The Veteran Supported Education Service Treatment Manual: VetSEd

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Peer VetSEd provider‘s background, expertise and prior experiences with
supervision
Evaluation process and fidelity measures for VetSEd services
Boundaries and confidentiality and the relevance of ethical considerations
The supervisor‘s sharing about background and expertise should include any prior
experience with supported education services and understanding and prior experience
with peer support providers. In some instances a peer VetSEd provider‘s clinical
supervisor may have limited experience with one or both of these domains. Nevertheless,
it is recommended that supervisors be honest about their expertise and frame any
expertise gaps as shared learning opportunities for the supervisor and peer VetSEd
provider.
Supervisors are encouraged to broach the topic of evaluation and fidelity processes
during the first supervision session. These discussions should be collaborative and mutual
in nature, so that the peer VetSEd provider and supervisor are in agreement about how
the peer will provide feedback to the supervisor, how the peer will be evaluated, and how
fidelity to the VetSEd process will be evaluated. Conversations about diversity issues and
ethical considerations are encouraged during initial supervisory sessions. In addition to
reviewing local state and the VA policies and procedures, VetSEd supervisors should
provide peer VetSEd staff with a copy of any state code of ethics for peer providers.
While not every state has such an ethics code, several states, including North Carolina,
Georgia, and Michigan do have such codes. See http://psssowo.unc.edu/files/CODE_OF_ETHICS_FOR_PSS.pdf
for North Carolina‘s example.
It is expected that these initial supervisory conversations will take more than one meeting
and, in fact, these topics should be revisited from time to time during the supervisory
experience. These initial conversations set the stage for subsequent supervision sessions,
so supervisors and peer VetSEd providers are encouraged to engage these discussions
wholeheartedly. It can also be beneficial for VetSEd supervisors and peer providers to
read articles and book chapters (Haynes, Corey & Moulton, 2010) about supervision, as
well as the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance‘s (2010) report on Peer Support
Supervision in VA Mental Health Services.
D. Core Element #2: Promoting Peer Identity of the VetSEd Provider
One of the most important strengths of a peer VetSEd provider is his/her lived experience
with mental health recovery and educational attainment. In fact, providers/helpers who
are designated as peers, and trained and certified as peer support specialists, serve a