THE KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES OF CLINICAL SUPERVISION AMONG COUNSELLORS IN BOTSWANA

Abstract

There is dearth of literature on clinical supervision of counsellors in Botswana; the practice remains unexplored in a country where professional counselling is equally a new phenomenon. This mixed-methods study investigated knowledge, attitudes and practices of clinical supervision (CS) among counsellors.  Study mixed quantitative and qualitative methods for data collection in explanatory sequential research design where 248 participants were drawn from varied environmental settings to provide information on clinical supervision practices of counsellors and clinical supervisors. Respondents were practising counsellors aged between 25 and 65 from 5 purposefully selected districts.  210 counsellors participated in quantitative study by responding to a questionnaire and 38 supervisors responded to semi-structured interviews. The study adopted theoretical triangulation underpinnings by social Constructivist theory; theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Purpose of the study was to determine knowledge, examine level of access, determine counsellors’ attitude and practices, examine guiding principles and possible strategies for improvement of the practice.  Quantitative and qualitative findings revealed inadequate knowledge, limited competencies, poor access level, ineffective practices and a lack of ethical guiding principles, however, revealed positive attitudes towards CS. There was convergence in the findings and suggestions for improvement included; training, mandatory CS, developing national ethical guiding framework, review of counsellor education curricula and creating awareness. Majority of respondents reported lacking access, training and competencies, and being unaffiliated with any local regulatory body hence use ethical principles from foreign countries. Quantitative data was descriptively analysed using IBM SPSS and Qualitative data was thematically analysed and major themes were in unison with quantitative data findings. Findings provide scientific and theoretical information for understanding CS; stimulating development, providing a baseline for future research and creating empirical knowledge resource.