A Phenomenological Exploration of Youth Counselors’ Supervision Experiences

This study aimed to explore and deepen the understanding of the supervision experiences of youth counselors engaged in adolescent counseling. To this end, in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 youth counselors using a semi-structured interview guide. The interview data were analyzed through thematic analysis, resulting in the identification of 37 constructed meanings, which were further distilled into 30 themes, 13 theme clusters, and 5 overarching categories. The findings were organized into five key areas: (1) expectations and preconceptions about supervision, (2) positive experiences in supervision, (3) negative experiences in supervision, (4) post-supervision influences, and (5) essential elements of adolescent counseling supervision. These results were discussed in relation to the specific supervision experiences of youth counselors, underscoring the study’s significance in the field of adolescent counseling practice. The study also presents its limitations and offers recommendations for future research.