The 4-Set Model of Addictions Counselling Supervision: a Phenomenological Evaluation.

There is a reported lack of a specific supervision model for those people providing counselling in the UK within the specialist field of addictions work, and this lack of a specific supervisory model is one of the reported reasons why some supervisees and supervisors feel dissatisfied with the supervision that they are engaged in. This thesis describes the development of a new model and method of delivering effective supervision within the specialist field of addictions counselling. The new model is known as the 4-Set Model of Supervision. Through providing an addictions-specific supervisory model, and a prescribed method of delivering supervision, the aim is to promote a more effective supervisory experience for both supervisor and supervisee, thus increasing the satisfaction felt by those participants that engaged in this process.
This thesis addresses the research question: - “How do Addiction Counselling Supervisors experience a new, specific, model of addiction-counselling supervision in practice?”
The research project involved training current supervisors in the 4-Set model and method of delivery, and examining the impact on those supervisors, the supervisory process, and the experiences of supervisees themselves over a 6-month period of time. A number of experienced supervisors completed the training, and used the new model within their own supervisory practice for 6 months. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at 3 months and 6 months post training to understand the participants’ phenomenological experience of utilising this model, in comparison to their reported prior experiences of supervision before participating in the research. The findings from this study suggest that using the 4-Set Model in practice provided a positive experience for the participants, and the model compared favourably to other supervisory models the participants had previously experienced. These findings therefore add to the body of knowledge about counselling supervision by suggesting that an addictions-specific model of supervision is both necessary and useful in providing effective supervision to addictions counsellors.
Strategies for the further dissemination of the model are suggested and recommendations for practice are made.