Problems of Professional Competencies and Pre-Licensed Counselors: Licensure Supervisors’ View of Critical Incidents

Problems of professional competencies (PPC) and remediation have grown in awareness in the counseling profession and within the literature. Counselor education programs adopt guidelines from their accrediting bodies to identify, evaluate, and remediate PPC exhibited by counseling students. The literature indicates that students are still entering the professional field without proper remediation and are seeking licensure through licensure supervision. Manuscript one includes a review of literature regarding PPC in context of licensure supervision. The literature indicates lack of structure within licensure supervision, reports of inadequate and harmful supervision, issues of non-disclosure, and lack of observation of pre-licensure counselors’ clinical skills by supervisors. A framework is suggested to assist licensure supervisors in addressing concerns regarding PPC through written contracts, increase in supervisor training, and professional development plan structure for licensure supervision. Future policy and research directions are explored. In manuscript two, counseling licensure supervisors (n = 190) were surveyed to broaden the literature regarding supervisors’ observations of PPC in the field; impact of PPC; and understanding, willingness, and responsibility to remediate PPC. A total of 44 licensure supervisors contributed 65 critical incidents regarding addressing PPC within licensure supervision. These incidents raise concerns about the lack of systemic support, ethical violations, and supervisors’ preparedness. Licensure supervisors reported their personal emotions being impacted negatively, needing to address PPC without proper framework or support, encountering systemic barriers, and as a result struggling to navigate more critical incidents involving ethical violations. Manuscript two concludes with a framework for licensure supervisors to target PPC and implications for supervision practice and research.