The Impact of Supervisory Training and Workload upon the Licensed Specialist in School Psychology Supervisors’ Perception Providing Field-Based Supervision to Interns in a Public-School Setting

Abstract

Quality supervision is essential for developing high-performing professionals in the mental health profession. Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSP) in Texas can begin supervising LSSP Interns after three years of unsupervised field experience. Workloads for LSSP supervisors can be highly diverse, and LSSP supervision training can be limited. The present study explored the impact of workload and lack of supervision training on the supervisors’ perceived ability to supervise Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP) interns in Texas public school settings. Using a quantitative cross-sectional survey design, 146 LSSP supervisors with at least three years of unsupervised field experience, and one year of experience as a supervisor, completed a twenty-five-item questionnaire designed by the author. Descriptive statistics, Analysis of Variance, Independent Sample T-Tests, and Ordinal Logistic Regression were used to analyze the survey data. Although LSSP supervisors reported very diverse and demanding workloads, results indicated that workload did not impact their perceived ability to provide supervision. Conversely, a lack of training significantly affected the perceived ability to supervise after training was received. The study results suggest that LSSP supervisors would benefit from access to training on providing supervision