Quality, culturally-competent supervision is considered a central component of the BCC training program. Throughout the training year, primary supervisors meet regularly to monitor interns' progress, address training issues and/or concerns, and discuss the supervisory process. The structure and process of supervision at BCC provides interns with the context, security, and reassurance necessary for self-examination and open presentation of their work, while also stimulating the acquisition of new understanding, techniques, and perspectives. The objectives of supervision are for interns to learn and refine clinical skills, consolidate a strong ethical, spiritually-integrated professional identity, and become more confident in their various roles and responsibilities, while ensuring competency in the delivery of services to Biola University student and community clients.
Interns receive two hours per week of individual supervision from their Primary Supervisor and one hour per week from a Secondary Supervisor. All individual supervisors utilize video recordings to enhance their evaluation of intern skills and the overall supervision process. The intern’s primary supervisor takes point on all individual clinical and crisis cases, and coordinates the intern’s overall training experience and professional development. Secondary supervisors provide additional professional development support and offer unique or more nuanced perspectives by focusing in-depth on the intern’s work with a single client or case at a time.
Interns participate in Video Group Supervision for two hours per week facilitated by the Director of Internship Training and Internship Supervisor. On a rotating basis, interns share and collectively analyze digital recordings of their clinical work using a structured supportive process. Video Group provides a forum for interns to address any ethical or legal issues and offer feedback/peer supervision to one another while exploring the process of psychotherapy, their roles as therapists, and how to use themselves more effectively in therapeutic encounters. Near the end of the training year, each intern does a formal case presentation using video segments. This presentation requires them to demonstrate scholarly inquiry and scientific integration, as well as to present clinical material in a clear and meaningful way, in preparation for upcoming job interviews.
One hour of weekly group supervision is provided for interns in support of their leading interpersonal process as well as psycho-educational groups. Given individual counseling skills contribute to, but are insufficient for effective group therapy, supervision focuses on group process dynamics and flexible/creative use of activities that engage group members. Special attention is given to member screening, as well as multicultural considerations and cultural competence in group work
The supervision seminar meets weekly for one hour and is devoted to the on-going supervision of the supervision that the interns provide to practicum-level trainees, and to ensuring the quality of care clients receive from the interns’ supervisees. Interns learn to integrate different models of culturally-sensitive, competency-based supervision to foster trust, facilitate growth and meet each supervisee's needs, and learn to make supervisory interventions appropriate to the supervisee's stage of development.
Supervision of testing cases takes place during the weekly two hour group testing seminar. Interns consult with our Testing Supervisor about testing cases, review choices of psychological tests, and discuss test results, report writing and effective client feedback sessions. Interns participate by bringing cases, assessment results and questions to the meetings and by providing feedback to each other. Additional individual supervision and consultation for psychological testing is scheduled and provided by the Testing Supervisor, as needed.
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