak-er,(6)discouragedistractions,(7)endthemeetingontime,and(8)sendnotesoutshortlyafterthesessioniscomplete.Theserecommendationsmayseemsimple,butacriti-calanalysisofeachoneallowsonetoconsiderthecon-tingenciesandconceptualimportanceofeffectivelyman-agingthevariousdynamicsofthegroupsupervisionex-perience.Here,weprovideaconceptualanalysisforsomeoftheserecommendations.Forexample,therearemanybenefitstopreparinganagendaandmanagingthemeetingaccordingtothatagenda.Iftheleaderdoesnothaveanagenda,superviseesmaynotbenefitfromthegroupex-perience.Iftheleaderarrivesatthegroupsupervisionsessionwithoutanagendaandreliesonthegrouptogen-eratecontentforthemeeting,sheissettingtheexamplethatasaleader,itisunimportanttoplananddirecttheactivities.Thislackofplanningcouldsuggesttothegroupthatthetimeisopentodiscussanythingandmayintroduceanopportunityformemberstogossip,engageinunrelatedbehaviors,anddosowithoutregardtotime,goals,ortheimportanceoftheirtrainingexperience.Sendingagendasaheadoftimeprovidesamodelforhowtoplanforupcomingactivities,manageyourtimewell,andcanalsoserveasapromptforgroupmemberstoknowwhatthingstheyshoulddoaheadoftimetoprepareforthemeeting.Thesupervisorhastheopportu-nitytomodelstructure,howtoprofessionallyredirectofftopicconversationandhowtomanagethetimewell.Groupmembersmayimitatetheleader’sbehavior,resultinginunproductiveandunfocusedmeetingswithoutaccomplishments.Unfortunately,ifallofthemembersofyourgroupleavethesupervisoryexperiencewithoutamodelofappropriateplanningandontaskbehaviorandalloftheirfuturemeetingsareconductedinthesameway,theimpactonproductivity,appropriatetraining,andevenclientcarewillbenegative.Undoubtedly,meetingscanbederailedforotherreasons,suchasamemberwhoengagesinhighratesofattention-maintainedbehavior.Insuchacase,thesupervisormightemploysubtlestrategiesduringthemeeting,suchasbreakingeyecontactandremainingsilentforafewsecondsfollowinginstancesoftheattention-maintainedbehavior,aswellasdirectlydiscussingtheissuewiththeindividualsupervisee.However,ifthemeetingsareconsistentlyoff-taskduetothesupervisorengaginginpoorplanningandmanage-ment,theproductivityofthegroupsuffer,andsuperviseeandclientoutcomesmightbenegativelyimpacted.Infact,ifthesuperviseesconductfuturemeetingsinasim-ilarway,thenegativeimpactsmanyonlymultiplyovertime.Anotherrecommendationforensuringproductivityandpositivityistostartandendthemeetingontime.Thiscreatesanexpectationforprofessionaltimelinessandtoshapetheprofessionalrepertoiresofthesupervisees.Ifmeetingsdonotconsistentlystartontime,thismayrein-forcearrivinglateandmodelthatitisacceptabletoallowtardinesstonegativelyimpacttheexperienceofmultiplepeople.Thistardinesscouldevengeneralizetootherdeadlinesfortaskcompletionorbeimitatedinthefutureroleassupervisorofothers.Also,considertheresponsetoasuperviseewhoarriveslateasthesecontingenciescanaffectbehaviorsignificantly.Forexample,ifthegroupleaderconsistentlyrepeatsthematerialfrombeginningofthemeetingforlatecomersanddonotaddressthetar-dinessdirectly,thesuperviseemaycontinuetocometothemeetinglateasanymildlyaversivenaturalconse-quenceshavebeeneliminated.Bynotrepeatingtheinitialinformationoneincreasestheresponseeffortforsuperviseestoobtainmissedinformationisincreasedwhentheyarelate.Directlyaddressthetardinesswithabriefdiscussionoftheimportanceoftimelinessandbyprovidingrulesandothercontingenciesforrepeatof-fenders.Forexample,asuperviseemayneeddirectfeed-backandagoal(e.g.,hewillnotbemorethan2minlateforallgroupsupervisionmeetingsduringa1-monthtimeframeandthisbehaviorwillbegraphedandreviewedregularly).Athirdrecommendationforensuringproductivityandpos-itivityistodiscouragedistractions.Werecommenddoingthisbyprovidingrulesandcontingenciesforfollowingtherules.Forexample,thegroupleadermaystartbygreetingeveryoneandthenquicklylettingthemknowthattheydonotneedtheirlaptopsorphonesforthemeetingandcanfinishuptheirworkinthenext30sandshutdown.Ifsomeonebeginstocheckemailorusetheircellularphoneduringthemeeting,thegroupleadercanstopthesupervisionmeeting,asktheindividualtostepoutsideifitisanemergencyandreturnwhentheyarefinishedengagingintheotheractivity.Thegroupleadermayevenengageinmoresubtleprompts,forexamplebystoppingtalkingifsomeonechecksemailandwaitinguntiltheyfinish.Ofcourse,itisalsocriticalthatsupervisorsrefrainfromen-gaginginthesecompetingactivitiesaswellandmodelen-gagementintheexperiencebymakingeyecontact,activelylistening,andgivingthegroupone’sundividedattention.Again,theimpactofmodelingdistractedbehavioristhatsuperviseesmayimitateitandattendothermeetingswithoutbeingfullyengaged.326BehavAnalysisPractice(2016)9:320–328
ManageInterpersonalDynamicsDuringthegroup,itisimportanttomonitorgroupbehaviorforsubtlebehavioralindicatorsofnegativeinterpersonaldynam-ics(e.g.,avoidingeyecontact,notincludingamemberofthegroupinsocialinteractions)amongtheattendeesandaddressanysituationsthatarise.Forexample,itmaybecomeevidentthatwhenacertainmemberofthegroupbeginstospeak,theothermembersofthegrouporienttheirbodyawayfromthespeakerandavoideyecontact.Thesupervisorshouldgathermoredatabyobservingotherinteractionsoraskingoneofthemostresponsibleandmaturemembersofthegroupaboutthereactiontothepeer.Iffurtherobservationsuggeststhatthisparticularpeerfrequentlydominatesconversationsandpartic-ipationopportunities,thesupervisormightaddresstheissuewithfeedbackand/orimplementadifferentialreinforcementoflowrates(DRL)ofbehaviorprogram.Thesupervisormighthaveadirectconversationwiththatgroupmember,discussingthatheorsheisdominatingthegroupmeetingandshouldmonitorparticipationinconversationswithagoaloflimitingthemtoacertainnumberpergroupexperience.Thesupervisormayalsobeabletoengageinanagreeduponsubtlevisiblebehaviorifthegroupmemberexceedsthetargetednumberofcontributionsforthesessiontoserveasaprompt.SummaryandConclusionsThispapersummarizestheuniqueopportunitiestoestablishcriticalprofessionalrepertoiresuniquelyaffordedbythegroupsupervisionexperience.Theseuniqueopportunitiesconsistofpeerfeedback,socialnetworking,havingmultiplelistenersforthesameevent,observationallearning,develop-ingempathy,modelingandrehearsingpositiveandproductivediscussion,practicingpublicspeakingandpresenting,anddevelopingprofessionalrepertoires.Thispaperalsoprovidesstructureandaframeworkforoptimizingthosebenefits.Theproposedstructuresuggestshowtosetupcontingenciesandwell-designedactivitiestoensuresuperviseesbenefitfromthegroup.Hopefully,theresourcesprovidedhereencouragebe-havioranalyststothinkdifferentlyaboutthegroupsupervi-sionexperienceandconsidertheimplicationsofnotarrangingitappropriately.Followingthisstructuremayallowgroupsuperviseestoreapthebenefitsofthegroupsupervisionex-perienceandhelpshapethenextgenerationofbehaviorana-lyststobethoughtful,engaged,timely,andprofessional.Currently,thereisnotasufficientexperimentalliteratureinbehavioranalysistoprovidesupportforthesebenefitsandstructure,butfutureresearchmightbeconductedtofurtherevaluatetherecommendationsandmanyotherstrategiesforenhancinggroupsupervisionexperiences.Forexample,anassessmentofvariousprofessionalbehaviorscouldbeconductedatthebeginningofthegroupsupervisionexperi-ence,throughout,andattheendtobegintodeterminetheeffectsofgroupsupervisiononsomesuggestedbenefitssuchasthedevelopmentofprofessionalrepertoiresanddevelopingempathy.Inaddition,amoreextendedbehavioranalyticeval-uationofsupervisorbehavioriswarranted.Futureresearchersmaywishtoproposeamodelforassessingtheefficacyoftheirownsupervisorybehaviorandhowtomakechangesaccord-ingtotheenvironmentandbehaviorofsupervisees.CompliancewithEthicalStandardsFundingNofundingwasreceivedforthisprojectConflictofInterestAllthreeauthorsdeclarethattheyhavenoconflictsofinterestrelatedtothisprojectEthicalApprovalThisarticledoesnotcontainanystudieswithhumanparticipantsperformedbyanyoftheauthors.AppendixA:SampleGroupSupervisionStructureTechnicalTermoftheDay(BTTOD^)Notetosupervisor:UsetheBACBTasklisttochooseterminologythatmaybemoredifficultforsuperviseesand/orthattheywillneedtousefrequentlyduringfuturediscussionswithpeers,consumers,orotherstakeholders.Thesupervisormaywishtooutlinethetermsforacertainperiodoftime(e.g.,6months),toensureampleopportunityforpractice.Thesupervisorcanprovidethescheduleoftermstosuperviseesinadvancesotheycanprepare.Begineachsessionwithareviewoftheterm,andmakerulesthateachsuperviseemustusethetermatleastonce,correctly,anddifferentlythanhispeers.DiscussionofTaskListItem(s)AssignedfromDesignatedCompetenciesNotetosupervisor:Haveastructuredsystemthatincludesobjectiveandmeasurabletargetskills(i.e.,competencies).Thesupervisormaywishtooutlinethecompetenciesforacertainperiodoftime(e.g.,6months),toensuresuperviseeshavetimetopreparetotake(andultimatelypass)thecompetency.TeamPresentationNotetosupervisor:Matchsuperviseesandas-signtopicsforpresentation.Outlineaplanforacertainperiodoftimeandreviewthescheduleateachsupervisionmeeting.Establishrulesforpro-vidingfeedbacktoteamswhentheypresentandforpresentationstyle.Establishconsistencyintheformatofpresentationssothatsuperviseesareequippedtodeliverprofessionalpresentationsinthefuture.CaseReviewNotetosupervisor:Establishtheexpectationthatcasesareactivelyreviewedduringgroupsupervision.Werecommendassigningapersontopresentacase,elsesuperviseesmaynotvolunteerandiftheydo,theymaynotbepreparedtogetthemostoutoftheexperience.Setparametersforhowcasesarepresented(e.g.,backgroundinformation),howtokeepfocusedonkeyquestions,andarticulatetheneedsofthecaseinawaythatisproductiveandallowsnovellistenerstounderstandwellenoughtoprovidesuggestionsandsupport.NewAssignments/PlanforNextMeetingNotetosupervisor:Spendthelast10minofthemeetingdiscussingtheplansfortheBehavAnalysisPractice(2016)9:320–328327
upcominggroupsupervisionsessionincludingthefollowing:technicalterms,teampresentationassignments,upcomingcompetencies,andsuperviseeresponsibleforcasereview.Werecommendreviewingthemonth’sscheduleinadvanc
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