Supervising Via Distance Technology

With the rapidly increasing growth of distance psychotherapy, online education, and online training, it has become essential for supervisors to develop proficiency in using distance technology to supervise students and psychotherapists. Distance supervision requires a knowledge of web-based technology and a specialized understanding of the ethics, legal intricacies, strengths, and potential pitfalls of electronic technology.

This intermediate level course presents information and ideas to help you become a more effective, law-compliant, and ethical online supervisor. It includes eight published articles from the Taylor & Francis group of publications. The first two articles present overviews of what factors are the most salient in effective telesupervision. Article three delves into the nuances of providing supervision for students who are learning remotely, while the fourth article focuses on telesupervision from trainees’ perspectives. Articles five through seven focus on utilizing distance technology to help graduate and doctoral level students develop clinical skills and to enhance the effectiveness of the supervisor-supervisee relationships. Article eight provides an overview of a psychology training program’s switch to teletherapy and highlights challenges for both trainees and supervisors alike.

Details of Codes of Ethics of major professional mental health organizations on supervision are provided for further study, but are not part of the course.