Summary - Gatekeeping in Clinical Supervision: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Gatekeeping is a core responsibility of clinical supervision, but it can also be one of the most challenging aspects of working with trainees. Supervisors must balance supporting trainee development with evaluating competence, protecting clients, communicating concerns, and determining readiness for continued clinical practice.

This training will examine gatekeeping across the developmental continuum, from recognizing and addressing emerging concerns to navigating more significant problems of professional competence. Through discussion and case examples, participants will explore how to distinguish developmentally expected challenges from more significant performance concerns, will learn to differentiate formative and summative evaluation, collaborate effectively with academic training programs, and determine when additional support, informal or formal remediation, or changes in placement may be appropriate. Emphasis will be placed on navigating the tension between supervisors' helping and evaluative roles, as well as the cultural, contextual, and equity considerations that may influence gatekeeping decisions.

Participants will leave with practical strategies for addressing concerns early, communicating concerns and documenting them clearly, partnering with training programs, and making developmentally appropriate and ethically grounded decisions about trainee readiness for practice.

Aubrey Orloff, PsyD, LP/HSP, is Associate Chair and Assistant Professor in the Counseling and Behavioral Health Department at William James College and Director of the Master of Arts in Psychology Program. She is a licensed psychologist and health service provider in Massachusetts and earned her M.A. in Forensic and Counseling Psychology and Psy.D in Clinical Psychology from William James College. Her clinical and professional experience spans correctional, inpatient, outpatient, and community mental health settings. Dr. Orloff's teaching, supervisory, and professional interests include clinical supervision, professional training and gatekeeping, psychological assessment, ethics, and forensic mental health.

Sheldon G. Aaron, M.S., LCPC (IL), NCC is Core Faculty in the Counseling and Behavioral Health Department at William James College. In addition to being a faculty member at WJC, he is a doctoral candidate with the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL. Professor Aaron earned his M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL. In addition to his work in higher education. Professor Aaron is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois, a National Certified Counselor, and holds Level-1Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy. In his clinical work, Professor Aaron specializes in working with LGBTGEQIAP+ adolescents and adults, and individuals presenting with depression, anxiety, suicide ideation, relational difficulties, and general adjustment related symptoms. Professor Aaron's research interests include counseling instructor and student development, advancement of cultural humility and sensitivity when working with students and clients of color and who identify as LGBTGEQIAP+ and the advancement of professional standards of care with these populations. Professor Aaron is an active member of ACA, ACES, AMCD, SAIGE, and ACSSW. Professor Aaron is currently the President of ACSSW.

At the end of this program, attendees will be able to:

Differentiate developmentally expected trainee challenges from problems of professional competence using behavioral, developmental, and contextual indicators;
Identify evaluation tools and techniques for supervisors to provide timely, behaviorally specific feedback, as well as strategies to collaborate with academic training programs when trainee performance concerns emerge;

and

Examine supervisory decision-making related to trainee performance concerns, including support, remediation, and placement decisions.