| Supervision is a deliberate intervention where an experienced professional guides and supports a
novice in the same field, creating a careful balance of hierarchy, evaluation, and support
(Bernard & Goodyear, 2019). Supervision is crucial in school counseling, a profession that faces
unique and specialized challenges in K-12 educational settings (Bledsoe et al., 2019). However,
research indicates that severe limitations mark the current state of supervision for school
counselors, the research on school counselor supervision is scattered and inconsistent, with the
inability to define and standardize best practices (Bledsoe et al., 2019). School counselor
educators and practicing school counselors can fill this gap by better understanding the crucial
concepts that are needed to supervise school counselors-in-training properly. My research study
utilized Q-Methodology to explore the expert opinions of the knowledge, understanding, and
skills needed to supervise school counselors-in-training. The results were informed by a 28-
statement Q-sort, participant demographic information, and open-ended questionnaires. Two-
factor groupings were determined from the information gathered: participants who valued
practical skills to deliver direct student services and participants who valued the understanding of
school counselor leadership within the context of implementing comprehensive school
counseling programs. Results from this study can help establish the crucial need for a
standardized approach to school counselor supervision.
Keywords: School counseling, Supervision, Counselor education |