Constructive Clinical Supervision in Counseling and Psychotherapy

Constructive Clinical Supervision in Counseling and Psychotherapy articulates a practical, theoretical approach to supervision that integrates salient elements of a number of diverse but complementary theoretical perspectives from the fields of human development, psychotherapy, and clinical supervision to assist in facilitating supervisee growth and change from a constructivist framework. This constructive approach to supervision is designed to serve as a practical, integrative meta-theory for supervisors of any theoretical orientation. For readers who already identify with constructivist ideas, this book will provide a theoretical grounding for their work, along with strategies to deepen their clinical practice. For those who are new to constructivist thinking, this book offers an innovative possibility for conceptualizing their role as clinical supervisors and alternative interventions to consider during times of impasse.

Douglas A. Guiffrida, PhD, is associate professor in the Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development at the University of Rochester. He is an approved clinical supervisor, a nationally certified counselor, and a licensed mental health counselor in New York State.

"Professor Guiffrida has written a book that all supervisors will want to own. His articulation of a constructivist model is clear and compelling, and his liberal use of metaphor is both engaging and consistent with the constructivist approach. Regardless of their theoretical orientations, though, supervisors will appreciate the exercises he suggests as means to expand supervisees' awareness of process and to facilitate their reflection."-Rodney K. Goodyear, PhD, professor, school of education, University of Redlands "Like therapy, clinical supervision begins with who you are, and extends to what you do. In this thoughtful gem of a book, Guiffrida deftly demonstrates his inveterate constructivist respect for the meaning-making capacities of those therapists he mentors, engaging them in a deep-going dialogue that sharpens their own skills as reflective practitioners. I found his approach as practically presented as it was conceptually coherent, and I am confident that this book will polish my own skills as a constructive supervisor fully as much as it will add new dimensions to the practice of my more cognitive behavioral colleagues." -Robert A. Neimeyer, PhD, author of Constructivist Psychotherapy and editor of the Journal of Constructivist Psychology "This volume is a rare find for a clinical supervisor: a book that is both theoretically informed and yet at the same time clinically practical. It is both useful for the teaching of supervision at the graduate level and also for inspiring thoughtful reflections among even the most experienced supervisors." -Richard M. Ryan, PhD, professor, Institute for Positive Psychology and Education at the Australian Catholic University, and professor of clinical psychology, University of Rochester "As someone outside the constructivist mindset, I experience this book as both inviting and intriguing. I am confident that it will resonate with many supervisors-in-training as they attempt to find an approach that honors their personal principles." -from the foreword by Janine M. B