Description
TOPIC: The topic of this discussion is clinical supervision of ABA trainees. Compare and contrast Irwin Kelvey et al (2021), Sellers et al. (2016), and Turner et al. (2016). Integrate the information from all 3 articles with two unassigned references that are relevant to this topic. (Original posts should be at least 500 words.)
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Behavior Analysis in Practice (2022) 15:370–381
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-021-00557-9
DISCUSSION AND REVIEW PAPER
Recommended Practices for Individual Supervision: Considerations
for the Behavior-Analytic Trainee
Casey Irwin Helvey 1
1
& Elizabeth Thuman & Tom Cariveau
1
Accepted: 9 February 2021 / Published online: 31 March 2021
# Association for Behavior Analysis International 2021
Abstract
Supervised fieldwork is a critical component in the training of future behavior analysts. A growing body of literature describes best
practices in behavior-analytic supervision, yet the trainee is rarely referenced. Additional resources delineating the expectations
and suggested practices of the trainee are warranted. The current article describes recommended activities for the behavior-analytic
trainee using practice guidelines for the supervisor offered by Sellers, Valentino, and LeBlanc (2016c). This work extends the
current literature by outlining the role of the trainee in the supervisory relationship and supervised fieldwork experience.
Keywords fieldwork . individual supervision . trainee . supervision
Recommended practices for effective behavior-analytic supervision have received growing interest in the past decade (e.g.,
Andzik & Kranak, 2020; Sellers, Alai-Rosales, &
MacDonald, 2016a; Sellers, LeBlanc, & Valentino, 2016b;
Sellers et al., 2016c; Sellers, Valentino, Landon, & Aiello,
2019; Valentino, LeBlanc, & Sellers, 2016). For example,
Sellers et al. (2016c) outlined five recommended practice
guidelines for individual supervision that should underlie the
majority of supervisory activities. These guidelines included
(a) establishing an effective supervisor–trainee relationship,
(b) establishing a plan for structured supervision content and
competence evaluation, (c) evaluating the effects of supervision, (d) incorporating ethics and professional development
into supervision, and (e) continuing the professional relationship postcertification. Although most of these guidelines make
some reference to the supervisory relationship, the role of the
trainee in this process is rarely discussed. Indeed, many of the
resources in the extant literature are designed to guide the
practice of the supervisor, which is logical as the supervisor
is most likely to read these journals. Nevertheless, in doing so,
the field may be misrepresenting supervision as something
that is done to the trainee.
* Casey Irwin Helvey
[email protected]
1
Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina
Wilmington, Wilmington, 601 S. College Rd,
Wilmington, NC 28403, USA
Descriptions of supervision in the behavior-analytic literature place particular emphasis on the responsibility of behavior analysts in the supervision process for shaping the skills of
the trainee (Behavior Analyst Certification Board [BACB],
2020d; Turner, 2017). Reference to the trainee in this literature
is rarely made, although one exception exists (Kazemi et al.,
2019). Some authors have characterized supervision as an
active and/or collaborative process (Turner, 2017; Turner
et al., 2016), which might allude to the role of the trainee,
yet the BACB makes no reference to the trainee when describing the supervisory relationship (e.g., BACB, 2016, 2020b, d).
As a complement to this position, the American Psychological
Association (APA) defines supervision as “a distinct professional practice employing a collaborative relationship [emphasis added] that has both facilitative and evaluative components, that extends over time, which has the goals of enhancing the professional competence and science-informed practice” (APA, 2014, p. 2). Thus, it is proposed here that the
literature on behavior-analytic supervision should emphasize
the role and expectations of the trainee in the supervisory
relationship. In doing so, the behavior-analytic trainee might
enter into these supervisory relationships more prepared to
benefit from the experience.
The purpose of the current article is to serve as an overview
of behavioral expectations and recommendations for the
trainee, which are aligned with the guidelines outlined by
Sellers et al. (2016c) for the supervisor. Each guideline is
followed by relevant codes from the Professional and
Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts (BACB,
Behav Analysis Practice (2022) 15:370–381
2016). Codes from the recently published Ethics Code for
Behavior Analysts (BACB, 2020b) will also be included,
which will take effect as of 2022. Although not an exhaustive
list, the reference to specific codes is intended to illustrate the
coherence of the expectations described in this article and
those provided by the BACB. Additional codes may be relevant, and the trainee should consult the current version of the
BACB ethics code (BACB, 2016, 2020b) frequently throughout their experience.
Recommended Practice Guideline 1: Establish
and Maintain an Effective Supervisor–Trainee
Relationship
Before Supervision Contract
Although signing the supervision contract will define the formal beginning of the supervisory relationship, there are a few
things that the trainee should do beforehand (see the
Appendix). First and foremost, they should be aware of the
role of supervision and clinical training in their development
as a behavior analyst. Supervision should be a top priority in
their training, as it is the opportunity to develop foundational
skills in behavior-analytic practice. A critical consideration for
supervisors entering into a new supervisory relationship is
their current caseload as it relates to the ability to provide
effective supervision (Sellers et al., 2019). The trainee should
discuss their supervisor’s current caseload and supervisory
volume. This should include an explicit discussion of the
number of contacts that will occur during each supervisory
period and the supervisor’s availability to support the trainee
(Turner et al., 2016). Likewise, the trainee should consider
their current workload, past supervision experience, and proficiency with relevant items in the Task List for Board
Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs; BACB, 2017) when
determining their ability to benefit from supervision.
Instances in which the supervisor has a high supervisory volume and the trainee has limited experience in applied settings
may not be optimal. Conversely, if the trainee is more advanced, a supervisor with a high supervisory volume and large
caseload may help them develop greater independence and
proficiency as a behavior analyst. In addition to discussing
the supervisor’s current caseload and supervisory volume, another critical consideration for the trainee is the supervisor’s
current standing with the BACB. Trainees should consider
finding their supervisor’s information on the BACB registry
(https://www.bacb.com/services/o.php?page=101135) to
confirm that they meet the BACB ’s supervision
requirements and to determine whether any disciplinary
actions have been raised against their supervisor. Trainees
may also search disciplinary information by state using the
BACB Disciplinary Actions webpage (https://www.bacb.
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com/services/o.php?page=100180). If there are any
discrepancies noted, the trainee should reflect on how their
training may be impacted and discuss it with their supervisor.
The BACB’s Fieldwork Standards describe requirements
for trainees to begin their fieldwork experience. The trainee
should review the BACB requirements, as well as those that
may exist within their academic program, to ensure that all
have been satisfied and they are eligible to begin supervised
fieldwork. The trainee should also be familiar with the current
BCBA Task List (BACB, 2017) and consider their mastery of
the Task List items. The information gleaned from this sort of
self-assessment should help the trainee identify their goals,
strengths, and weaknesses, which may then help them identify
specific experiences that are coherent with the supervision
training program. An explicit discussion about the trainee’s
needs and the experience available at the training site should
occur before the supervision contract is signed. Doing so may
prevent future issues in the supervisory relationship. Other
documents that trainees should download and review prior
to beginning the fieldwork experience include the current version of the BACB’s ethics code (BACB, 2016, 2020b), the
BCBA Handbook (BACB, 2020a), and the Supervisor
Training Curriculum (BACB, 2020e). These and other documents can be found on the BACB website (BACB, n.d.),
which the trainee should also become familiar with before
starting their training. Generally, the trainee’s familiarity with
their supervisor, the practice of behavior analysis, and the
BACB’s current standards and requirements for fieldwork experience will aid the trainee when entering into a new supervisory relationship.
Contracts
The BACB’s Fieldwork Standards require that the trainee and
supervisor both thoroughly review and discuss a supervision
contract (BACB, 2020d). This contract must be signed before
the trainee begins to accrue experience hours. Some sites or
supervisors will have a standard supervision contract, but the
trainee should still review the document before signing. The
trainee should take the time to independently review the contract and make note of any vague or confusing aspects to
discuss with their supervisor. If the supervisor does not allow
for adequate time to review the contract or provide the trainee
with an opportunity to ask questions, then the trainee should
politely request additional time, details, or examples as needed. Politely advocating for these components of supervision
from the outset will not only ensure that the trainee is well
informed but also illustrate the trainee’s investment in the
supervisory relationship.
The supervision contract must include certain components,
but some flexibility is warranted with regard to either party’s
preference for delineating responsibilities or expectations.
Sellers et al. (2016c) recommended that trainees identify
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specific training experiences that they would like to count
toward fieldwork requirements. It may be the case, however,
that the site or supervisor has an established supervision program that the trainee will be expected to complete. In these
experiences, the trainee may have less input into the specific
activities that will be included in their supervised experience.
Nevertheless, the supervision contract should delineate the
scope of activities to be included during fieldwork, and the
trainee should consider sharing their goals, strengths, and
weakness where applicable within the training curriculum so
that the experience can be tailored to their specific needs.
Relatedly, trainees should ask how often they will be evaluated and on what basis (see Guideline 2 for more details).
If a required component of the supervision contract is absent or poorly defined, the trainee should ask their supervisor
about these components before signing the contract. In particular, they should ask about the conditions under which their
supervisor will not sign the monthly Experience Verification
Forms (EVFs) and other situations that could lead to the termination of the supervisory relationship (BACB, 2019a). No
one enters into a supervisory relationship expecting it to end
prematurely, but it is in the trainee’s best interest to determine
what criteria are used to make these decisions. The supervision contract should explicitly state the conditions under
which supervisors will not sign monthly EVFs or the final
EVF at the end of the training experience. More information
about contested experiences can be found on the BACB’s
website (BACB, n.d.), including the Contested Experience
Fieldwork Form. Once both parties have signed the supervision contract, the trainee should retain a copy for their personal records for at least 7 years following the last meeting with
their supervisor (BACB, 2020d).
Clear Expectations
The BACB’s Fieldwork Standards (BACB, 2020d) and ethics
code (BACB, 2016, 2020b) should be used to guide the content of the trainee’s supervision and training experiences.
Specifically, the BACB endorses that individual supervision
should be behavior analytic, effective, and ethics based and
meet the requirements for certification (BACB, 2016, 2019a,
2020b). These expectations of supervision should remain even
when experience at the training site and the mode of supervision (Turner et al., 2016) change over time. For example, if the
trainee is working with a new clinical population or in a new
setting, supervision may commonly involve direct observation and immediate feedback. As the trainee advances, their
role will likely change and include activities consistent with
case conceptualization, treatment planning, consultation, and
supervision of newer trainees. In these instances, the supervisor should continue to provide feedback to the trainee, though
this may include fewer direct observations and the feedback
may be more delayed (Turner et al., 2016). Supervision
Behav Analysis Practice (2022) 15:370–381
meetings should also include topics not related to the direct
implementation of services, including ethical dilemmas, treatment program development, and other challenges that may
arise in behavior-analytic practice, to name a few.
Although the BACB has a number of materials used to
guide training as a behavior analyst, there are other behaviors
that will be expected of the trainee that are not explicitly identified in the Fieldwork Standards (BACB, 2020d) or Task List
(BACB, 2017; e.g., Andzik & Kranak, 2020; Garza et al.,
2018; Sellers et al., 2016b; Sellers et al., 2019). For example,
Sellers et al. (2019) noted that a majority of supervisors reported measuring trainees’ interpersonal, time management,
communication, organization, and prioritization skills in some
way. The trainee should discuss their supervisor’s expectations for professional behaviors and share their strengths and
weaknesses in those domains. One such professional repertoire includes skills to facilitate interactions and relationships
with other trainees. Often, trainees will advance to serve in
leadership roles in the training setting, and their interactions
and relationships might change accordingly. Being thoughtful
of these interactions and discussing how to best approach their
evolving role may help the trainee successfully navigate these
relationships in the future. With any of these professional
skills, the trainee should make sure that they are aware of their
supervisor’s expectations and be prepared to receive, and even
solicit, feedback on their performance in these domains.
Considerations for receiving feedback are discussed in
Guideline 3, later in this article.
Some expectations of the trainee may be specific to a given
clinical setting. These activities will still likely be relevant to
the trainee’s future practice as a behavior analyst and may
include developing instructional stimuli, using various computer programs, aiding in billing and insurance, or other administrative duties. The trainee should consider what other
activities they may be required to complete at their training
site and work with their supervisor to ensure that they are
adequately trained to effectively perform all relevant tasks.
Although some of these tasks may be less enjoyable than
others, if they are relevant to the practice of the supervisor,
the trainee should pursue experiences to develop competence
in these areas as well. To note, although non-behavior-analytic
activities may be required at the training site, such activities
may not count toward the trainee’s experience hours. The
trainee should meet with their supervisor and review the
Fieldwork Standards to ensure that they are accruing at least
the minimum number of experience and supervision hours
each month when these activities are excluded.
The trainee should be aware of their supervisor’s expectations of them, while simultaneously being aware of what is
expected of the supervisor by the BACB. One of the most
common violations of the BACB Professional and Ethical
Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts (BACB, 2016) is
the inadequate supervision and delegation of responsibilities
Behav Analysis Practice (2022) 15:370–381
in the supervisory relationship (BACB, 2018, as cited by
Sellers et al., 2019). It is critical that the trainee is trained or
directly supervised to complete all relevant tasks in their experience. Best practices in clinical training include four components: (a) instructions, (b) modeling, (c) rehearsal, and (d)
feedback (Parsons et al., 2015). This program is called behavioral skills training (BST), and considerable research has demonstrated the efficacy of BST to train a variety of behavioranalytic repertoires (e.g., Cariveau et al., 2019; Iwata et al.,
2000; Sarokoff & Sturmey, 2004; Weiss, 2005). If the trainee
does not feel proficient in a given task, they may request more
explicit instruction, modeling, opportunities to practice, or
feedback from their supervisor. In doing so, the trainee is
developing a valuable professional repertoire and ensuring
that their supervisor is adhering to the BACB (, 2016; ,
2020b) ethics code.
The division and types of tasks will likely change as the
trainee progresses in their training. The trainee should share
with their supervisor when they feel they have demonstrated
competence, or do not feel competent, in various training activities. The supervisor may delegate tasks early in their relationship, but the trainee will likely be expected to complete
more complex fieldwork activities independently as they gain
more experience (Turner et al., 2016). Early and frequent
communication with the supervisor regarding the trainee’s
competence and confidence in their clinical role will allow
the supervisor to tailor the experience to the trainee’s specific
needs. Of course, the trainee’s confidence in a given domain
should always be determined through objective assessment by
their supervisor, although communicating when they would
like to be evaluated may always be an option.
Finally, the trainee should discuss their supervisor’s expectations for documenting experience hours. For example,
Sellers et al. (2019) recommended that supervisors complete
monthly fieldwork documentation; however, some supervisors may expect that the trainee do so, and the supervisor will
conduct reliability checks. Regardless, the trainee should verify that their experience forms are up to date and retain signed
versions each month. Ultimately, reporting accurate and complete information on monthly forms and all other fieldwork
experience documentation is the trainee’s responsibility, so
setting a reminder or some other prompt each month to review
these materials with the supervisor may be ideal (see the
Appendix).
Creating a Positive and Committed Relationship
The trainee’s relationship with their supervisor will likely last
several months. As with any relationship, efforts should continually be made to establish and maintain positive and
respectful interactions within the supervisory relationship.
Sellers et al. (2016c) recommended that supervisors be pleasant, caring, and consistently professional to convey their
373
commitment to a positive relationship with the trainee. The
same should be said for the trainee. It is important to recognize
that whereas the supervisor plays an important role in shaping
the trainee’s professional behavior, the trainee’s behavior
within the context of the relationship will also shape the supervisor’s supervision practices. In fact, despite the trainee’s
performance in other areas, these interpersonal and professional behaviors might be most readily observed by their supervisor (Bloom & Bell, 1979). It is typically recommended
that these skills be explicitly measured, so the trainee should
be aware that they may receive feedback on their interactions
with their supervisors or other individuals in the training setting. Andzik and Kranak (2020) described a Needs
Assessment and Checklist for Interpersonal Skills that may
be valuable resources for the trainee to use for self-reflection,
even if their performance in these areas is not being directly
assessed by their supervisor. Developing competence in these
interpersonal and professional behaviors will be expected in
any professional setting, even when such behaviors are not
explicitly endorsed. Further, interpersonal skills may lead to
higher ratings of the trainee by their supervisor (Bloom &
Bell, 1979).
The supervisory relationship will inherently differ from
other relationships in the trainee’s life. The trainee will be
expected to balance professional and interpersonal interactions with their supervisor, requiring that the trainee be
thoughtful in how they approach the supervisory relationship.
This may include their supervisor’s preference for communication modality (e.g., text message or email), interactions outside of the training setting (e.g., communication on weekends), and how they should reference their supervisor (e.g.,
first name or professional title). The trainee should discuss
their supervisor’s preference in these and related domains.
Further, the trainee might request information about past
trainees whom the supervisor found to be exceptional. In doing so, relatively minor activities (e.g., adhering to deadlines)
may be endorsed as having significant implications for the
supervisory relationship. Respecting the supervisor’s preferences and being professional throughout their interactions will
help maintain the positive context of their supervisory
relationship.
Due to the complexity of the supervisory relationship, it is
important for the trainee to recognize potential instances of
multiple relationships, conflicts of interest, or even exploitative relationships (BACB, 2016, Codes 1.06–1.07; 2020b,
Codes 1.11–1.14). The trainee should work with their supervisor to develop a plan for communication should any issues
develop in the relationship. The first step for the trainee to
resolving these issues is to bring the issues to their supervisor’s attention. Additional processes are available from the
BACB and likely the trainee’s company or academic program.
The trainee should be aware of resources and expectations to
resolve issues in their supervisory relationship and
374
communicate any concerns as early as possible so that their
training is not affected.
The trainee should not limit discussions of their relationship with their supervisor to instances when issues arise.
Instead, evaluations of their supervisory relationship should
be a consistent point of discussion during supervision (see the
Appendix). Sellers et al. (2019) noted that just over half of
supervisors reported continuously evaluating the supervisory
relationship. Given that the nature of their relationship will
likely change as the trainee gains more experience, they
should review their relationship at least as frequently as other
regularly scheduled evaluations (see the Appendix). Sellers
et al. (2019) suggested that the supervisory relationship be
evaluated based on the frequency and structure of meetings,
the supervision contract, feedback, the trainee’s needs, and
both short- and long-term goals. The trainee should also reflect on their own behavior and consider how they may be
positively or negatively impacting the supervisory relationship. Although research on self-monitoring for individuals
receiving behavior-analytic supervision is limited, including
self-monitoring in training packages has been effective for
improving staff’s accuracy in implementing behavioral interventions (e.g., Petscher & Bailey, 2006; Plavnick et al., 2013).
The trainee may use the Needs Assessment and Checklist for
Interpersonal Skills (Andzik & Kranak, 2020) or some similar
checklist to self-monitor their professional behavior in the
training setting.
Relevant ethical codes for Guideline 1 are 1.04–1.07, 5.01–
5.03, 5.05, 7.01, 10.05, and 10.06 (BACB, 2016), as well as
1.01–1.04, 1.06, 1.08–1.14, 2.08, 4.01–4.05, and 4.09
(BACB, 2020b).
Recommended Practice Guideline 2: Establish
and Maintain a Plan for Structured
Supervision Content and Competence
Evaluation
The trainee should collaborate with their supervisor to develop
a plan for covering aspects of the Task List (BACB, 2017) and
other related content during their training experience. A generic plan may be ideal, as much of the content covered in
supervision may be client specific, so adherence to a strict
schedule may not be possible. In addition, the trainee may
consider developing a system to record when particular content is discussed in supervision and align this content with
those items defined in the Task List (BACB, 2017).
Regardless, monitoring of this content should consistently occur throughout the supervisory relationship (see the
Appendix).
The trainee should also discuss their supervisor’s expectations for supervision meetings. Supervisors might request that
trainees develop and submit an agenda prior to each meeting
Behav Analysis Practice (2022) 15:370–381
(Sellers et al., 2016c), bring clinical graphs to discuss, provide
summaries of relevant research, or practice role-playing a specific protocol. Developing a tentative agenda that includes
questions or topics to discuss during their meetings is recommended, although the trainee should be flexible in case their
supervisor has other feedback or content to discuss. In preparing for supervision meetings, the trainee should prioritize
topics to ensure that questions pertinent to their clients’ needs
are addressed first. Additionally, the trainee should consider
preparing tentative answers to questions they plan to ask during their supervision meeting. Specifically, instead of asking
“What should we do about X?” the trainee might consider
making a recommendation first, and then requesting feedback
on their proposal. Doing so will allow the trainee to practice
clinical and ethical decision making and allow supervision to
be more consultative and collaborative, rather than instructional. See the Appendix for a list of recommended activities
trainees may consider on a weekly basis to prepare for
supervision.
The trainee’s preparation for supervision meetings may
vary as relevant topics arise in their clinical casework. The
trainee should review relevant protocols at their site, ask other
trainees about their experiences related to the topic, and review relevant research or other resources before bringing a
recommendation to discuss in their supervision meeting.
This is good practice for when they become a BCBA and need
to conduct record reviews, seek consultation from other
BCBAs, or identify research-based practices when facing a
clinical problem. Although it is ideal to prepare in this way,
the trainee may not always be able to prepare for the range of
topics that will be discussed in a supervision meeting, particularly when a topic arises organically. In those instances, the
trainee should ask any questions that they have, particularly
when it is unclear how they should incorporate the topic into
future clinical work. The trainee should not feel embarrassed
to ask “obvious” questions or to ask their supervisor to return
to a previous topic, to slow down, or to provide more specific
instructions or examples. If the trainee feels uncomfortable
asking questions, they should paraphrase or attempt to describe another example of the topic to receive additional feedback from their supervisor. Because every trainee enters a
supervisory relationship with unique academic training and
applied experiences, their supervisor may not always be aware
of the topics with which the trainee is not yet confident.
Although not knowing an answer can be aversive, the supervisor should not expect that the trainee knows everything. If
that were the case, there would be no reason for supervision.
Although the trainee may use a number of strategies to
monitor their development in the supervisory relationship,
formal competency evaluations conducted by the supervisor
are a critical element of this process. The timing of these
evaluations should be outlined in the supervision contract.
Competency evaluations may include items from the BCBA
Behav Analysis Practice (2022) 15:370–381
Task List (BACB, 2017) or other professional and interpersonal skills. In a recent survey of supervisors, over 60% reportedly included measurement of interpersonal, communication, and self-management skills (Sellers et al., 2019).
Additionally, competency evaluations often include a combination of performance- and knowledge-based skills, which
may be evaluated under a variety of contexts (Sellers et al.,
2016c). The trainee should request a list of the competencies
that will serve as the basis for their performance evaluations
and periodically assess and set goals related to their performance on those items (Garza et al., 2018). As always, the
trainee should ask questions that they may have about individual competencies, particularly if the skill is not operationally defined or it is unclear how they may demonstrate
proficiency.
Relevant ethical codes for Guideline 2 are 5.03–5.05,
10.01, 10.05, and 10.06 (BACB, 2016), as well as 1.01,
1.02, 4.01, 4.06, and 4.09 (BACB, 2020b).
Recommended Practice Guideline 3: Provide
Feedback and Evaluate the Effects
of Supervision
The supervisor is required to evaluate the effects of their supervision (Bailey & Burch, 2016; BACB, 2016, 2019a,
2020b; Sellers et al., 2016a, b, c), but effective supervision
also requires the trainee to continuously self-monitor their
proficiency, progress, and responsiveness to feedback.
Research has indicated that performance feedback is a critical
component of training packages (Codding et al., 2005;
LeBlanc et al., 2005; Page et al., 1982; Roscoe et al., 2006;
Slowiak & Lakowske, 2017), although the way in which
trainees receive and incorporate feedback into their practice
may influence its effectiveness. When there are discrepancies
between the trainee’s self-assessment and the feedback provided by the supervisor, the trainee should request an opportunity to demonstrate competence or ask for specific recommendations for improvement. For example, the trainee may
ask “How can I show you that I can perform X?” or “Will
there be an opportunity to demonstrate my competence in X?”
rather than argue or debate the basis of the evaluation. At each
evaluation, the trainee should consider the feedback provided
by the supervisor and develop short- and long-term goals that
may be met before the next evaluation. Additionally, the trainee should request feedback on at least one behavior that is
relevant to their current clinical activities, the Task List
(BACB, 2017), and prior feedback from their supervisor each
week (see the Appendix).
Ideally, the trainee will receive frequent, explicit, and direct
feedback from their supervisor about progress in a number of
areas, including performance on professional development,
interpersonal skills, clinical readiness, and conceptual
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knowledge. The trainee’s ability to accept this feedback is also
critical and defined based on their immediate (e.g., listening to
the feedback without protest, nodding, paraphrasing the relevant content) and future behavior (e.g., emitting new responses under similar situations). Actively listening and acknowledging the supervisor’s feedback, indicating appreciation for their guidance, asking follow-up questions, setting
relevant behavior-change goals, and self-monitoring progress
toward those goals are all ways that the trainee may show their
supervisor that they are accepting of feedback (BACB, 2020e;
Ehrlich et al., 2020). Sellers et al. (2016b) identified unwillingness or difficulty accepting and/or applying feedback as a
common issue in the supervisory relationship. The trainee
should discuss with their supervisor when and how feedback
will be delivered, as well as appropriate (immediate) responses for accepting feedback.
The supervisor should provide structured feedback at set
points during training, although more frequent feedback
should also be provided during supervision of clinical or other
day-to-day activities. Feedback may include a combination of
supportive and corrective components (Slowiak & Lakowske,
2017; Turner et al., 2016). Although the trainee can always
share their preference for different types of feedback, corrective feedback will likely be delivered at some point during
their supervisory relationship. Receiving corrective feedback
may sometimes be difficult and lead to the trainee feeling
embarrassed or disappointed. When this is the case, the trainee
may a
