Advances in Best Practices in Supervision: Incorporating DEP’s Ecological Perspective into Teaching Evidence-based Practice

The diversity of roles and the wide-ranging skill set required to effectively practice as a school psychologist requires expert supervisory supports. Clinical supervision supports professional skills development for both preservice and credentialed school psychologists. New service delivery paradigms, new research, and evolving standards for best practices challenge school psychologists to continue professional growth throughout their careers. Quality supervision not only supports the effectiveness and integrity of service delivery; but it also supports practitioners’ professional satisfaction and personal wellness. Too often interns and seasoned psychologists face overwhelming workloads and stressful problem-solving challenges.

Effective supervision increases problem-solving capacity while simultaneously supporting the self-care practices of supervisees.    A central goal of clinical supervision is to support development and implementation of evidence-based practices. To teach these skills, it is necessary to incorporate an ecological perspective into all domains of practice. The Developmental, Ecological, Problem-solving (DEP) school psychology supervision model provides a framework for this supervisory challenge. DEP’s Ecological domain addresses the multiple systemic contexts that influence school psychology practice and prepares the supervisee to intervene within both individual and systemic contexts.  DEP’s ecological perspective requires specific attention to development of diversity and cultural responsiveness, system change, program development, and social justice advocacy skills. Within the Problem-solving domain, the supervisory task involves teaching the application of empirically supported protocols to the complexity of school-based practice. Supervisors teach case conceptualization strategies that integrate ecological considerations and prepare supervisees to adapt evidence-based strategies to the unique challenges of individual and systemic problem-solving.

This webinar will present advanced supervisory strategies for incorporating the ecological perspective into teaching evidence-based practice. Supervision topics addressed include teaching: diversity and cultural responsiveness skills, problem-solving and case conceptualization, system change and program development skills, social justice advocacy, and self-care. The format will involve lecture, discussion, and small group practice activities.

 
This session will help participants: 

1. Apply advanced supervisory strategies for incorporating an ecological perspective in implementing evidence-based strategies consistent with the Developmental-Ecological, Problem Solving (DEP) Supervision model developed specifically for supervision of preservice and credentialed school psychologists; 
2. Apply advanced supervisory strategies for providing diversity and culturally responsive supervision including developing supervisees’ social justice advocacy skills;
3. Apply advanced supervisory strategies for developing supervisee skills in evidence-based case conceptualization and problem-solving that is responsive to diversity and cultural factors and specifically addresses both individual and systemic contexts in problem-solving;
4. Apply advanced supervisory strategies for developing system change and program development skills;
5. Apply advanced supervisory strategies for promoting supervisee self-care.