School counselors rarely receive clinical supervision and are often expected to perform duties that fall outside of the American School Counselor Association’s list of appropriate responsibilities. This can contribute to underutilized clinical skill development, reduced career satisfaction, increased burnout, and, over time, decreased self-efficacy. Despite evidence that a lack of administrative support and understanding are important factors in school counselor functioning, there have been no studies directly relating supervisors’ training backgrounds to counselor self-efficacy. This manuscript discusses the results of a study that examined supervision and its influence on school counselor self-efficacy. Findings suggest a difference between supervision from non-counseling personnel (principal, vice principal, etc.) and those trained as counselors (e.g., Director of School Counseling Services). Advocacy for counseling supervisors and peer supervision, as well as implications for future research, are discussed.

Keywords: school counseling, supervision, self-efficacy, advocacy