[This is the second of a three-part post on clinical supervision
in Hawaii. The first post can be found by clicking here.]
While contemplating Shari’s dilemma about finding affordable and competent supervision, one of my colleagues in Hawaii shared her thoughts in support of Shari’s dilemma (and a close up and different perspective from mine):
Licensure at the masters level is relatively new to Hawaii (less than 8 years). The major program for graduating
individuals with a masters degree is the University of Hawaii Counselor Education program. However, since these people were expected to work primarily in the school system– K-12, they did not have the same kind of supervision required for therapy/private practice. In fact, one of the professors in this program had a doctorate but no experience counseling (more researcher than practitioner). Chaminade University is a small, private college that grants a counseling degree. Therefore, there hasn’t been enough time and people to build the kind of recognition and professional respect that masters level counselors on the mainland have.
Personally, I think it’s unethical to charge a young professional for supervision (if I understand it correctly). I know the beginning mental health professionals hired in a government positions often do not have a more experienced colleague mentor them. I am embarrassed to admit that many professionals seem to be more focused on individual gain/survival than mentoring a less experienced member of the group, especially if they see no personal gain in the relationship. So I guess if they are being compensated they would meet the contract [for supervision], but not provide much more. I presume the supervisors are overworked (if they work for the state) so even if they wanted to spend more time with their supervisee, they would not have the time/energy to do so. I like to believe that there are some professionals who understand the value of the reciprocal relationship that exists in mentoring and make time to create a productive/satisfying relationship. However, those folks are probably few in number.
As for being supervised by a person with limited background/experience, I suspect the market is flooded with individuals who have earned their doctorates, obtained their license, have limited experience, and apply for a job. The assumption is that they are qualified because they have a doctorate and passed the licensing exam. You and I know that this is not true if they have only the minimal hours of clinical supervision, and minimal contact with their colleagues. Licensed psychologists here do not have to participate in continuing education/training to maintain their license. Therefore, it is not unusual for these individuals to be relatively isolated in carrying out their practice. “
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts on Shari’s experience with us here at Private Practice from the Inside Out!
a free program for schools to collect unwanted exercise bikes from around town for students to ride while reading fun magazines and books. Since many 
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