JCPSLP Vol 14 No 2 2012

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JCPSLP Volume 14, Number 2 2012 73
Group supervision, however, can have a number
of disadvantages. These could include an unhealthy
preoccupation with competitiveness and advice giving with
members trying to outdo each other with a variety of “if I
were you” solutions, or a focus on personal clinician needs
to the exclusion of the client needs. In supervision groups,
while it may be important for the supervisor (in terms of
clinical education) to model reasoning and clinical skills,
the supervisor can become dominant and hierarchical and
do a poor job of leading beneficial group processes by
continually showing off his/her expertise. Such supervision
groups can also become over-collusive and inward looking
and can ultimately fail to attend to the task of professional
development (Hawkins & Shohet, 2000). Over the last
decade, the use of electronic media, emails, Skype, and
other forms of social networking have become increasingly
popular for supervision (Carozza, 2011; Chambliss, 1996;
Ferguson, 2005; Macklem, Kalinsky, & Corcoran, 2001).
These forms of communication can be particularly valuable
given time constraints and geographical isolation, however,
there are confidentiality risks and a search of the literature
failed to reveal evidence that “virtual” meetings are an
effective substitute for involvement in face-to-face dialogue.
Mentoring
Another commonly used term is mentoring, usually
involving direct professional assistance and role modelling
plus emotional and psychological support by a more
experienced and achieved mentor to a mentee (Jacobi,
1991). An example of this is ASHA’s Student To
Empowered Professional (S.T.E.P.) mentor program that
can be implemented face to face or via electronic media to
provide student support (Carozza, 2011, p. 151). Generally
speaking, mentoring is considered a different process to
supervision (given its explicit hierarchy involving power/
assessment); nevertheless the power relationship in
mentoring is still present but simply more subtle. The
mentor is usually someone more experienced,
knowledgeable and authoritative who will mentor someone,
as distinct from networking or consulting. While it has been
argued that mentoring can create increased job
satisfaction, increased peer recognition, and potential
career advancement for the mentee, and may even create
rejuvenation in the mentor, it can also be argued that
mentoring predominantly benefits the organisation where
knowledge about the organisational culture is passed onto
new employees to maintain the status quo (Carozza, 2011,
p. 145ff; Limerick, Heywood, & Daws, 1994; Rose, 2005,
p. 319ff) or is used to reduce attrition rates and increase
staff productivity (Rolf-Flett, 2002).
Such dynamics may not initially be considerd a problem
from a management perspective, however ineffective
mentoring can lead to “role confusion and development
of hostile relationships where power imbalances and
complexities of confidentiality inside the workplace are
compromised” (Rose, 2005, p. 317). Other difficulties
associated with mentoring have included poor matching
of mentor and mentee, unrealistic or incompatible
expectations, and relationships that become too intense
or exclusive and ignore other professional input (Enyedy
et al., 2003). Interestingly, in a study comparing the terms
mentoring to networking by Queensland women in senior
management positions (Limerick et al., 1994), it was
discovered that the term mentoring was perceived to have
negative connotations for women. The preferred term
networking, however, was viewed to describe strategic
The success of a group, however, would hinge upon group
members understanding the characteristics, dynamics,
and potential benefits of adult learning through peer groups
in comparison to other strategies – some of which are
described using similar terminology but are very different
ideologically and pragmatically.
Terminology
Within the literature across business, education, medical,
and psychological professions, terms such as peer
mentoring, peer coaching, peer review, peer supervision,
peer assessment, peer mediated instruction, peer
modelling, peer monitoring, and peer assistance, are all
used to describe colleagues working together as peers to
improve professional practice. While the use of the word
peer in these terms suggests equal sharing and learning,
nevertheless the linking of the word peer with other words
(e.g., supervision, assessment, monitoring) forms terms
which subsequently can be interpreted and utilised by
management to create a hierarchical or an uneven balance
of power in workplace relationships.
Supervision
Within speech pathology a range of supervision models are
noted such as one-to-one supervision, peer-group
supervision, group supervision, co-therapy, or co-working
supervision, live or audio/video supervision, or email-/
computer-based supervision (Ferguson, 2005). The
peer-group supervision in this context is defined as
involving two or more members who supervise each other’s
work informally and are overseen by a formal supervisor.
Hawkins and Shohet (2000) outline six advantages of
peer-group supervision: (a) it is economically efficient, (b) it
creates a supportive atmosphere among peers, (c) it is
particularly advantageous for new staff, (d) it allows for
feedback from a range of colleagues, (e) as well as the
group supervisor, and (f) it allows the supervisor to test
whether group members have the same response to
material as him/herself. A group can also provide a wide
range of life experiences allowing greater empathy to
develop between colleagues, and group supervision allows
for modelling of techniques including re-enactment to help
solve clinical dilemmas. Given such advantages, group
supervision has been noted to be beneficial for speech
pathology (Horton, de Lourdes Drachler, Fuller, & de
Carvalho Leite, 2008).
Table 2. Summary of the potential benefits of adult
learning through peer groups
1. Establishment of a non-threatening learning community
2. Decreased work-related anxiety
3. Self-discovery, insight, and personal growth on the part of the
participants
4. Increased acceptance, validation, and support between group
members
5. Recognition for, and promotion of, professional expertise
6. Enhanced self-esteem and increased confidence
7. Prompt evaluation of competency
8. Improved communication and information sharing
9. A more professional and client-centred approach to care
10. Improved staff morale
11. Improved quality of care
Source: Hart, 1995