Help Needed

University of Phoenix Material

Supervision Case Vignette

Your supervisee, Max, 31, has worked for you the last 3 years at a residential treatment facility. Since he recently became independently licensed 18 months ago as an LPC, he assists you with supervising other clinical staff and counseling interns. Max is well liked by his staff and peers and always has the best intentions of helping others. He is smart, resourceful, and determined. However, Max is struggling with his supervision style and approach. When his peers and interns come to him with concerns, Max is always ready to help, but he tends to solve problems for them or takes on the tough situations in which they have trouble handling. In doing so, he is not only not allowing them to learn and grow, but also is shouldering a heftier load and working long hours.

Jessica, the 29-year-old counseling intern, is completing her internship with you and Max at the residential treatment facility. Jessica, who is a very bright and promising clinician, is halfway through her internship and is primarily responsible for 2 cases and is currently assisting with 4 others. She recently shared news about calling off her engagement after discovering some details about her fiancée and deciding they were not a good fit after all. Jessica has been struggling with this situation lately, as she feels she wasted 2 1/2 years of her life with her former fiancée. As she approaches age 30, Jessica also worries her current relationship status puts her behind her self-prescribed “timetable” and has looked to Max for support.

Max and Jessica have been spending a lot of time together during the workday by volunteering to take on additional tasks and serving on the same work committees. They have also started to spend time together outside work, including grabbing food/drinks, hiking, joining the same rec league, and texting throughout the week. According to everyone at the residential treatment facility, they have remained strictly platonic in their relationship.

When Max is out on vacation, Jessica joins you in staffing a case. Jessica has been primarily working a very difficult case during her internship. Emily, her 17-year-old client, has been struggling with anxiety and depression since age 14, including a period where she engaged in some self-injurious behavior of cutting on her inner thighs and lower waist. After a breakup with her boyfriend of 2 years, Emily began having suicidal thoughts and ideas before eventually being admitted to the residential treatment facility about 4 months ago. She has been making progress, but recently found out her parents—they have been separated while trying to work on things—have decided to divorce. She confided in Jessica about her feelings of depression and thoughts that her family would be better off without her. But when Jessica attempted to clarify Emily’s statement, Emily shut down. Emily eventually told Jessica she did not want to lose her “home pass,” because she really needed to be with her mom and sister this weekend. She told Jessica if she loses her home pass, she will feel inclined to harm herself. Jessica believes Emily was saying this while in a very emotional state, as she just found out about her parents’ divorce on the phone. Emily isn’t sure what to do about the home pass.