Social Work Supervision Education: Pennsylvania Social Workers Reflect on education and Supervisory Competence

Supervision is an essential component of social work education and ongoing professional development for those employed at all levels of practice, having been identified as a protective factor against compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary trauma. Supervision education encompasses the direct training of students in how to be a supervisor to include knowledge, skills, and abilities of effective application. Supervision education is taught via multiple methods such as supervision education courses, supervision education embedded into the curriculum, post-degree certificate programs, continuing education coursework, including field educator training and on-the-job training. With vague competency expectations outlined by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) pertaining to learning outcomes specific to supervision, students may lack the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to assume supervisory roles in their future careers. This cross-sectional pre-experimental quantitative study aims to better understand the educational experiences of social workers employed in Pennsylvania. It explored which supervision education learning method produced the highest self-perceived level of supervisory knowledge, skills, and abilities. The study examined if there is a relationship between supervision education obtained ((No Education; Post Grad Education; College; and Combined (Post Grad & College)), and how many years it takes to move into a supervisory position. The study also explored if there is an association between supervisory experience and participants’ perception of supervision education significance. Analysis of gender differences was explored. The theoretical framework used to analyze supervision education was Socialist Feminist theory. This theoretical model was chosen to assist in understanding social constructs influencing contemporary supervision education in the social work profession. Findings included a significant difference among education learning methods and self-perceived knowledge, skills, and abilities of social work Supervision. Interestingly, those with No Education became supervisors quicker than all other types. There was no significant relationship between supervisory experience and supervision education and its impact on preparing participants to assume a supervisory role. Lastly, there was no significant relationship between Gender and Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.