APA Task Force on Clinical Supervision in
Health Service Psychology
Approved by APA Council or Representative August 2025
Preface
This document outlines revised Guidelines for Clinical Supervision of students in health service psychology education and training programs. The goal was to capture optimal performance expectations for psychologists who supervise and those preparing to supervise. It is based on the premise that supervisors a) strive to achieve competence in the provision of clinical supervision, b) employ a competency-based, metatheoretical approach to the clinical supervision process, and c) clinical supervision is a distinct professional competence that requires dedicated training.
The initial Guidelines for Clinical Supervision were developed as a resource to inform education and
training regarding the implementation of competency-based supervision and were approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) Council of Representatives in 2014. These revised Guidelines for Clinical Supervision build on the robust literature on competency-based education and clinical supervision. They are organized around six domains: supervisor competence; multicultural orientation; relationships; teaching and learning strategies; problems of professional competence, and ethical, legal, and regulatory considerations. These updated Guidelines for Clinical Supervision represent the collective effort of the original task force (2014), and a working group convened in 2024 by the APA Board of Educational Affairs.