Genetic counseling supervisor strategies: An elaboration of the Reciprocal-Engagement Model of Supervision

Clinical supervision plays a key role in the training of genetic counselor practitioners. The Reciprocal-Engagement Model of Supervision (REM-S) is a recently published model of genetic counseling supervision centered on the supervisor–student relationship. The REM-S comprises five tenets and 16 goals that reciprocally interact to achieve three broad supervision outcomes. Lacking, however, is a comprehensive set of supervisor strategies that correspond to the tenets and goals. This study aimed to elaborate the REM-S by identifying strategies genetic counselor supervisors use to accomplish each REM-S goal when they supervise students in clinical rotations. Nineteen prenatal, pediatric, and cancer genetic counselor supervisors from clinics in a major Midwestern city participated in one of three focus groups. Eleven semistructured questions were asked about strategies they use when attempting to accomplish each REM-S goal. Directed content analysis yielded a total of 14 different strategy domains that vary in their frequency for accomplishing each REM-S goal. Participants identified between nine and 13 strategy domains for each goal. Across all REM-S goals, the most frequent strategy domains are: Assess student; Practice self-reflection to increase supervisor self-awareness; and Establish student goals and expectations. The present findings elaborate the REM-S by identifying supervisor strategies corresponding to the REM-S goals. These strategies can inform training in clinical supervision, and they can be the focus of observational studies designed to identify supervisor behaviors that characterize each strategy.