CASE STUDY 4.

1: AARON AND SOFEA

Aaron and Sofea are students in a master’s-level counseling program, and both are beginning their
internship training at a community mental health center. Aaron is new to the counseling profession, whereas
Sofea has considerable course work in marriage and family counseling and has worked in community
mental health settings for many years. They have both been assigned to the family treatment unit. Dr. Razali
is supervising both students at the center, and he performs an initial assessment of the current level of
clinical competence of each trainee. He determines that Sofea is very knowledgeable and skilled in her
work with families, whereas Aaron is a novice in his clinical experience with this population. Within a
matter of weeks, Dr. Razali is primarily using the case consultation method in his supervision of Sofea.
Together they brainstorm various approaches and discuss the research supporting these approaches. Dr.
Razali asks, “How can we learn together about the newest methods in family work?” Both he and Sofea
read journal articles on a variety of topics, and supervision sessions are used to discuss what they have
learned. In supervising Aaron, Dr. Razali takes a different approach. He has Aaron observe him conducting
family therapy sessions, and discusses with Aaron the methods he is using and why they are appropriate in
working with the family. After some time, Dr. Razali has Aaron participate as a co-therapist with him where
he can directly observe Aaron in his clinical work. Over the course of the training, he will use direct
observation and video recording as he gives Aaron more autonomy in working with families. With Sofea,
Dr. Razali’s role is more of a coach and consultant, whereas with Aaron, he is a model and a teacher of
clinical methods. Dr. Razali chose a supervision approach based on the competence level of each
supervisee.

CASE STUDY 4.1: AARON AND SOFEA

Aaron and Sofea are students in a master’s-level counseling program, and both are beginning their
internship training at a community mental health center. Aaron is new to the counseling profession, whereas
Sofea has considerable course work in marriage and family counseling and has worked in community
mental health settings for many years. They have both been assigned to the family treatment unit. Dr. Razali
is supervising both students at the center, and he performs an initial assessment of the current level of
clinical competence of each trainee. He determines that Sofea is very knowledgeable and skilled in her
work with families, whereas Aaron is a novice in his clinical experience with this population. Within a
matter of weeks, Dr. Razali is primarily using the case consultation method in his supervision of Sofea.
Together they brainstorm various approaches and discuss the research supporting these approaches. Dr.
Razali asks, “How can we learn together about the newest methods in family work?” Both he and Sofea
read journal articles on a variety of topics, and supervision sessions are used to discuss what they have
learned. In supervising Aaron, Dr. Razali takes a different approach. He has Aaron observe him conducting
family therapy sessions, and discusses with Aaron the methods he is using and why they are appropriate in
working with the family. After some time, Dr. Razali has Aaron participate as a co-therapist with him where
he can directly observe Aaron in his clinical work. Over the course of the training, he will use direct
observation and video recording as he gives Aaron more autonomy in working with families. With Sofea,
Dr. Razali’s role is more of a coach and consultant, whereas with Aaron, he is a model and a teacher of
clinical methods. Dr. Razali chose a supervision approach based on the competence level of each
supervisee.