Clinical Supervision in School Psychology: Challenges, Considerations, and Ethical and Legal Issues for Clinical Supervisors

Clinical supervisors face unique challenges in school psychology. It is estimated that approximately one-third of school psychologists will testify in court on issues challenging school psychological assessments. With courts finding against schools and practitioners omitting such aspects as DSM diagnoses, the complexity of practice grows. Still, the issues are not confined solely to assessment and diagnosis. From assessment to counseling and from consultation to interrogations involving school shootings, school psychologists are facing issues of growing complexity. Still, despite acknowledgement that clinical supervision is a highly valued tool for remaining up-to-date, few school psychologists actually receive clinical supervision. This article provides a fundamental look at the literature, to challenge and examine definitions of clinical supervision, and provides a contemporary foundation, through an examination of selected ethical and legal issues, of clinical supervision issues facing school psychologists. (c) 2005 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.