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SUPERVISION AND MENTORING FOR EARLY CAREER SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS: AVAILABILITY, ACCESS, STRUCTURE, AND IMPLICATIONS
Author(s) -
Silva Arlene E.,
Newman Daniel S.,
Guiney Meaghan C.,
ValleyGray Sarah,
Barrett Courtenay A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
psychology in the schools
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1520-6807
pISSN - 0033-3085
DOI - 10.1002/pits.21921
Subject(s) - psychology , supervisor , certification , competence (human resources) , feeling , medical education , school psychology , professional development , clinical supervision , professional association , credentialing , pedagogy , public relations , social psychology , management , medicine , political science , economics , psychotherapist
This study is the first national survey of supervision and mentoring practices for early career school psychologists (ECSPs). Respondents included 700 participants, 38% of whom reported having access to professional supervision. Time, availability, and proximity to a supervisor were found to be the most common barriers to accessing supervision and mentoring; access to technology, supervisor interest, and cost were not found to be as significant. Nearly 30% of ECSPs reported feeling pressure to practice outside their boundaries of competence because they did not have access to mentoring or supervision, suggesting a potential ethical concern. Results demonstrate the need to provide more supervision and mentoring opportunities for ECSPs, particularly given the National Association of School Psychologist's requirement that first‐time Nationally Certified School Psychologist renewal applicants complete a year of mentoring or supervision. Implications of the results, strategies to support the barriers to access, and future directions for research are addressed.