Gatekeeping and Remediation in

Supervision
TCA Galveston, 2012
Dr. Judy Detrude
Dr. Kate Walker
Jason Davis
www.achievebalance.org
Objectives
To understand the gatekeeping issues in
counselor education programs
To understand the gatekeeping issues in
postgraduate settings
To understand the critical role of remediation
Defining Remediation and Gatekeeping
Gatekeeping
A responsibility exists
A protection factor
Remediation
Corrective, restore, healing
Evaluation and Remediation of
Students (F9)
Counselors clearly state to students, prior to
and throughout the training program, the
levels of competency expected, appraisal
methods, and timing of evaluations for both
didactic and clinical competencies. Counselor
educators provide students with ongoing
performance, appraisal and evaluation
feedback throughout the training program.
Responsibility of CE Programs
1. evaluation of students has to be ongoing;
done with each course/or each semester
2. students need to receive timely feedback
3. committee decisions versus the decision of
one professor
Limitations
Counselor educators, throughout ongoing
evaluation and appraisal are aware of and
address the inability of some students to
achieve counseling.
1. Assist students in securing remedial
assistance when needed.
2. Seek professional consultation and
document their decision to dismiss or refer
students for assistance and
Limitations cont.
3. Ensure that students have recourse in a
timely manner to address decisions to require
them to seek assistance or to dismiss them
and provide students with due process.
Handbooks explain step by step how the
process if to work.
Counseling for Students
If students request counseling or if counseling
services are required as part of a remediation
process, counselor educators provide
acceptable referrals.
Students concerned about
privacy/confidentiality if they access campus
facilities.
What kinds of student issues did you see in
your graduate programs?
Gatekeeping and Remediation at
Universities
Types of Problems
Academic
Personal issues, crises with families
Emotional/mental instability
Lack of understanding of confidentiality
Substance abuse issues
Responses of Counselor Education Programs
Academic issues retake courses; redo
assignments
Personal issues take a semester off, give
incomplete grades; counseling
Emotional/mental instability require counseling;
assess if students clients are at risk; assess if
problem is chronic or situational
Confidentiality remedial work; possible dismissal
Administrative Issues look at problems from
an administrative viewpoint versus a
professional code
Concern for enrollment
Concern for lawsuit from student
Examples of Remediation
1. a student could not interact with clients in the
practicum; given an F and had to take the course
over; failed the course a second time resulting in
dismissal from the program
2. a single-parent mom working full time, driving
an hour to class and finding sitters for four young
children. The quality of the work decreased,
asked to take a semester off, was very angry but
complied. Came back the next semester and was
successful and also grateful for the remediation.
Consequences for Universities
1. If they do dismiss a student
2. If they do not dismiss a student
My own experience
1. a transgender student
2. a student who was a danger to faculty and
other students
3. students using alcohol
Court Cases with Counselor Ed
Programs
1. telling a student she had to work with a
homosexual client if she wanted to stay in the
program
2. transferring a homosexual client from one
student to another
3. a student graduated from a program, did
harm to the client, the clients family sued the
university because they had let the counselor
graduate
Case Eastern Michigan University,
2009
Federal lawsuit against Eastern Michigan filed by a federal
legal group
University dismissed the student for her beliefs on
homosexuality; the student followed the supervisors advice
and referred the client to another counselor who did not have
a conscience issue with homosexuality
The original counselor was told she had to undergo
remediation to change her beliefs as they relate to
homosexual clients. She refused remediation, was given a
formal hearing and then dismissed by the university.
Case Augusta State University 2010
University required a student to accept
homosexuality. The student argued in a
lawsuit that she was threatened with
expulsion if she did not change her beliefs on
homosexuality.
She was given remediation and refused to
comply.
Attend workshops, read articles
Write reports to her advisor
Jasons research
Gatekeeping and Remediation Post
Graduation
Types of Issues
1. refusing to follow directives from supervision
Homework, outside consultation
Call CPS, take appropriate steps for suicidal client
2. withholding information from the supervisor
3. not following ethical/legal codes (lack of
knowledge)
4. purposely not following ethical/legal codes
5. taking on clinical issues with no training
Remediation Requirements Post Grad
681.93. Supervisor Requirements.
e(4) If a supervisor determines that the LPC
Intern may not have the counseling skills or
competence to practice professional
counseling under a regular license, the
supervisor shall develop and implement a
written plan for remediation of the LPC Intern.
Shall
a used to express a command or
exhortation <you shall go>
b used in laws, regulations, or directives to
express what is mandatory <it shall be
unlawful to carry firearms>
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shall
Downloaded October 29, 2012
Supervisors and Their Responses to
Issues
1. depending on the issue, supervisors feel
vulnerable, deceived, lied to
2. have to decide if the relationship can be
saved
3. have to decide if the supervisee can be
helped
4. have to decide if they want to remediate,
terminate
What kinds of post graduate supervision
issues have you experienced or heard about?
Before Remediation
Are you sure you have been clear?
Define supervision expectations
Supervision Contract
Define administrative expectations (if applicable)
Administrative Contract
Policy and Procedures Manual
Define specific behaviors for counseling and
supervision what is clinical competence
SPAI
Self-evaluation
Before Remediation
Are your expectations appropriate to
developmental stage?
Have you defined exceeds expectations meets
expectations does not meet expectations?
Are there boundary or dual relationship issues?
Friend
Work colleague (former or current)
Student
Remediation Steps
If supervisor decides to remediate:
Use written document that describes the problem
Clearly state what the remediation will be
Provide expectations of when remediation will be
completed
State what will happen if remediation is not
completed. Will additional remediation be
conducted or will lack of completion result in
termination.
Make sure that both the supervisor and
supervisee sign the document and date it
LPC and LMFT Remediation
On the websites:
Additional hours of supervision
Take workshops on specific issues, example billing
practices or be assigned to a practice where
someone will teach the correct billing practice
Determined by:
Severity of the offense, the history of previous
violations, efforts made to correct the violation, the
harm to the victim, the likelihood of repeat violations
Other Systems Involved
If they work in a place different from you
Be sure to have a release of information for the
site supervisor; need to have cooperation in order
to secure the safety of clients
If they are in group supervision, do the other
members of the group need to know; is it a
teaching moment
Jasons Research
Examples
1. breach of confidentiality
2. being lied to about reporting child abuse
3. working harder than the supervisee
Consequences for Supervisors
1. If they keep working with the supervisee
2. If they terminate the contract with the
supervisee
Issues of Termination
What issues would result in immediate
termination of the supervisory agreement?
One supervision group:
Sexual relationship with a client
Lack of disclosure when they did something
Resources
TX LPC Code of Ethics
TX LMFT Code of Ethics
ACA Code of Ethics
TCA Code of Ethics
Online course Gatekeeping and Remediation
in Counseling; Achieve Balance
For More Information
Contact Dr. Judy DeTrude, Jason Davis, and Dr. Kate Walker at
Achievebalance.org
936-697-2822
Visit www.achievebalance.org for our Supervisor Toolkit and more valuable
supervisor resources.