Counselor-supervisor relationship as a correlate of utilization of counsellor supervision: the case of counsellors working in nairobi county, Kenya

Despite the critical role played by counsellor supervision in the counsellors’ professional and personal growth of counsellors many studies report low utilization of supervision services. The low rate of utilizing supervision services is likely to affect the quality of counselling services especially in Kenya. Several studies have attempted to determine the cause of low utilization of counsellor supervision. This study sought to determine how counsellor- supervisor is related to utilization of counsellor supervision services. The study employed a correlational research design. The target population was 2561 counselling professionals registered with the Kenya Psychologist and Counsellors Association. Multistage sampling including stratified, proportionate and simple random sampling was used to obtain a sample of 139 counsellors and 55 counsellor supervisors who took part in the study. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that there was a statistically significant positive relationship between counselor-supervisor relationship and utilization of counselor supervision. It recommended that professional bodies should offer counsellor supervision services as part of the professional development programs for counsellors. As well counsellor supervisors should be trained on the skills to nurture and maintain a professional relationship with their supervisees as a step towards enhancing the utilization of counsellor supervision services.