Supervisee Hours and the Temptation to Sign
A behavior analyst supervises two trainees. Trainee A has completed 900 of 1,500 required fieldwork hours but has been unable to attend supervision for six weeks because of a family emergency. Trainee A asks the supervisor to sign off on the missed supervision hours "just this once" so the trainee can sit for the exam on schedule, promising to make them up afterward. Trainee B has attended all sessions but has been recording unrestricted hours for activities the supervisor never observed, including writing a behavior plan that Trainee B actually copied from a template found online. The supervisor's caseload is at capacity, and the agency's billing depends on both trainees remaining eligible. The supervisor also learns that Trainee A has been running sessions unsupervised during the absence.
1. Identify the ethical conflicts in this scenario and the specific standards or principles that apply.
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Several distinct conflicts are stacked here.
Falsification of records. Signing for supervision that did not occur, or for unrestricted hours not performed, misrepresents trainee competence to the certifying body and to future clients. This is the core violation, and it is not cured by a promise to make up hours later, because the signature attests to what happened, not what will happen.
Supervision and delegation. Allowing Trainee A to run sessions unsupervised during the absence raises a competence and client-welfare issue. The supervisor is responsible for ensuring services are delivered by someone with the required training and oversight, and for not delegating beyond the trainee's competence.
Multiple relationships and conflict of interest. The agency's billing depends on the trainees staying eligible, which creates pressure to sign. The supervisor must separate the financial interest from the attestation.
Honest reporting. Trainee B's copied plan is both a plagiarism and a competence problem; counting it as unrestricted hours compounds the misrepresentation.
Applicable principles include integrity, responsibility, and doing no harm, plus the standards governing supervision, accurate documentation, and avoiding false or deceptive statements.
2. What should the supervisor do, in order, and how should the conversation with each trainee be structured?
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Immediately: decline to sign the missing hours, and document the request and the refusal. Do not sign anything until the record is accurate.
With Trainee A: open with concern rather than accusation, acknowledge the family emergency, and state the rule plainly: supervision hours must be earned and documented as they occur. Offer concrete remedies within the rules: a leave of absence, an extension of the fieldwork timeline, rescheduling supervision, and arranging coverage so the trainee is not running sessions unsupervised. Address the unsupervised sessions as a client-safety matter requiring an immediate plan and notification to the clinical director. If the trainee has already represented hours as complete, correct the record.
With Trainee B: raise the copied plan directly, explain why it cannot count as unrestricted hours, and require original work with supervision. Review the hour log together and correct any entries not supported by observation. Consider a remediation plan and increased direct observation.
Systemically: reduce the caseload or reallocate supervision so oversight is feasible, and escalate the billing pressure to the agency as an integrity concern. Keep a written record of all actions. If the agency insists on falsified signatures, the supervisor should refuse and consider reporting through appropriate channels.