A behaviour-based coding tool for assessing supervisors' adherence and competence: Findings from a motivational...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Supervision
• Therapist Training

Background:

• Supervision is crucial for therapist training and implementing evidence-based practices.
• A lack of valid and reliable tools for objectively assessing supervision competence, encompassing both global and behavioral measures, hinders progress.
• This study addresses the need for objective assessment instruments in clinical supervision.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the internal consistency and inter-rater reliability of a novel assessment tool for supervision competence.
• To describe strategies and techniques used by supervisors in Motivational Interviewing (MI) supervision sessions.
• To contribute to the development of instruments for measuring specific supervisor behaviors essential for therapist skill development.

Main Methods:

• The study involved 10 supervisors and 35 Motivational Interviewing supervision sessions.
• An assessment tool incorporating global measures and frequency counts of behaviors was utilized.
• Codings were performed after two separate training sessions to assess inter-rater reliability.

Main Results:

• Internal consistency for global measures was acceptable (α = 0.70; 0.71).
• Inter-rater reliability for most behavioral frequency counts was moderate to good after the second training, with two exceptions.
• Inter-rater reliability for global measures was varied, with one moderate and three poor ratings.

Conclusions:

• The developed assessment tool shows promise but requires further refinement to improve inter-rater reliability, particularly for global measures.
• Reliable instruments are essential for identifying, teaching, and assuring the quality of supervisor skills.
• This research represents a step towards creating robust tools for evaluating and enhancing clinical supervision.