Hawkins and Shohet (2012) refer to clinical supervision as:
…a joint endeavour in which a practitioner with the help of a supervisor, attends to their clients, themselves as part of their client practitioner relationship and the wider systemic context, and by so doing improves the quality of their work, transforms their client relationships, continuously develops themselves, their practice, and the wider profession. (p. 60)

The CCPA defines supervision as “a formal arrangement between a clinical supervisor and supervisee to embark on a supervisory relationship and process (CCPA, 2021, p. 114) while the American Psychological Association (2014) states that supervision is:
… a distinct professional practice employing a collaborative relationship that has both facilitative and evaluative components, that extends over time, which has the goals of enhancing the professional competence and science-informed practice of the supervisee, monitoring the quality of services provided, protecting the public, and providing a gate keeping function for entry into the profession. (p. 5).

Clinical supervision differs from several related activities: mentoring, coaching, consultation, and administrative supervision. Mentoring is usually a voluntary, non-reporting relationship with a more experienced professional while coaching is often used to improve instruction and teaching strategies, to experiment with new approaches and techniques, and to problem solve. Consultation is defined in the CCPA Standards of Practice (2021) as:
an arrangement between professionals in which the consultant provides a service, such as sharing of skills, providing opinion on a case, problem solving, and brainstorming but the professional receiving the consultation has the right to accept or
reject the opinion of the consultant. A consultant does not take on the legal responsibility or liability for decisions made by the therapist. Consultation also may be undertaken as a formal arrangement with fee requirements. (CCPA, 2021, p. 115)

In some settings, the clinical supervisor also acts as the administrative supervisor. While this dual role should be avoided, it is a reality in various counselling settings given financial restraints (Tromski-Klingshirn, 2007). Administrative supervision ensures that the agency or organization meets its mandate to provide effective client services by focusing on how staff manage caseloads, keep records, andadhere to organizational policies, practices, and priorities.

Since 2012, the CCPA has engaged in a number of supervision-related initiatives to support its members:

• established the Canadian Clinical Supervisor (CCS) previously known as CCC-S
• created a national clinical supervision competency framework
• held a National Symposium on Clinical Supervision in 2018
• surveyed competencies using the CCPA framework with supervisors at Family Services of Ontario
• established the CCPA Advancement of Clinical Supervision Committee
• published a clinical supervision handbook in 2012 and revised it in 2020
• launched an online graduate course in clinical supervision
• published a multi-authored text on clinical supervision in 2016
• published the Clinical Supervision Vignettes: Promoting Competency through Reflective Practice
• developed a clinical supervision website
• designed and delivered introductory, intermediate, and advanced workshops

The CCPA continues to support supervisees and supervisors through ongoing initiatives.