Supervision and Agency Management for Counselors

In their text O'Brien and Hauser provide a practical guide for navigating the career opportunities of a clinical mental health counselor. Counselor trainees transitioning into their first clinical jobs will greatly benefit from the descriptions of how agencies function and what to expect in community positions. Moreover, for counselors further along in their careers seeking more leadership roles in the profession, this text is a must read for expanding their role as a supervisor."

√>=Elizabeth Prosek, PhD, University of North Texas

The development of competency in management and leadership skills as well as clinical supervisory skills is of increasing importance to professional counselors who seek advancement in their careers. This is the first text to integrate both the clinical supervision and agency management skills needed by counselors who are training to work in mental health services settings. Highly practical and comprehensive, it brings together the critical leadership responsibilities of clinical supervision and agency management into one reader-friendly text. The book distills the wisdom of specialists in each subject area and is replete with in-depth information that is often not sufficiently addressed in graduate programs.

The book provides a solid foundation for counselors planning to supervise clinicians working with individuals and groups, attain leadership positions within an agency, or open their own professional practice. It encompasses key information about supervisory roles and responsibilities, ethics, multicultural issues, evaluation, and due-process procedures along with administrative issues such as agency leadership, budgeting, information management, crisis management, and quality-improvement practices. Also included is practical information on networking and marketing in the community. Featuring case vignettes throughout, this book describes typical challenges faced during the transition to a leadership role and how to develop effective supervisory skills. End-of-chapter questions for reflection and discussion also help to make this an ideal text for courses in administration and supervision of mental health services as well as a valuable resource for internship students. Examples of commonly used documents, such as contracts and evaluation forms, further add to the book's utility.

Key Features:

• Integrates management and leadership skills with clinical supervisory skills√>=the first text to unite these interrelated topics
• Trains mental health counselors in skills necessary for leadership in agencies or large private practices
• Supports CACREP standards for supervision and management of mental health services and programs
• Includes samples of relevant paperwork (contracts, evaluation forms, etc.)
• Provides real-world examples through vignettes as well as reflective questions

Elizabeth R. O'Brien, PhD, LPC, is a University of Chattanooga Foundation associate professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She currently serves as the coordinator of the counselor education program and maintains a private practice in the Chattanooga area. Dr. O'Brien received her PhD from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, in 2007. She holds an educational specialist degree in marriage and family counseling from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. Dr. O'Brien is a licensed professional counselor in Tennessee and is certified as a professional school counselor in West Virginia.

Dr. O'Brien's research interests include integrating wellness training in counselor training and supervision, mindfulness training with women transitioning out of incarceration, and integrating yoga-based spiritual practices into counseling with adults and adolescents. Prior to her academic appointment, Elizabeth was a school-based counselor working with elementary, middle school, high school, and alternative-school children and their families in Lexington, South Carolina.

Michael A. Hauser, PhD, LPC, NCC, is currently working for the federal government in central Texas as a clinical coordinator and marriage and family therapist. His primary work is with veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As the clinical coordinator, he ensures quality clinical services and provides training to various community agencies in order to educate and advocate for veterans with PTSD. Prior to this position, he was a lecturer at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) in the leadership doctoral program and the counseling master's program. Dr. Hauser is retired from a career in the U.S. Army after serving in training and leadership positions for 23 years. After 6 years in the corporate world in Michigan he moved to Georgia and began his counseling education. He has worked in an inpatient hospital environment and a partial hospitalization program supporting seniors and the physically impaired. Prior to his current position he worked in a private practice in northeastern Georgia, serving adolescents and adults suffering from a variety of mental health issues, as well as conducting marriage and family counseling. He has published various works, and served as an editor for Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation.

Dr. Hauser's research interests include PTSD and its effects on the individual, couples, and families, as well as therapeutic outcome efficacy. His dissertation was entitled "The Role of Optimism and Working Alliance and Its Utility in Predicting Therapeutic Outcomes in Counseling Relationships."