Supervision - Competencies

Overview

Skills practiced by the supervisor and supervisee supply the essential tools for continuous development and competency in Contextual Behavioural Science (CBS) interventions.

While no single CBS-wide framework for supervision competencies has yet been published, several CBS traditions—including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), and Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs)—offer models, processes, and tools that can guide supervisors and supervisees.

Broader frameworks such as the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Guidelines for Clinical Supervision in Health Service Psychology (APA, 2015) outline key domains relevant to all supervisory practice:
• Supervisor Competence: Clinical expertise and supervisory skill.
• Diversity and Equity: Awareness of cultural, systemic, and individual differences.
• Supervisory Relationship: Collaboration and psychological safety.
• Professionalism and Ethics: Modelling integrity and accountability.
• Assessment, Evaluation, and Feedback: Ongoing, structured observation and feedback loops.
• Ethical, Legal, and Regulatory Awareness: Adherence to professional standards.

Supervisors in CBS are encouraged to integrate these general competencies while drawing on CBS-specific frameworks that emphasise values, function, and experiential learning.

Core Supervision Functions

CBS supervision shares several universal functions: monitoring performance, maintaining perspective, fostering meta-competence, and supporting skill development.

Meta-competence—recognising the limits of one’s knowledge and skills is vital for lifelong professional growth (Weinert, 2001). Developing meta-competence requires deliberate self-reflection, awareness of cognitive and emotional processes, and accurate self-assessment. However, self-assessment alone is unreliable; supervisors should combine it with direct observation, structured feedback, and outcome data (Milne et al., 2011). Video or live observation, systematic rating forms, and feedback-informed methods strengthen the precision of supervision.

Measurement and Feedback Tools

To ensure fidelity and growth, CBS supervisors can integrate structured observation tools adapted to their modality:

CBS Supervision Frameworks

• SHAPE Model (Morris & Nicholson): A contextual supervision framework integrating values, function, perspective-taking, and experiential learning. (ACBS Resource)
• SEED Model (Lucas & Bradley): An ACT-specific supervision model focusing on safety, exploration, experiential learning, and deliberate practice. (contextualscience.org/seed_model_for_act_supervision) 
• Portland Model (Thompson et al., 2015): A values-driven, non-hierarchical peer supervision process using experiential learning and live role-plays. (Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science)

ACT Supervision Competency Considerations

Key resources for supervisors using ACT include:
• ACT Core Competency Rating Form and ACT-FM for structured feedback.
• SHAPE and SEED models for process-based and experiential supervision.
• Portland Model for skills-based peer learning.
• Supervising ACT for PTSD (Walser & Westrup, 2007).
• The Role of Emotion in Psychotherapy Supervision (Follette & Batten, 2000).

FAP Supervision Competency Considerations

Supervision in Functional Analytic Psychotherapy emphasises the therapeutic relationship and in-vivo learning:
• Callaghan, G.M. (2006). Functional Analytic Psychotherapy and Supervision. IJBCT, 2(3), 416–431.
• Vandenberghe, L. (2009). Keeping the Focus on Clinically Relevant Behavior: Supervision for FAP. IJBCT, 5(2), 209–221.
• Tsai, M., Callaghan, G.M., & Kohlenberg, R.J. (2013). The Practice of Functional Analytic Psychotherapy. Springer.

CFT Supervision Competency Considerations

Compassion-Focused Therapy supervision cultivates compassion and mindfulness within the supervisory relationship:
• Gilbert, P. (2025). Clinical Supervision and Compassion Focused Therapy (Compassionate Mind Foundation Workshop).
• Benkwitz, S. (2024). Compassion Focused Supervision. Balanced Minds.

Mindfulness-Based Interventions Supervision Competency Considerations

MBI supervision foregrounds embodied presence, mutual inquiry, and integrity in teaching and supervision:
• Evans, A., Crane, R., et al. (2015). A Framework for Supervision for Mindfulness-Based Teachers. Mindfulness, 6(3), 572–581.
• Crane, R.S., Soulsby, J.G., et al. (2012). MBI-TAC Manual. University of Exeter.
• Evans, A., & Duckerin, P. (2023). A Framework for Mindfulness-Based Supervision. The Mindfulness Network.

Equity, Inclusion, and Culturally Responsive Supervision

CBS supervision aims to recognise power and identity as contextual variables. Supervisors should intentionally examine who is centred or marginalised within supervision and therapy discussions.
Recommended resources:
• Faber et al. (2023). Equity and Inclusion in Contextual Behavioral Science.
• Ladany, N., & Bradley, L. (2010). Counsellor Supervision: Principles, Process, and Practice.
• APA (2015). Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organisational Change.

Special Populations: Supervision with Young People

When supervising practitioners working with children and adolescents, the DNA-V model (Hayes & Ciarrochi, 2015) provides a developmentally attuned ACT framework. Supervisors can use DNA-V processes—Discoverer, Noticer, Advisor, and Values—to structure learning goals and behavioural experiments.

International and Cross-Professional Guidelines

To complement the APA guidelines, supervisors may also refer to:
• BACP Supervision Competence Framework (2019, UK).
• ASPPB Supervision Guidelines (North America).
These include standards for remote supervision, documentation, and ethical decision-making.

Summary

CBS supervision is an evolving practice integrating functional contextualism, experiential learning, and ongoing competence evaluation. Supervisors are encouraged to:
1. Establish safety and collaboration.
2. Use observation and behavioural feedback.
3. Apply contextual models (SHAPE, SEED, Portland).
4. Foster deliberate practice and meta-competence.
5. Attend to diversity, inclusion, and compassion.

By combining CBS principles with established supervision science, supervisors help sustain high-quality, process-based, and values-consistent clinical practice.

Key References

American Psychological Association. (2015). Guidelines for clinical supervision in health service psychology. American Psychologist, 70(1), 33–46. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038112 
Batten, S. V., & Santanello, A. P. (2009). A contextual behavioral approach to the role of emotion in psychotherapy supervision. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 3(3), 148–156. https://doi.org/10.1037/1931-3918.a0014801
Bradley & Lucas (2023). SEED: An ACT Supervision Model https://actsupervision.info/ 
Callaghan, G.M. (2006). Functional Analytic Psychotherapy and Supervision. IJBCT, 2(3), 416–431.
Crane, R.S., et al. (2012). MBI-TAC Manual. University of Exeter.
Evans, A., & Duckerin, P. (2023). A Framework for Mindfulness-Based Supervision. The Mindfulness Network.
Follette, V., & Batten, S. (2000). The Role of Emotion in Psychotherapy Supervision: A Contextual Behavioral Analysis. Psychotherapy, 37(2), 178–188.
Luoma, J.B., Hayes, S.C., & Walser, R.D. (2017). Learning ACT (2nd ed.). New Harbinger.
Morris, E.M.J., & Nicholson, L. (2015). SHAPE Supervision Framework. ACBS Resource.
Thompson, B.L., Luoma, J.B., Terry, C.M., LeJeune, J.T., Guinther, P.M., & Robb, H. (2015). The Portland Model of Peer Consultation. JCBS, 4(2), 127–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2015.02.004 
Weinert, F.E. (2001). Concept of competence: A conceptual clarification. In D.S. Rychen & L.H. Salganik (Eds.), Defining and selecting key competencies (pp. 45–65). Hogrefe & Huber.

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