Supervision Training in APA-Accredited School Psychology Doctoral Programs: An Analysis of Syllabi

Clinical supervision is a functional competency for health service psychologists, but how supervisor competency develops through coursework is not yet well understood. This study is the first to investigate the state of supervision training in American Psychological Association (APA) accredited school psychology doctoral programs. Descriptive results of a survey of course instructors (N = 23) and a systematic qualitative analysis of syllabi (N = 15) are reported, with a focus on characteristics of course instructors; course content and instructional methods; and the alignment of syllabi with APA (2015) supervision competency domains (i.e., their coverage, and evaluation). Findings indicate that instructors had limited supervision training and syllabi focused on clinical supervision but also issues specific to supervision in school psychology (e.g., systems-level change in schools, and the multifaceted school psychologist role). Only some syllabi indicated applied supervision practice opportunities, with few techniques to support these experiences. Coverage of the APA (2015) supervision competency domains of Diversity; Professionalism; and Professional Competence Problems were limited in their coverage and evaluation. Implications of these findings are discussed.