Clinical supervision in positive behaviour support: A brief report on the perspectives of practitioners in Australia

Purpose: To examine current practices and recommendations regarding clinical supervision from the perspective of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) practitioners in Australia. 

Methods: A qualitative study design consisting of semi-structured interviews with 14 PBS practitioners. 

Results: Positive supervision experiences revealed the importance of “a supportive relationship”, “supporting reflective practice”, and “different supervisors fulfilling different needs.” Challenges experienced included “a focus on operational matters’, “lack of clinical PBS expertise” and “sourcing and funding own supervision”. Recommendations included the need for supervision standards and trained supervisors with PBS expertise and knowledge of registration requirements and practice obligations. Questions were also raised to whether specific supervision training should be mandated. 

Conclusion: Clinical supervision provides critical oversight to ensure quality PBS practices, especially given research reporting inexperienced, unregulated, and untrained behaviour support practitioners in Australia. Results suggest, however, that some clinical supervisors have limited PBS expertise, and that further practice standards and guidance are required.